Spring 2010 Newsletter
Hello,
Thank you for subscribing to the mantle of the expert newsletter.
There is a great deal happening at the moment, both nationally and internationally in regards to the development of mantle of expert and education in general. Very soon, possibly as soon as May, there is going to be a general election. Inevitably education is going to be high on the agenda of all the political parties and we hope whoever wins they will continue the movement towards integrated learning and the focus on the importance of speaking and listening.
We welcome the publication of the new primary curriculum, in particular the emphasis on developing the skills of literacy, numeracy and ICT across the curriculum and the conception of learning as a process of developing meaning and understanding.
In response schools and education authorities across the country are engaged in a lengthy debate on the best ways to interpret the challenges of the new curriculum. There are bound to be many different responses. Ours is that the notion of ‘delivery’ as a means of teaching and learning should be entirely expunged. We argue that the new metaphor should be exploration and that this is a process where adults and children should engage collaboratively.
We do not advocate mantle of the expert as the only effective approach, but do maintain that inquiry should be at the centre of children’s ongoing experience of education. We mean inquiry not in the sense of simply gathering information, but as a process of investigation where children acquire not only new knowledge and skills, but also develop, overtime, genuine and deep understanding.
If you share these views, then there are a number of opportunities to join the debate at events planned for the coming months.
Inquiry Conference – Preparing for the new Primary Curriculum: 8th June, 2010
Organised by Surlingham Primary School, School of Creativity, this conference will be of interest to school leaders, class teachers, governors, advisers and others engaged in creating meaningful, relevant and challenging educational experiences for children.
This day will be a rare opportunity to participate in a guided discussion with colleagues, experts and children on the future of education and the challenges and opportunities created by the publication of the new primary curriculum due for implementation in September 2011.
After keynotes from ‘expert witnesses’ Chris Watkins from the Institute of Education and Luke Abbott, director of mantleoftheexpert.com, delegates will work in special interest groups, each with a inquiry focus. During the day there will be opportunities to draw on the expertise of Chris and Luke, the experience of children and staff from Surlingham Primary School and the knowledge, strengths and experiences of other delegates at the conference.
The aim of the conference is not to decide the outcome or ‘deliver’ a single point of view, but to gather together like-minded professionals and allow them the space, time and resources to discuss and share their thoughts and ideas for the future of education: A very rare opportunity.
If you would like to take part please take a look at the attached flyer for more information.
Super Seminars
Super Seminars (www.superseminars.co.uk) is a new approach to professional and school development, especially for Heads, Senior Managers and Curriculum Coordinators.
17 leaders in their curriculum fields, each of them accustomed to giving keynote presentations to large audiences, have agreed to give presentations tailored to the specific concerns of seminar delegates, as indicated at the time of booking.
The number of delegates is being limited to just 20, to enable the best exchange of ideas.
An experienced facilitator will guide the seminar from discussion of ‘big picture’ aims and strategies towards the development of detailed plans for implementation.
The facilitator will also support ongoing collaboration via free email or website forums that will be tailored to the convenience of busy people.
The fields include Curriculum Purpose and Design, Critical and Creative Thinking, Learning to Learn, PLTS, Philosophy with Children, and many more at the forefront of curriculum development.
Please do visit the website www.superseminars.co.uk and see for yourself the range of fields, speakers and interesting venues.
2nd Wales national conference: 28th June, 2010
Mantle of the Expert, Second National Conference
Presented by The National Association for the Teaching of Drama and Gwent Theatre
Mantell yr Arbenigwr yng Nghymru
Dysgu creadigol wedi ei ganoli ar y plentyn
Following the tremendous success of the first MoE conference Gwent Theatre have decided to offer a second opportunity for students, teachers and teacher trainers to benefit from this invaluable training opportunity.
As a part of the National Association for the Teaching of Drama’s (NATD) network of regional events we are offering a second conference for those who missed last year’s.
The conference workshops will be led by Dr Dorothy Heathcote, Luke Abbott, Tim Taylor and Iona Towler-Evans, who will guide delegates through the fundamental elements of the Mantle of the Expert, including planning, drama conventions and inquiry.
For more information please visit the conference webpage
Mantle of the expert at Ringsfield Hall
The second weekend of the advanced course is planned for May 7th and 9th at Ringsfield Hall. Applications are closed but there is a second round planned to begin in December 2010. Please contact us if you would like further information.
There are also a few places left for the weekend in June (18th-20th). This course will be suitable for both newcomers and those looking to consolidate their practice. Please contact us if you would like to book a place.
The Heathcote Archive
Progress continues at a steady pace uploading materials for the Heathcote archive. So far we have managed to upload 28 separate items (including two MED dissertations) which we feel will be of special interest to the community. We have started uploading various films of Dorothy working over the years, this, as you can imagine, is a lengthy process.
NATD Journal
We are delighted to announce an agreement between mantleoftheexpert.com and the NATD to digitise the whole of the NATD’s archive of journals and make them available free online. This will be a fabulous resource and we would very much like to thank Maggie Hulson and the rest of the NATD national executive for their generosity in making the archive available and agreeing to this process.
Please let us know if you would like further information on any of these matters of if you would like to unsubscribe from this newsletter: www.mantleoftheexpert.com, tim.taylor4@btinterent.com
Posted in category: Newsletters | 1 Comment »
May 31st, 2010 at 5:40 pm
I am a mother of five and have always given/allowed/facilitated the hands on approach to their learning. Screwdrivers to cake mix they have always learned through doing and investigating. I am now studying for a Masters degree at Leeds University and am writing my dissertation on Dorothy’s methods for teaching. I am a complete novice yet I find everything I read makes sense and offers children an accessibility to learning on their terms. Thank you for the work you have all done on the website, it will be an invaluable source to me.