Mantle of the Expert in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning: an Educational Challenge for Students’ Language Skills Development

Öz

Prior studies in the educational field have highlighted the effectiveness of the didactic use of drama inquiry based teaching approaches, such as Mantle of the Expert (MoE), in school settings. However, there is little research evidence as regards the didactic use of the specific approach in English as a foreign language (EFL) learning. As a result, the present paper examines the didactic use of the dramatic inquiry teaching approach of MoE in EFL learning with state primary school students in Greece. The study aims at exploring the use of MoE in EFL learning for the development of students’ language skills in a manner compatible with the Integrated Foreign Languages Curriculum (IFLC) as well as the CEFR A1-A2 communicative adequacy descriptors of the Council of Europe six-level language proficiency scale. In order to accomplish the purpose of the study, a six teaching hours action-research was implemented on 5th grade EFL state primary school students aged 10-11. A qualitative research approach through Content Analysis was implemented on the collected research data, from which very significant evidence was collected concerning the development of students’ language skills in English. Research data provide strong indications that MoE constitutes an effective approach to learning English as a foreign language in primary education. Having proved MoE as a dynamic supplement to the mainstream teaching practice through this action research, the researcher suggests conducting the study to other age groups of both primary and secondary education as well as to more school contexts in other geographic areas.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• English as a Foreign Language
• Mantle of the Expert
• Action Research

Kaynakça

1. Abbott, L. (2012). The Dramatic imagination. Retrieved from http://www.mantleoftheexpert.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/The-Dramatic-imagination-draft2.pdf
2. Berelson, B. (1954). Content Analysis. In G. Lindzey (Ed.), Handbook of Social Psychology: Theory and Method, Vol. I (pp. 488-522). Cambridge, Mass: Addison-Wesley.
3. Burnaford, G. E., Fischer, J. & Hobson D. (1996) (Eds.), Teachers doing research: Practical possibilities. Routledge.
4. Chryshochoos, J., Chryshochoos, N., & Thompson, I. (2002). The methodology of the teaching of English as a foreign language with reference to the crosscurricular approach and task-based learning. Athens: The Pedagogical Institute.
5. Council of Europe (2001). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment. Retrieved from: https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages/the-cefr-descriptors
6. Denzin, N. & Lincoln, Y. (2005). The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
7. Devine, D. (2003). Children, power and schooling: How childhood is structured in the primary school. Stylus Publishing, LLC.
8. Edmiston, B. (2007). The Mantle of the Expert Approach to Education. Retrieved from https://www.mantleoftheexpert.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/BE-The-MoE-Approach-to-Education.pdf.

9. Edmiston, B. (2011). Teaching for transformation: drama and language arts education. In Lapp, D. & Fisher, D. (Eds.), The Handbook of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts (224-230). New York: Erlbaum.
10. Edmiston, B. & Whittaker, M. (2014). Running to text: Engaging teachers in dialogic dramatic inquiry to ‘see’ equality in reading education. Eventful reading, 1-21. Retrieved from: https://eventfulreading.wordpress.com/
11. Ely, M. (1991). Doing qualitative research: Circles within circles. London: The Falmer Press.
12. Fraser, D., Aitken, V. & White, B. (2013). Connecting Curriculum Linking Learning. Wellington: NZCER Press.
13. Gardner H. (1999). Intelligence reframed: Multiple Intelligence for the 21th century. New York: Basic.
14. Geer, J. G. (1988). What do open-ended questions measure? Public Opinion Quarterly, 52 (3), 365-367.
15. Heathcote, D., & Bolton, G. (1994). Drama for Learning: Dorothy Heathcote’s Mantle of the Expert Approach to Education. Dimensions of Drama Series. Heinemann, 361 Hanover St., Portsmouth, NH 03801-3912.
16. Heathcote, D., & Herbert, P. (1985). A Drama of learning: Mantle of the expert. Theory into Practice, 24(3), 173-180.
17. Hollingsworth, S. (1997). International Action Research. A Casebook for Educational Reform. London: Falmer Press.
18. Hopkins, D. (2014). A teacher's guide to classroom research. McGraw-Hill Education.
19. Huxtable, C. (2009). Mantle of the Expert and the key competencies: An exciting and valuable partnership (Master’s Thesis). University of Otago, Dunedin.
20. Kalantzis, M. and Cope. B. (2008). New Learning: Elements of a Science of Education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
21. Kemmis, S., & McTaggart, R. (Eds.). (1988). The action research planner. Deakin University.
22. Kemmis, S., & McTaggart, R. (2005). Participatory action research: Communicative action and the public sphere. Sage Publications Ltd.
23. O’Neill, C. (1989). Dialogue and Drama: The Transformation of Events, Ideas and Teachers. Language Arts 66 (2), 147-159.
24. O’Sullivan, C. (2011). Role-playing. In L. Cohen, L. Manion, & K. Morrison (Eds.), Research methods in education 7th Edition (pp. 510-527). London: Routledge.
25. Papadopoulos, S. (2010a). Theatre Pedagogy. [Παιδαγωγική του Θεάτρου]. Athens.
26. Papadopoulos, S. (2010b). Mantle of the Expert: The Drama Project Method. [Ο Μανδύας του Ειδικού: Η Θεατρική Μέθοδος Project]. Kinitro/Motivation [Κίνητρο], 11, 29-40.
27. Papadopoulos, S. & Kosma, G. (2018). Action Research in the EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learning context: an educational study by means of the dramatic teaching approach Mantle of the Expert. Drama Research: international journal of drama in education, (9)1, 2-18.
28. Papadopoulos, S. & Kosma, G. (2020). The Didactic Use of Mantle of the Expert in Teaching CLIL (Content Language Integrated Learning) Geography: An Action Research in Primary Education. International Journal of Humanities and Education, Vol. 6 No. 13: April, 17-34 [ISSN 2149-5645].
29. Papadopoulou, V. (1999). Teaching observation: Theoretical framework and applications. [Παρατήρηση διδασκαλίας: Θεωρητικό πλαίσιο και εφαρμογές]. Thessaloniki: Kyriakidi.
30. Pedagogical Institute (2011). Major Training Program for Teachers Basic training material, 50-55. Retrieved from: http://pi-schools.gr/
31. Sedgwick, P. & Greenwood, N. (2015). Understanding the Hawthorne effect. Bmj, 351, h4672.
32. Swanson, C. J. (2016). Positioned as Expert Scientists: Learning science through Mantle-of the-Expert at years 7/8 (Doctoral dissertation). University of Waikato, Hamilton.
33. Taylor, T. (2016). A Beginner's Guide to Mantle of the Expert: A transformative approach to education. Norwich: Singular Publishing.
34. Towel-Evans, I. (2007). What's in Store in Harlow? A Practical Guide to the Mantle of the Expert Learning System devised by Dorothy Heathcote. Retrieved from http://www.mantleoftheexpert.com/about-moe/articles/
35. Yin, R. K. (2016). Qualitative Research from Start to Finish (Second ed.). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.