Mantle of the Expert is an educational approach that uses imaginary context to generate purposeful and engaging activities for learning.
The teacher plans a fictional context and the pupils take on the responsibilities of an expert team. As a team they assign activities and tasks and they learn important skills such as researching and inquiry, problem solving and writing.
The creation of a fictional context where the pupils experiment with making decisions, taking on responsibilities, and meeting challenging situations, is a kind of ‘safe zone’ within the classroom. Unlike in the real world, where children would rarely, if ever, have the kinds of experiences generated by Mantle of the Expert, in an imaginary world they can explore, discuss, and evaluate them as if they were real.