Role Playing and Simulation

By Deborah Murdoch and Kim Knox

“You can never truly judge a person until you’ve walked a mile

in their shoes”

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view […] until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

– Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

What is Role Playing?

Taking on another identity

Acting

Decision-makingspontaneous

Definition of Role Play

Educational Role Play asks each student to take the role of a person affected by an issue and studies the impacts of the issues on human life and/or the effects of human activities on the world around us from the perspective of that person.

Objective of the teacher

to challenge your students to eliminate all personal subjectivity and take on a different

persona and perspective.

Types of Role Play

1. Tableaux – A striking scene or picture created by organizing

students in a staged pose, often in costume– A series of tableaux can be used effectively to

recreate an event, especially when a narrator describes the various scenes and the progression of events

– Benefits: can be less intimidating because while everyone can participate, not everyone has to speak

– *The tableaux must is the debriefing after the activity to explain why and what the group has done.

Questions you should ask in the debrief:1. What was portrayed?2. Why was it important?3. Was it a plausible recreation of the event?4. What aspects do we need to learn more about?5. Are there other interpretations of what

happened?6. What have we learned from this activity?

Types of Role Play

2. Stepping into History– Involves students in role playing people in a painting or

photograph– The idea is to assign a role based on the person in the

picture. Students research their characters and then they can create a conversation about the issue that is the subject or reason for the picture.

– Benefit: this activity stirs up the student’s historical imaginations, uses critical thinking and encourages them to research, discuss and identify people/places in history.

– Caution: It should encourage some imaginative dialogue, but avoid inauthentic dialogue

Last Spikehttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tHyVWN_FhI0/TNdkO6xuvWI/AAAAAAAABEg/B9exqrM5cH8/s1600/last-spike.jpg

Father’s of Confederation at the Charlottetown conference http://www.uppercanadahistory.ca/pp/pp9p1.jpg

Types of Role Play

3. Heritage or History in a minute– Help students choose or research a person, event or even a

popular product of the time– Divide the class into small production teams and ask them to

write a storyboard for their history minute– Students can choose between a video or presentation in front

of the class– You could possibly be use this assignment for review

Heritage Minutes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1jG58nghRo

Types of Role Play

4. Teacher Role Play– Teacher can take on a role of a certain character in history

while teaching that class

Clip from Glee

Types of Role Play

5. Post-cards from the Past– Students are to create post-cards from the perspective of

individuals living in a given time period– The post-card should be historically accurate, written in first-

person narrative, proper post-card format and must include a picture of the person on the front.

– Benefits: It is more engaging then simply writing a letter or drawing a picture. The students are able to take on a persona rather than write a biography.

– www.histori.ca– www.archives.ca

Role play activityPost-cards from the Past

What is Simulation?

Enacting an eventLiving history

Premeditated and Planned

Immersed into an unfamiliar situation

Definition of SimulationEducation simulation has three main components:1. Students take roles that are representative of the real world and involve

them making decisions in response to their assessment of the situation that they have been placed in.

2. Students experience simulated consequences which relate to their decisions and their general performance in the simulation

3. Students monitor the results of their actions and are encouraged to reflect upon the relationship between their own decisions and the resulting consequences of their actions.

Other aspects- Involve the use of social skills, which are directly relevant to the world

outside of the classroom.- Deal with situations that change and therefore demand flexibility in

thinking- Problem based and help in the development of long-term learning

Objective as a teacher The creator of the simulation is to help the

students to understand the situation of that person (or group of persons). It helps students to develop a sense of empathy.

Types of Simulation Video games

• Students are often already familiar with these interfaces and the “language” of interacting with and utilizing them.

• creating authentic learning experiences is perhaps the most critical aspect and benefit to digital games and simulations—bridging the all-too-well-known gap between the classroom and the real world.

• Games and simulations have been a key component of training doctors and military personnel

• Researchers have found that games improve skills in communication and collaboration, problem-solving, and various number-related skills (McFarlane, Sparrowhawk, & Heald, 2002).

Although analogous to digital games and often included in the gaming spectrum, simulations are “analog[ies] of a real world situation[s]” (Prensky, 2001, p. 128), as they recreate a modeled or modified version of a real world situation.

One essential aspect that separates digital games from simulations is the lack of game dynamics or the “win state” that exists in digital games.

CROSS-COUNTRY CANADA, integrated into the Elementary Schools in early 1990s.

Links

WWW.EDUCATIONARCADE.ORG

http://kids.discovery.com/games/just-for-fun/mummy-maker

Types of Simulation

In-class enactmentsTrencheshttp://davidwb3.tripod.com/3_23_stuff/simulations.htmhttp://hillcresthornets.org/_beats/on_the_hill/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/schaffitzelclass.jpgDanceRecipes / Potlackhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/history/handsonhistory/ww2.shtml

Simulation Activity Deportation

What is the difference? Role Playing Simulation

Specific; each student has a representative roles

Spontaneous , student-driven

The action has a “past”; events have happened already

The focus is on what will happen

“This is the problem; how shall would “this role” solve it/how was it solved?”

General, group situation

Pre-meditated ; teacher-driven (or computer driven)

The events could have happened or can be hypothetical

Mimic real life; relatable and relevant

“This is the situation, what will/can we do?” = reflective

Why is Role Play and Simulation important in the classroom?

• Recreates dramatic quality of situation of historical setting• Teaches empathy to different cultural perspectives (social

conscience)• Can sensitize students (poor losers)• Simulates authentic language experiences• Provides a memorable learning experience• Adaptable for multiple learning levels and learning styles• Promotes self-esteem and builds confidence• Student-driven; active learning

Adversarial Roles• Role play is an effective strategy used in teaching

conflict resolution • If emotions are running high over a conflict or

controversial issue, teacher can select simple conflicts and get them to each take on a role

• Example, European contact with Natives• This helps students appreciate the complexity of a

controversial issue. • Instead of taking on one role, students can assume

many different roles related to the same issue, which allows students to gain different perspectives

What skills do they promote?

• Combines cognitive and affective domains of learning (feel and think)

• Oral and written communication; performance skills

• Decision-making• Provides students with open-ended opportunities

to analyse a problem or controversial situation • Thinking critically about an unfamiliar topic• Spontaneity

What must teachers do before implementing role play or

simulation into the classroom?

Preparing for Simulation and Role Play

• You have to build a safe community• Modelling• Have realistic goals (this isn’t drama class!)• Use realistic situations and scenarios

(historical inaccuracies)• Provide visual aids (props, costumes, etc)

Downfalls• Imposition of thought and subjectivity• Complexities and subtleties overlooked• May promote stereotypes• May not cater to all levels of maturity• Students may retain inaccurate information• Time consuming• Access to props• Space

“Dramatic activities provide some of the richest and most memorable experiences (students) have in their struggle with a second language”

– Celce-Murcia

Assessment Assessment for learning

- This is a memorable experience that will benefit the student’s learning, therefore does not necessarily require evaluation

Assessment of learning- Historical relevance (research), Enthusiasm and

effort in your assigned role, accomplishments with simulation

Assessment as learning - Self-reflection

Assessment as learning; self-evaluationDuring the meetings, I acted in role

Almost neverAbout half the time

All of the time

Evidence to support my evaluation.

During the meetings, I contributed my ideas...Almost neverA few times

Whenever appropriate

Evidence to support my evaluation.

During the meetings, I supported other peoples ideas...

Almost neverA few times

Whenever appropriate

Evidence to support my evaluation.

During the meetings, I work to find a win-win solution...

Not at allMade an effort

Worked very hard

Evidence to support my evaluation.

Questions?

Role Play/Simulation ActivityBuild-your-own

The End