ROLE-PLAYING AS A TEACHING STRATEGY

By Peter J. Elliker

Role Playing Offers Advantages

Students interest in the topic is increased.

Students are directly involved as active participants.

Students may develop a deeper understanding of Perspective Taking.

Encourages students to reflect upon their knowledge of a subject.

Requires students to use appropriate concepts and arguments as defined by their “character”.

Historical Advantages Engages students to re-enact or re-

invent a known historical event. Requires students to imagine they

were known historical figures, both good and evil.

Encourages students to analyze events and historical figures, interpret evidence and reconstruct historical events and characters in their own creative and unique way.

Continued… Students will gain extended historical

knowledge and understanding as to how and why historical figures acted the way they did.

Students will develop a working knowledge of primary sources and how to use them.

Students will gain the ideologies and philosophies of a historical figure.

World War II Conversation Project

Imagine that some of the most significant players of World War II were alive at the same time in the same place. Because they all have different opinions and philosophies and are concerned with the major issues of the war, it will be easy to have them all meet someplace I. E. The Yalta Conference, The Potsdam Conference…or perhaps a coffee shop. What would they say to each other? How would they act? What would they look like?

World War II Conversation Project

The Goal:

Create a conversation/dialog and perform a skit where 4-6 of the following characters from World War II are gathered and have a brief 3 to 5 minute conversation.

Character Options:

Allies

General Dwight D. Eisenhower Prime Minister Neville

Chamberlin Prime Minister Winston Churchill Premier Joseph Stalin President Harry S Truman President Franklin Delano

Roosevelt

The Allies Power During WWII

Axis

Emperor Hirohito Chancellor Adolf Hitler Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto Prime Minister Benito Mussolini Field Marshal Erwin Rommel Field Marshal Hermann Göring

The Axis Power During WWII

Specific Tasks: Choose the characters for your

dramatization and conduct some primary research on each individual.

Consider multiple resources for the research. The amount of research is up to you; However, the more research you conduct the easier it will be to write the conversation and the better off both the experience and your grade will be.

Continued Tasks… Discuss your research with your group

and write a 3 to 5 minute script involving 4 – 6 of the characters that your group has chosen. Be sure to address the following:

Why/how did the group gather in one place? What do the characters look like? What might they say to each other? How would they respond to others’ questions and

accusations? What tone would/should permeate the

discussion?

Continued Tasks… Prepare your performance.

Gather the props you might need and practice the delivery of lines (you will be permitted to use note cards) for a smooth performance in front of the class.

Each group member must read and act the part of one individual.

Make sure that everyone has a copy of the script.

Be ready to begin as soon as your group is called.

Groups will be chosen at random.

Continued Tasks… Perform your World War II

conversation for the class and turn in your written notes from the other groups to your teacher at the end of the hour. Submit one copy of your script with

everyone’s name on it and ALL research attached to the teacher.

All written notes and Players of the World War II handout should have individual student names on it to verify group contribution.

Extension Ideas For Application to Other Areas

In a Business Class: Students would select occupations, either

private or retail. Other students would be either clients or

customers. By role playing in this setting, it would

illustrate customer service, bargaining and the lessons of a free market.

Students could also use different time periods and eras which would also allow them to research not only the business itself, but how certain generations conducted it.

Continued… In a Spanish Class

In this scenario, students can break into small groups and come up with a relevant topic to class material, in 4 to 6 minute skit

This might include using the current vocabulary words combined with recent verbs.

EXAMPLE: Customers buying items at a market.

¿Dónde están los huevos? ¿Qué es el precio de la carne?

Continued… In a science class:

Assign organelles to the students: nucleus, nucleolus, golgi apparatus, lysosome, vacuole, mitochondria, cytoskeleton, ribosomes and so on.

Each students will research their “part”. Costuming may be required or different colored

headbands be needed to show distinction. The students will move about and explain how

their individual “part” connect and influence the rest of the cell.

In the end, the students will perform a completely functioning cell.