Role play Teaching Strategy

-Founded by Physician Jacob L. Moreno (1889-1974) in Vienna.

-Role play is a form of approach to learn from character play each participant without rehearsal and preparation. Students are exposed to this form of speaking activity putting themselves into the shoes of real characters. A kind of dramatization but within a very short time frame unlike real stage play where the performer tend get ample of time to organize and synchronize their work of drama and present it to the audience.

This strategy is very applicable to English story telling/narration or poems whereby students get to enact and accordingly foresee what is the particular story/poem really about? Students can makeover easily that each character they portray is with utmost feel and emotions and to that resemblance students would take the grip over their work of dramatization and hence learning is also imparted.

Principles of role play:

• Students must accept the duties and responsibility of their roles and function.
• Students assume a particular personality of a different person such as a historical character.

Role of a teacher:

1. Act as an instructor.
2. Provides accessories for play.
3. Spectator.
4. Feedback provider.
5. Let the student play the role, where the child is comfortable.
6. Facilitator.
7. Participant.

Role of a student:

1. Active listener.
2. Seek guidance from adviser.
3. Assume responsibility for our own learning.
4. Develop effective interaction with teacher.
5. Evaluate and judge our own performance.
6. Spectator and provides feedback.

Purposes:

• Decision making.
• Exchange of knowledge.
• Enhances active participation.
• Long term retention.
• For cognition learning method and teaches many lesson.
• Understand the feeling of others.
• Challenge students to question their talent or aptitude.

Procedural steps:

1. Warm up group
2. select participation
3. set the stage
4. prepare the observer
5. Enact
6. Discuss and Evaluate
7. Re-enact
8. Share experiences and generalize

Advantages:

• Interest of an students when the topic is raised.
• Active participation.
• Long term retention.
• It enhances communication and interpersonal skills.
• It can be used with individuals or in a group situation.
• It helps to respect others feelings.
• Develops confidence and self-efficacy.
• Helps to share and giving feedback.
• It develops competence.
• Helps in interviewing, counseling skills, interpersonal relationship and team working.
• Requires both physical and mental strength.
• Reduce discipline problems in the classroom.

Disadvantages:

• It can be time consuming.
• Can be unpredictable incase of outcome.
• Can lack focus unless well planned and monitored.
• Embarrassment for some students.
• Less effective in large numbers of group.
• May awaken previously subdued or suppressed emotions.