role-play
Teaching method wherein students pretend to be different characters and improvise a scene.
Additional information
Role-play is often used to teach social problem solving. Students can be presented with scenarios (e.g., Barney cut in front of you in the cafeteria line, or Sally and Becky are jumping rope and you want to join them) and asked to enact possible responses. This allows them to practice different responses to upsetting or challenging situations and consider which response is most likely to lead to a desired outcome.
Role-play also has applications in academic classes. Examples include acting out historical events or scenes from a book, taking the parts of assigned historical figures for a debate or discussion, arguing opposing sides of an environmental issue or hypothetical court case, or playing members of Congress debating a proposed bill.
Examples and resources
Find lesson plans that use role-play as a teaching method.
