Crossroads: High School Curriculum
Unit IV: What Was the American Revolution? 1760-1836

Teacher Note on Role Playing

Teacher Note on Role Playing

Several CROSSROADS activities require students to assume roles within simulations of historical events. They have been suggested because of their power in bringing about student learning. However, their efficiency in terms of reaching the intended objectives can be lessened when the simulations are trivialized and/or the concept of role is not fully understood. For teachers who are unfamiliar with this methodology and those who have hesitated to use it because of earlier lack of success, the following guidelines are provided:

1. Before the activity:
   1. Identify in your own mind what the primary purpose of the simulation is. Most of the CROSSROADS activities using this methodology are designed to explore some historical event or problem. It must be made very clear to students what the focus of the activity is.

   2. Teach the concept of a role if students are unfamiliar with the technique. Students must know that a role is a unique way of relating to others which is revealed through patterns of speech, attitudes, and behaviors. Once students understand the concept of role, the teacherŐs main concern is to avoid placing students in roles in which they could be stereotyped.

   3. In role playing and simulations the teacher takes a secondary, but important position in the experience. The teacher must be willing to be nonjudgmental and open to alternative explanations, actions, decisions, etc. even when the results of the activity are other than what happened in the past.

2. During the activity:
   1. Setting the stage. Introduce the topic, outline the main concepts or ideas that are embedded within the simulation and provide an overview of the simulation--its parameters, context, and purpose.

   2. Getting into it. Introduce the rules (if any), roles, procedures, decisions to be made, and goals. Organize students into their roles (student self-selection of roles is best) and conduct a practice session using a single aspect of the simulation. This allows for corrective feedback if the directions are unclear, if the roles are not fully understood, or if another aspect needs clarification.

   3. The simulation. Students participate in the simulation enacting their roles while the teacher functions as a facilitator. When corrective feedback is needed the activity may be halted temporarily for evaluation or clarification. How and when this is done is dictated by the type of simulation; i.e., individual, small group, or large group enactment.

3. Follow-up:

   The teacher and the students should focus on the following:

   1. The significant events, problems, and decisions encountered during the simulation.

   2. The process itself; namely, an analysis of the simulation in terms of the positions which were most important in achieving the lessonŐs objectives.

   3. Comparison of the simulation experience with historical realities.

   4. Evaluation of the simulation.