Title

Role-Playing as a Tool to Facilitate Learning, Self Reflection and Social Awareness in Teacher Education

Authors

Peter W. Kilgour, Avondale College of Higher EducationFollow
Daniel Reynaud, Avondale College of Higher EducationFollow
Maria T. Northcote, Avondale College of Higher EducationFollow
Marion Shields, Avondale College of Higher EducationFollow

Author Faculty (Discipline)

Education

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-2015

Journal

International Journal of Innovative Interdisciplinary Research

Volume Number

2

Issue Number

4

Page Numbers

8-20

ISSN

1839-9053

ANZSRC / FoR Code

130303 Education Assessment and Evaluation| 130313 Teacher Education and Professional Development of Educators

Reportable Items

C1

Abstract

Meaningful learning in the tertiary sector benefits from the inclusion of a variety of teaching and learning techniques including active learning. Role-plays are one type of active and participatory learning activity that creates interaction between students and a simulated scenario. This reality can serve to open the minds of participants to issues they need to be able to deal with in their chosen careers. This paper reports role-plays in four different learning applications: the first was in a multicultural education class and simulated a microcosm of society where students took on the roles of minority groups. The second reports on a history class that provided simulations of key battles of World Wars One and Two. The third was in mathematics for primary teachers’ class where the students simulated experiences as children in mathematics classrooms, parents and teachers speaking to each other and teachers teaching children. The fourth was in a leadership class for final year Early Childhood and Primary pre-service teachers, and involved role-play of an interview during the management of an unsatisfactory work performance by a staff member. The findings show that in each case the objectives of having students experience a simulation of reality were met.

Comments

Used by permission: the author(s).

Copyright © 2015 Peter Kilgour, Daniel Reynaud, Maria Northcote, Marion Shields.

First published in the International Journal of Innovative Interdisciplinary Research .

This is an open access article made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0

Recommended Citation

Kilgour, P., Reynaud, D., Northcote, M. T., & Shields, M. (2015). Role-playing as a tool to facilitate learning, self-reflection and social awareness in teacher education. International Journal of Innovative Interdisciplinary Research, 2(4), 8-20.