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ROLE-PLAY AND SIMULATIONS. Eva Fernández Berrios Jesús Bravo Sánchez Mari Carmen Valero Sales. DEFINITION OF ROLE-PLAY. Students play a part (their own or somebody else’s) in a specific situation. Give student information about who they are, and what they think and feel.
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ROLE-PLAY AND SIMULATIONS Eva Fernández Berrios Jesús Bravo Sánchez Mari Carmen Valero Sales
DEFINITION OF ROLE-PLAY • Students play a part (their own or somebody else’s) in a specific situation. • Give student information about who they are, and what they think and feel.
FEATURES OF ROLE-PLAY (1) • Student(s): Alone, in pairs, groups. • Short or long. • Open or tightly controlled. • Defined by teacher/students. • Types of roles: • Useful for real-world needs • Roles from TV, newspapers, books… • Fictional roles.
FEATURES OF ROLE-PLAY (2) • Language already acquired. • Language practice (rather than learning). • Fluency over accuracy. • It is a low input-high output technique. (The presentation by the teacher is very short). • CAN be performed for other students or recorded in a video (extrovert students).
SIMULATIONS (1) • The students feel they are real participants of the situation. • Simulated environment away from the real world. • Simulations must have a structure. The students do not invent anything. They are provided all the facts. • More complex. • Lengthier. • More fixed.
SIMULATIONS (2) • Less open-ended. • Includes other types of activities: • Analysis of data. • Reading. • Writing. • Discussion of options. • Students find themselves in a different world. • Enriching experience.
ROLE-PLAY vs. DRAMA • Drama: they “think like” Mr. Smith. VS. Role-play: they are Mr. Smith. They directly experience the unpredictability of language in use. • Drama: practised, memorized and performed for other students. • Role-play: no audience.
ROLE CARDS • Minimum information for students to understand what to do. • Memorised or read. • Structures: already studied or very simple.
ROLE-PLAY: HOW TO (1) • No over-complex emotional or psychological features (inhibition, acting). Emotion should arise naturally. • Choose subjects that are safe. • Emphasis on “play” rather than “role”. • Begin with pair work rather than group work (less self-conscious). • Short activities until students get used to it.
ROLE-PLAY: HOW TO (2) • Make sure the students have understood the situation and the role cards before you start. • If they use Spanish, start with pair work and easy information-gap role-plays. • Always have a follow-up activity for those who finish soon. • Set a time limit and stick to it.
ROLES OF THE TEACHER (1) • Facilitator: • Students do not know what to say next → • Leave them on their own. • Discrete suggestions without interrupting. • Participant: • Help in a hidden way by: • Introducing new information for the development of the role play. • Ensure students’ involvement. • Do not participate too much.
ROLES OF THE TEACHER (2) • Feedback provider: • After the role play. • 1st: positive (creativity, originality, correct expressions). • 2nd: mistakes: • Walk round the classroom listening to the students and noting down the mistakes you would like to deal with. • Asking the students what can be improved. • Write them on the blackboard. • Remedial exercise prepared before hand. • About the content and language.
AIMS AND ADVANTAGES (1) • Improve speaking skills. • Promote interaction. • Practice all language aspects: structures, vocabulary, pronunciation, … • Train for real specific situations in a safe context. • Fun, motivating.
AIMS AND ADVANTAGES (2) • Includes the outside world (vs. Activities based on tasks). • Small talk. • Expressions to start a conversation. • Important in social relationships • Missing in traditional teaching. • E.g.: ‘Beatiful day, isn’t it?’ ‘Are you enjoying yourself?’ ‘Have you worked here long?’ ‘Pretty nice place, huh?’ • Help shy students by providing them with a mask.
DISADVANTAGES • Time-consuming. • Noise, chaos. • Use of mother tongue. • Difficulty of assuming somebody else’s personality: • Allowed to choose their own roles. • Shyness.
PRACTICE ACTIVITIES • Booking in a hotel. • Picture role-play. • The Lost Property Office. • Igartiburu’s People. • Role switching. • Simulation: Supermarket magic
BIBLIOGRAPHY • Harmer, J. 1991. The Practice of English Language Teaching. London: Longman. • Ladousse, G.P. 1987. Role Play. Oxford: Oxford University Press. • Ladousse, G.P. 1983. Speaking Personally. Quizzes and questionnaires for fluency practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. • Matthews, A. et al. (eds.) 1985. At the Chalkface. Practical Techniques in Language Teaching. London: Edward Arnold.