This paper presents the educational method of role taking as a means of teaching communicative competence in a second language. The method calls for encouragement of student "creative work" and "coping with" the learning material. A sample lesson used in South Africa with students (ages 11-13) learning English as a Second…

Suggests promoting student critical thinking and motivation through the dramatization of U.S. history. Explains that the exercises make use of old newspaper articles, diaries, and letters, as well as physical artifact facsimiles. Discusses an activity in which students acted out the formation of the Iroquois nation, then wrote first person…

Describes how an eighth-grade teacher taught her class about Anne Frank, the Holocaust, and World War II by creating a character, playing the role of the character, and making history personal for the students. (SM)

A program used role playing to help physicians and nurses to understand problems in gaining patient compliance with medical regimens. Practitioners found they gained insight into sources of patient noncompliance and were able to generalize the experience to later interactions with patients. (Author/MSE)

"The Party" is a role-playing activity used in an ethnic studies course at California State University at Fullerton to help students experience cultural stereotyping firsthand. Students responded with enthusiasm to the experience and found it effective in sensitizing them to diversity issues. Suggestions are offered for teachers using…

Discusses an introductory U.S. government course that examines government in a comparative context. Explains that students play the role of U.S. government experts to whom representatives of the republics of the former Soviet Union come for consultation. Reports that students gather information both from textbooks and the popular press. (SG)

The continuous method of scoring a performance test composed of standardized patients was compared with a derivative method that assigned each of the 131 examinees (medical residents) a dichotomous score, and use of Angoff's method with these scoring methods was studied. Both methods produce reasonable means and distributions of scores. (SLD)

Sociodramatic play, which combines role play and dramatization, is suitable for elementary and secondary language classrooms. It is learner centered and caters to varying language abilities. Children draw upon their existing experiences as the basis for their play. Teacher input is essential. The paper examines advantages and disadvantages of this…

Describes one teacher's use of creative skits in a college-level beginning Japanese language course. Each student must participate in two skits. Preparatory activities, required linguistic elements, use of props, teacher input into scripts, and methods and criteria for evaluation of performance are outlined. Possible difficulties and solutions and…

Describes Internet-based online interactive role-playing simulations of current political events that were developed at Macquarie University (Australia) to be used with Internet partners around the world. Discusses the use of e-mail, teleconferences, and evaluation of the simulations. (LRW)

Describes student forums as a means for students to learn through role-playing instead of reading a textbook or listening to a lecture. Explains that students debate the issue of independence of the U.S. judiciary in this sample forum. Provides detailed roles for students willing to express their positions during the panel discussion. (CMK)

Describes an activity in which students gather information on a field trip to South Stradbroke Island in Australia and conduct a symposium on whether it would be suitable to build a resort on the island. Students role-play the viewpoints of various special interest groups that would be involved in the controversy. (Author/WRM)

Summarizes a three-year action research project in a Norwegian upper secondary school, which used drama techniques and role playing to support learning for at risk students. Discusses finding a place for their program in the school context and getting this population of students to learn to trust one another, take risks, and ultimately take…

Discusses the concept of a Virtual Company--a collaborative, distributed learning environment built on the notions of competence-based, constructivist, open learning, and distance education. It features an authentic, role-playing game that is strongly modeled upon the functional structures of real-life companies. Outlines the set-up of a Virtual…

Profiles "Civil Law Mini-Trials," an instructional activity developed by P.A.T.C.H. (Participatory Awareness Through Community Help). The Mini-Trials allow students to participate in mock civil cases including preparation, presentation of arguments, debriefing afterwards, and a discussion of the real case verdict. Discusses other P.A.T.C.H.…