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Role Play
GCED 635 - Fall 2013
Cherise Rachal and
Katelyn Karasack
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Biography
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Fannie Shaftel
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Born in 1908 and died in1999
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Born, raised and lived primarily in California
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1928: Received Teacher Certification from UCLA
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Taught elementary school, then pursued her Master’s degree at Columbia
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Returned to California to serve as Elementary Curriculum Coordinator for Pasadena
City Schools
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1948: Received Doctorate in Education from Stanford and then served as a professor in
the School of Education for 27 years
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Focus on social studies as a core curriculum in elementary schools
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Role play allows students to explore social values and understand diverse cultures
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Awards: 1969 Stanford School of Education Teacher Excellence Award and 1976 UCLA
Corinne A. Seeds Award
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George Shaftel
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Born to Russian immigrants in Missouri in 1903, died in
California in 1999
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Received a MA in English from the University of California in
Berkeley
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Professional writer in the fields of English grammar, history,
social studies and health
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With his wife Fannie, authored the 1967 book “Role playing of
social values: Decision making in the social studies” and the
1982 book “Role playing in the curriculum”
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Shaftels’ view of role play: nine distinct steps
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Mark Chesler
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Emeritus Professor – Department of Sociology – University of
Michigan
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Currently serves as Director of Community Resources, Ltd. in Ann
Arbor, Michigan
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1957: Received BA in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell
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1963: Received MA in Psychology from Hofstra
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1966: Received PhD in Social Psychology from University of
Michigan
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Focus is on investigating issues of social justice, race and gender
equity and psychosocial impact of childhood cancer
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Robert Fox
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With Mark Chelser, authored 1964 book “Role Playing in the
Classroom”
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Worked with the University of Michigan Institute for Social
Research to develop Teacher Resource Booklets
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Also the co-author of numerous books on educational
strategies
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Philosophy
and
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Foundation and Philosophy
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Role Playing is a teaching strategy that fits within the social
family of models
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Role Playing is a model of teaching for social problemsolving
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Belief that students working together accomplish more than
the sum total of their separate work abilities – synergy
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Foundation and Philosophy,
continued
John Dewey
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believed in group investigation
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students experience the give and take of the democratic process
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learning by doing - actively engaged, not passive recipients of
knowledge
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social change requires problem-based curricula
Vygotsky
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learning and development is a social, collaborative activity
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emphasis on education for social transformation
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Foundation and Philosophy,
continued
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The Shaftels developed the Role Playing Model during the
Humanist Movement in education, which took its lead from
the human potential movement in psychology in the 1960’s.
 Promoted individual freedom
 Nourished creative potential in everyone
 Did NOT focus solely on student’s mastery of academic
content
 Advocates that schools educate “the whole child”
 Emphasis on the affective development of students
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Foundation and Philosophy,
continued
Several assumptions of humanism relate directly to the
classroom:
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Individuals are capable of making their own choices about
their education
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Human development is unlimited
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Their own self-concept affects human development
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Humans, by nature, are drawn to personal development
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Individuals are responsible to others as well as to themselves
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Foundation and Philosophy,
continued
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Role Playing reflects the self-actualization philosophy of
curriculum and instruction
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Major figures of humanism are associated with the selfactualization philosophy including:
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Carl Rogers: trust, comfortable enough to be vulnerable
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Abraham Maslow: self-actualization, Maslow’s hierarchy
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Syntax
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Syntax
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The Shaftels suggest that role-playing follow nine steps:
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Phase One: Warm Up the Group
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Phase Two: Select Participants
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Phase Three: Set the Stage
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Phase Four: Prepare the Observers
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Phase Five: Enact
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Phase Six: Discuss and Evaluate
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Phase Seven: Reenact
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Phase Eight: Discuss and Evaluate
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Phase Nine: Share Experience and Generalize
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Use of Model
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Use of Model
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Motivates students
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Augments traditional curricula
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Teaches about moral and ethical issues
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Builds real-world skills
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Primary and Secondary Education
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Role Play is the only strategy that gets the learner into another
"identity”
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The Role Player has an opportunity to perceive how others might
feel, think and act
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Useful in helping learners understand the circumstances of
different ethnic and cultural backgrounds
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Problem-solving where different roles are placed in conflict with
each other
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Development of empathy for someone else’s view
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Excellent way to deal with responses to drug issues on a class
level
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Adult Education
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Increases learning retention
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Provides hands-on training
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Enables better teamwork and communication
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Fun! Adults learn more when they can have fun while
learning
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Teacher Education Preparation
Classes
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Child-parent-teacher or principal-teacher-angry parent can
be experienced
Employee Training
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Enables brain-storming and team building
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Increases empathy and tolerance
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Increases self-confidence
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Early Childhood Education
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Children mimic and re-create the world around them
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Pretend shops
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Dramatic play area
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Role play other people
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Role play situations
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Puppet role play
+ Successes and
Weaknesses
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Successes
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Allows for exploration of solutions to problems using cognitive and affective skills
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Makes learning more meaningful and relevant
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Provides students with the opportunity to assume the role of another – differing
points of view, fresh perspectives
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Provides opportunity to practice skills needed inside and outside of classroom
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Real-life applications
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Requires little preparation and minimal resources
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All students are actively involved as participants or observers
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Versatile
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Makes students aware of their own values – must defend and possibly change them
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Weaknesses
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Self-conscious or shy students may be hesitant to participate
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Can be time-consuming
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Success depends on student’s imagination and perception of
situation
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Benefits depend directly on the quality of the enactments and the
discussion that follows
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Teacher must give responsibility for learning to students
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Outcome can be unpredictable
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Relies on previously developed problem solving skills
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Best Practices
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Sensitize the group to the problem and establish comfortable
environment where students feel they will be accepted
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Use realistic situations that directly apply to the students real
life
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Use with students who have developed problem-solving
skills
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Provide clear directions
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Focus on discussion
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References
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Chesler, M. (2010, January). Mark A. Chesler. Retrieved from
http://www.lsa.umich.edu/UMICH/soc/Home/People/CVs/mcheslercv.pdf
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Downing, A. (1994, July). Critical examination of role playing as a model of teaching.
Paper presented at the XXIV Conference of the Australian Teacher Education
Association, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Retrieved from
http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED377159
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Joyce, B., Weil, M., & Calhoun, E. (2009). Models of teaching (8th ed.). New York: Pearson,
Allyn and Bacon.
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Obituaries. (1999, December 22). The Almanac. Retrieved from
http://www.almanacnews.com/morgue/1999/1999_12_22.obit22.html
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Queen, J. A. (2003). Block scheduling handbook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.
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Shaftel, F. , & Shaftel, G. (1967). Role-playing for social values: decision-making in the
social studies. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
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Stanford Report. (1999, March 31). Fannie Shaftel, professor emerita of education, dies.
Retrieved from http://news.stanford.edu/news/1999/march31/shaftel331.html
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The University of Mexico School of Medicine. (n.d.). Teaching
Strategies/Methodologies. Retrieved from
http://som.unm.edu/ume/ted/pdf/ed_dev/gen_teach_strategies.pdf