Role Play Activities in Small Programs: What, Why, Where, and How?

Abstract

Preservice teachers need many opportunities to practice teaching skills prior to using the skills in high-stakes settings like real, live classrooms. Role play is an accessible and flexible option for embedding skill practice into individual courses. They may focus on specific high-leverage practices (HLPs) and enable preservice teachers to engage in activities to use skills learned across courses. This article provides an analysis of why to use role play, suggestions on when to use role play, and steps and resources for creating and using your own role play activities. We conclude with lessons learned by our Small Special Education Program.

Innovative Approaches for Preparing Special Education Preservice Teachers

“…Role-play is an active learning strategy that can be used in higher education to allow preservice teachers to rehearse various concepts, instructional approaches, or strategies within a mock instructional setting (Brownell et al, 2019;Wilkinson & Potts, 2022). When roleplaying, preservice teachers experience unknown variables in an activity as other 'actors' (peers) tackle a given problem from a different mindset (Brownell et al, 2019;Wilkinson & Potts, 2022).…”

“…Role-play is an active learning strategy that can be used in higher education to allow preservice teachers to rehearse various concepts, instructional approaches, or strategies within a mock instructional setting (Brownell et al, 2019;Wilkinson & Potts, 2022). When roleplaying, preservice teachers experience unknown variables in an activity as other 'actors' (peers) tackle a given problem from a different mindset (Brownell et al, 2019;Wilkinson & Potts, 2022). The opportunity to engage in rehearsal dialog allows preservice teachers to practice typical special education teacher responsibilities such as teaching a concept, contributing to the Individual Education Program (IEP) team's decision-making process, experiencing how a student might feel to have decisions made for them by a committee, or understanding why a parent might react in a particular way during a parent conference or IEP meeting, all prior to conducting these meetings in the field (Wilkinson & Potts, 2022).…”

“…When roleplaying, preservice teachers experience unknown variables in an activity as other 'actors' (peers) tackle a given problem from a different mindset (Brownell et al, 2019;Wilkinson & Potts, 2022). The opportunity to engage in rehearsal dialog allows preservice teachers to practice typical special education teacher responsibilities such as teaching a concept, contributing to the Individual Education Program (IEP) team's decision-making process, experiencing how a student might feel to have decisions made for them by a committee, or understanding why a parent might react in a particular way during a parent conference or IEP meeting, all prior to conducting these meetings in the field (Wilkinson & Potts, 2022). Role-playing helps preservice teachers develop problem-solving skills, practice collaborating with others, and think critically and creatively about an issue (Wilkinson & Potts, 2022).…”

“…The opportunity to engage in rehearsal dialog allows preservice teachers to practice typical special education teacher responsibilities such as teaching a concept, contributing to the Individual Education Program (IEP) team's decision-making process, experiencing how a student might feel to have decisions made for them by a committee, or understanding why a parent might react in a particular way during a parent conference or IEP meeting, all prior to conducting these meetings in the field (Wilkinson & Potts, 2022). Role-playing helps preservice teachers develop problem-solving skills, practice collaborating with others, and think critically and creatively about an issue (Wilkinson & Potts, 2022). In addition to using role-play as a student-centered learning activity, other techniques can be incorporated into special education preservice teacher education courses to promote and model active learning and encourage a deeper understanding of course material.…”

“…Various forms of video recording have been used as effective technology tools in preservice teacher supervision since the 1970s and are considered a promising practice (Nagro & Cornelius, 2013). Video analysis assists with teacher candidates' demonstration of pedagogy, self-reflection, and supervision of field experiences (Ardley & Hallare, 2020;Nagro, 2022;Nagro & Cornelius, 2013;Wilkinson & Potts, 2022).…”