Differentiate between role-play and simulation. Discuss the use of each for making teaching learning process effective at elementary level.

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Answer:

There is a difference between simulations (where students act out real-life situations, for example the student checks in at “the airport”, but students do play themselves) and role plays where students take on different characters. In a role play, for example, one student may be asked to take on the role of “an angry landowner” in a role play which is concerned with discussing the possible construction of a new road. Another may be asked to play the role of the “road company representative”. Role plays will thus require more “imagination” on the part of the student to be able to get “into” the role.

Some students will find being asked to play a different person in a role play quite liberating. Some students who are normally quite shy can open up considerably in a role play lesson. The teacher, though, must attempt to maintain the “pretend” part of the simulations and role plays: i.e. the students ARE in an airport and not the classroom. Teachers can aid this process by use of realia and other props. Students who don’t enter into the ‘fantasy world’ can ruin it for everyone else.

Teacher intrusion must be kept to an absolute minimum during role plays and simulations….preferably, zero. We use role plays to allow students to test out learnt language in as realistic a situation as possible. They are, in a sense, a halfway house between a sterile classroom practice activity and the often frightening reality of the real world for students. Students can thus feel free to experiment with their language in a safe environment. Teacher intrusion is possible if the participating students, for example, are not understanding at all what they should be doing. Otherwise, teacher input should be left for the post-activity feedback session.

Feedback on what students have just done is vital. The role-play or simulation could be videotaped or recorded for example, which would allow a more detailed and thus useful analysis of their performances. Students need to see this as an important part of self evaluation. If students can learn to appreciate the weaknesses of their performance, they will only benefit. A student who says “he asked me about the ticket prices and I tripped up over the numbers again – I need to focus on that” is one who is well aware of where future performance needs to improve. The priority in the mind of the teacher, though, should remain communicative efficacy. Long feedback sessions of the mistaken use of the present perfect during the role play can be left for another time.

The more natural setting of a well set-up role play can also be used to introduce the unpredictability which makes communicating in the real world so daunting for many foreign language learners. This can be done either with the teacher playing “rogue” characters or handing out a couple of unusual role cards to other students. Teachers should seek to mix things up if you feel the simulations and role-plays are becoming too predictable for the class. As we said before, the safe environment offered by role plays means a few surprises can quite safely be thrown at students to see how they cope.

The Role of the Teacher
The teacher must first of all be convinced of what she is doing. She must have the conviction that drama can be an effective tool in language teaching. She must have clear objectives as to her role and the use of dramatic activities in achieving her goals. She is the one who sets the mood of the class. She must change her attitude towards her role in the classroom. In the drama classroom she needs to be less domineering and gradually withdraw. Her main function should be that of an initiator controlling but not directing the situation. Her rapport with the students is important. The students should feel at ease and relaxed in the classroom. Certain warming activities can help to achieve this. This will be discussed later.

Although the teacher is to slowly withdraw from the main scene, she still needs to be in control of all that is going on in class. She can still do this without appearing domineering if she has clear objectives and has prepared herself thoroughly. She must give clear instructions to the students to carry out their various tasks. She must also have close control of time so that her plans can be carried out accordingly. Thus do not be over ambitious in the aims of the lessons.

For lower level or weaker classes, there is a need for language preparation before the class. Lists of words, phrases, functions and sentence types, which are relevant to the activities to be carried out, have to be prepared before hand. These have to be presented to the students before the activities so that they can use them as aids/tools in their tasks.

Role of the Learner
In recent years there has been a move towards the “whole-person approach. The learner thus becomes the centre of focus and at the centre of the language learning process. This is influenced by the “effective humanistic approach” to language teaching. With this in mind, language learning must therefore appeal to the language learner intellectually and emotionally. Stevick (1980), states that language learning must appeal to the creative, intuitive aspect of personality as well as the conscious and the rational part.

Drama activities provide opportunities for active student participation. The activities involve the student’s whole personality and not merely his mental process. Effective learning takes place as the student involves himself in the tasks and is motivated to use the target language. As he uses the language, he becomes more aware of his ability to use the language and this will hopefully increase his motivation to learn.

In drama activities, the student is encouraged to discuss, evaluate and describe the activities. He has to explain, interpret and make decisions. The student thus has little time to be idle or daydream for he is an active participant in the lesson. Students may take some time to get used to this active role and the teacher may have to slowly but firmly initiate this change in the role and even attitudes