One of the best ways language teachers can help students practice their speaking skills is through role-playing in the classroom. Role-playing activities and classroom games transition the students from the classroom into real-life situations. It’s a very effective way for teachers to help their students use English outside of the classroom in a natural way. Role-playing should be part of every ESL teacher’s arsenal; it can also be used by regular teachers to reinforce certain ideas and to help students practice certain situations.
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Why is role-playing such a good method?
Why is role-playing such a good teaching method? First students can use natural language; they can learn the grammar and vocabulary by actually practicing it with friends in situations that are real. They are not bound by the classroom. They can start thinking beyond the classroom and how to actually use the language in situations; it prepares them for the world outside. I’ve seen students – who are able to use the language in the classroom – freeze when required to speak English out on a field trip. Suddenly they can’t use it.
Roleplay helps students move to the outside of the classroom in a safe, controlled environment by actually practicing what they’re learning as if it’s the real world. Another great thing is that the teacher can move around and correct mistakes while the students are doing the roleplay, or give them some tips. That way they feel more confident once they go outside, because they’ve already practiced it inside the classroom.
Typically, students remember these roleplay activities more than they would normally. In essence, because they’re actually acting it out and they’re using it with friends. It can be funny and exciting, but that’s also one of the negatives: Sometimes students play around too much and they don’t practice what you want them to learn; you also get students that are too shy and other students that are not interested in doing the activity, so you have to properly motivate them to do that.
Another reason why role-playing activities are so enjoyable is that it gives students a chance to be creative; they can put themselves into the language, with that being said let’s jump into how to teach students roleplay.
How to prepare students for roleplay activity
Especially elementary students should be thoroughly prepared before they start doing the roleplay. They should have the necessary vocabulary or expressions and they should also know exactly what is expected of them. At higher levels, students don’t need that much support, but it can take them some time to get into the role.
You should walk around the classroom and give them some pointers, and help them with the targeted language. Imagine sitting at your desk for hours and hours just studying something. With roleplays, students are able to stand up and talk to their friends and by physically acting roles, they learn to express themselves better.
Make sure to have rules though, because things can get out of hand. We know how students are when they’re free to do what they want. Many students might mess around, so make sure they know what their boundaries are.
“Students learn how to use the language in a more realistic, practical way.”
Etacude
Decide on the teaching material. You can use scripts, storybooks, or a movie – anything from real life. Select the situations and talk about the necessary dialogue. Students should create a dialogue with some of the vocabulary you’ve given them, but they should also feel free to use their own creativity. Nothing makes them feel better than to show off what they’ve already learned. I mean, what is the use of language if you’ve got all this knowledge, but you’re not allowed to use it? So, give them creative control, but within reason.
Students then practice the given dialogue with a partner or in small groups so that everybody can get a chance. Once they’ve gotten used to a certain rule, make them switch so that they can practice different roles. Walk around and evaluate the students; check them for their understanding and use of target dialogue and ask them some questions in between.
How to motivate participation
To have all the students do their roleplays may take too long, so let them work in pairs or in small groups. I let them play rock-scissors-paper, and then the losing group has to do their roleplay for the other students. Students love this and are motivated to practice because they might get chosen, but they don’t have to sit around and watch ten other roleplays at the end of the class.
Make sure students know why you’re doing the roleplay; what its purpose is because if there’s no reason for them to do roleplays, it might get out of hand and you might lose the class. So, make sure they know the value and also that they stay within the boundaries of your classroom rules.
To summarize, make sure to prepare. Know in advance which activities you want the students to use. And always have a Plan B in place, should a role-play activity for some reason not work the way you hoped it would. Here are ten vocabulary games and activities that can also be used.
25 examples on how to improve roleplay
Keep the roleplays relevant to the language, and make them true to real life so that students don’t act too crazy and lose the reason for doing it in the first place. When students struggle, they can be at a loss for words or phrases, so have some go-to words on the board that they can turn to in case they get stuck.
Use realia or props with roleplay, especially with younger learners. Use realia, or props. It’ll make it more fun; students enjoy using things that help them act “in character.” See the following video on how to use props and the importance thereof.
So, let’s look at 25 roleplay examples you can use in your ESL classroom:
1. Roleplay bad behavior, discuss rules
If there’s some behavior in class that is unwanted; that you don’t want to see, ask students to roleplay the bad behavior and then also the consequences. Every moment is a teachable moment, so use it to teach the students what is acceptable in class and what is unacceptable.
2. How to order food, or do cooking class
How to order food in a restaurant. How to ask the waiter for certain changes with food. An alternative is Cooking Class: Let the students demonstrate a cooking class, or let the students talk about the ingredients and how to cook.
3. Book Accommodation
Roleplay a hotel reception: How to enquire about accommodation, do a booking, find out about facilities, things to do and so on. Younger learners how to ask for some things that they want while on vacation with their parents.
4. Taking a taxi
Roleplay taxi driver and tourist. How to use a taxi service, to give directions and also to pay.
5. Telephone conversations
Nothing can be as nerve-racking as having a conversation in another language on the telephone. Practice telephone conversations or during making requests or talking to someone.
6. Solve arguments with neighbors
Arguments between friends or neighbors. This is great because they can actually learn some interpersonal problem-solving skills.
7. See a doctor or dentist
Talk about going to see the doctor or dentist at the medical clinic or hospital. What are the basic aches, pains, body parts, or some ailments? They can also be the doctor or the nurse giving advice.
8. Be a teacher
Students can take the role of teacher and teach a certain part of the lesson. They can also practice asking questions to the teacher so that they feel more comfortable asking questions to you later. For example, if they don’t understand something, or asking about a test. Many students are so nervous to ask the teacher anything, so this is a great opportunity for them to practice it and in the future, they can use it perhaps. Students can practice making excuses and coming up with better excuses for having late work. Even something like: “Teacher I forgot my homework; my dog ate my homework.”
9. Sales talk, buying and selling
Roleplay different situations in shops, students must sell a product; they can ask questions about the product they’re buying. Or exchange something they have bought. This is a great skill that everybody needs to have.
10. Make a shopping list
Let students practice by making shopping lists to buy groceries for home; buy stuff for a birthday party; things they need for a picnic; or if they want to go to the beach for a day; or to go camping, and so on.
11. Interviews
Job and university interviews are nerve-wracking. Students can practice and get comfortable in those situations. Younger students can practice TV interviews about topics they can relate to.
12. Speed dating
These quick conversations are fun for senior students. It is a great way for students to meet many people in a very short period of time and they practice their social skills with one another.
13. A Town Hall meeting
If there are problems in town, citizens meet in the town hall where they discuss them and look for some solutions. This encourages students to have a problem-solving mindset. Let them think of possible problems communities sometimes can experience and need to prepare for.
14. Emergencies
All students should practice how to react when an emergency happens; how to call for help and how to react when something bad happens like a car accident; calling the ambulance, or calling the police. Discuss other types of accidents or emergencies.
15. Conduct business or formal meetings
Let students practice how to conduct formal meetings; for example, a business meeting on poor sales reports, worker salaries; or the Christmas party. It can also be the meeting of a sports club, a social club, or any other situation where a meeting is held by following its agenda.
16. Consumer complaints
How to raise complaints: You’ve got a problem with your meal, call the waiter; you’ve got a problem with your hotel; there’s something wrong with an item you’ve bought, you return it for a refund. Students should practice this so that they can do it in real life.
17. Husband and wife requests
This is a great personal skill to learn; sometimes there is conflict between a husband and wife and a relationship. This teaches students to ask for something; a wife can ask a husband: “Honey I want you to mow the lawn;” or the husband can say: “I want us to have a proper dinner once a week.” This way you can practice personal problem-solving skills.
18. How to congratulate and chat at a party
Going to a birthday, a baby shower, or a wedding. How to congratulate, give compliments, or felicitate the person of honor. Then continue and practice making small talk with complete strangers.
19. Movies
Going to the movies, talking about movies and actors that you like; explaining the plot of a movie. Students learn to share ideas about movies.
20. Giving your opinion
You have thoughts and feelings and it’s important to practice giving your opinion in a structured manner.
21. Debate an issue
Students should also be able to understand both sides of an argument and that is why debating is very important. Students should look at both sides of the debate and be able to give a logically structured reason for their beliefs.
22. Giving advice
Everybody needs advice sometime in their life. This is a great roleplay for students to practice, giving advice and also receiving advice from friends. It’ll make them better friends and also better people.
23. Relationship advice
Perhaps the students are in elementary school, but even then, they can learn and appreciate what relationships are. So many students don’t get the chance to talk about relationships. All understand how relationships work, this is a safe way for them to practice and also learn some English.
24. Foreign culture
When traveling as a tourist or living in a foreign country, one must adapt to the local culture; students must give advice about cultural norms. This is a fantastic role play for students to understand how someone else might feel when they visit their country.
25. Ask and Give Directions
Students must pretend they are at an airport, in a huge shopping mall, in a strange city and ask for directions to the restrooms, the information kiosk, to a toy shop, the medical station, the sports department, or whatever they can come up with. Let the most original ideas win rewards.
In conclusion – roleplay is a great teaching method
Roleplay is a worthwhile experience for teachers and learners; not only do students get the opportunity to act and interact with their peers, but they also get to practice English. Students learn how to use the language in a more realistic, practical way. Thus, they become more aware of the usefulness and practicality of the English language. I hope you use roleplay in your classroom to help students connect the language to their real lives.
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