Learn how to use role-plays to bring history and literature to life! When students take on the roles of historical or literary figures, they develop a greater understanding of characters’ identities and motivations, and are able to more deeply explore and reflect upon key issues and themes. In this new book from award-winning teacher David Sherrin, you’ll find out how this lively instructional format will make teaching a more immersive, interactive, and memorable experience for your middle school and high school students. The book includes: A clear how-to guide to get the most out of role-playing in your class; Ready-made units and lessons to get you started right away, complete with sample scripts, scaffolding worksheets, and assessment rubrics; Templates and step-by-step instructions to help you design your own role-plays. The pre-made units, which Sherrin spent years refining in his classroom, cover historical topics such as the rise of Nazi Germany and the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs. You’ll also find fun and interactive role-plays based on literary works like The Pearl and Fences. These lessons will help students at all ability levels to become better communicators, problem-solvers, and creative thinkers.

Based on extensive research, and grounded in everyday classroom practice, the authors of this book explore important issues surrounding play in the early years curriculum. The book presents children’s views on, and response to their role-play environment, alongside examples of good classroom practice, and addresses vital questions such as: Will structuring role play replace children’s own attempts to create scenarios that grow out of their interests and relationships? Has an over-emphasis on subjects like literacy and numeracy eclipsed the important processes inherent in children’s social play? How we can ensure that provision for role play fully benefits all young children? Critically, the authors present the child’s perspective on play in schools throughout, and argue firmly against a formal, inflexible learning environment for young children. This book will be fascinating to all students on primary education undergraduate courses and early childhood studies. Researchers and course leaders will also find this book a ground-breaking read.

Role Plays and Creative Activities: Teaching Social Skills and Self-Understanding presents over 150 role plays, micro role plays (role plays that run for a few minutes), creative activities, and guided imagery (stories with psychological content to be read to the children) which Dr. Christopher Glenn has developed and used for over thirty years. Everyday people, like parents and people who want to run activity groups for children, can use these activities to have fun with children in the 8 – 11 age range. Professionals, teachers, counselors, and students-in-training can take advantage of the psychological and social nature of the activities to foster the social and emotional growth of elementary aged children. Focusing on self-understanding, self-control, and the development of social skills, a constructive group experience can effectively teach children positive outcomes. This text includes detailed notes on how to set up and run the role play group, so anyone with basic skills in working with groups of children can encourage emotional and social growth.

Since 2001, the international network Active Learning in Engineering education (ALE) organized a series of international workshops on innovation of engineering education. The papers in this book are selected to reflect the state of the art, based on contributions to the 2005 ALE workshop in Holland. This overview of experiences in research and practice aims to be a source of inspiration for engineering educators.

In this springer essential book, Manfred Günther impressively describes educational role play. He shows how it emerged in the 1970s as a new, guided method. Pedagogical role play developed as a VT-based project that is great fun to use in practice and that can effortlessly transfer desired competencies in a pedagogical sense. This is because, across cultures, play is often about practicing important social skills or also about working through issues or conflicts.