Role Playing Teaching Strategy | Simulated Social Skill Training

Role Playing Teaching Strategy | Simulated Social Skill Training

Simulation refers to imitation of a particular appearance, form or skill. In education this teaching strategy is mostly used in teaching training programs. It is better strategy than lesson-demonstration. It is mainly focused on

  1. To develop social skills for playing the role of teacher in the class room
  2. To achieve psychomotor objectives

This teaching strategy played in artificial classroom situation. It is just like a drama. Students-teacher has to play the role of a teacher as well as learner. In this strategy, teacher-educator follows the below give six steps

  1. Outline of teaching is prepared
  2. Teacher educator provides the direction to the student teacher to play the roles of teacher, student and observer
  3. Student teacher selects the topic of his interest to be taught. He also decides the social skills to be developed.
  4. Teacher educator determines the techniques to be used for observing the teaching behavior.
  5. Student-teacher practices teaching. His teaching behavior is observed and recorded by the observers.
  6. Teaching is followed by discussion and suggestions to modify his behavior optimally.

Advantage

  1. It helps in developing the social skill among the student-teachers through experiences
  2. It helps the student teacher to analyze, synthesize and evaluate their activities
  3. It equips the student teachers to face the real classroom situation boldly and confidently
  4. It provides immediate reinforcement of modifying student teachers behavior

Disadvantages

  1. It provides artificial learning situation to the student-teachers. They often fail when exposed to real classroom situations.
  2. No emphasis on content teaching skill, only the social skills are taken into consideration
  3. It is quite time consuming because every student has to play the role of a teacher, learner and observer and every social skill is to be practiced till perfection

Suggestions

  • A student-teacher should be well acquainted with the strategy
  • Teacher-educator should always be present during student teachers role playing
  • Before the student teachers are asked to practice the social skill, a model teachers should demonstrate the style of teaching
  • After practicing teaching, student-teacher should be put under criticism and suggestions. If required, the model teacher must demonstrate again
  • To make it more meaningful, simulated social skill training must be supplemented with micro-teaching. It will help the student teachers to develop social skills as well as teaching skills.

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