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Role-play

Learners act out a situation in unfamiliar roles. They experience a change of perspective first-hand. Works well in language classes, social studies and anywhere empathy and argumentation matter.

20 to 40 minutes Group size: 3-5Medium preparationIndependent workFurther explorationGroup work

How the method works

  1. 1

    Clarify the situation and roles; hand out role cards with interests and background information.

  2. 2

    Preparation time: Review roles, note down arguments and your position.

  3. 3

    Gameplay: Act out the scene; observers look for the agreed criteria.

  4. 4

    Unwrapping: Everyone explicitly steps out of their role (“I’m myself again").

  5. 5

    Debrief: start with the players’ feelings, then observations, then subject analysis.

Material

  • Role cards
  • Observation task

You can find free, ready-made worksheets for the work phase in the TeachPie Marketplace , sorted by subject and grade, in three levels.

Common pitfalls in practice

  • Clearly distinguish analysis from simply playing

Variants

  • Still image instead of a scene: groups freeze the moment of conflict, and the class interprets it.
  • Switch roles midway through the scene: changing positions forces you to really listen.
AI is working

In TeachPie, the planning AI suggests Role-play automatically when it fits the phase, timing, and class, including ready-to-use materials.

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