14-2
WAYS ROLE PLAYING CAN BE USED IN THE CLASSROOM
Role playing is especially useful for . . .
developing PRACTICAL SKILLS:
• practice in using the
book Where There Is No
Doctor (finding and using
information; using the book
to help others learn)
• practice in attending a sick
or injured person (diagnosis,
treatment, advice about
prevention)
• prac tice in step - by - step solving of problems (use of scientific method)
developing SOCIAL SKILLS:
• leadership
• home visits
• community organizing
• relating to people with
different needs: the sick,
the worried, the proud, the
dying, children, doctors,
authorities, etc.
developing TEACHING SKILLS:
• looking at different
approaches to education
(see example on pages 1-17
to 1-23)
• practicing appropriate
teaching methods (with
mothers, children, etc.)
developing SOCIAL AWARENESS:
• observation and critical analysis of how social and
political relations between persons and groups
affect people’s health and well-being
• looking at attitudes, customs, and patterns of
behavior—how they affect people’s health; how
to help people understand them better
• exploring alternative solutions to different
problems
• trying out ideas for public skits or farmers’
theater. (Many of the plays discussed in Chapter
27 began with simple role playing in health
worker training classes.)
Two women health promoters from
Honduras act out problems caused
by men’s drinking habits. (See p.
27-19 for another example.)
As you will see from the examples in this chapter, a single role play may explore
several of the areas listed above. Because it imitates real-life situations, role playing
requires students to combine a range of skills and understanding. They must think
things through and use their full powers of observation, analysis, imagination, and
human feeling.