Outline four advantages and disadvantages of using role playing as a mode of teaching

ADVANTAGES
1. Role playing can help the learners become more interested and involved, not only learning about the material/subject, but learning also to integrate the knowledge in action, by addressing problems, exploring alternatives, and seeking novel and creative solutions.
2. Role playing is the best way to develop the skills of initiative, communication, problem-solving, self-awareness, and working cooperatively in teams/groups.
3. Role playing can be used with learners of most ages (preschool to adult learners.)
4. Role playing allows people to make mistakes in a non-threatening environment. They can test several solutions to very realistic problems, and the application is immediate.
5. It fulfills some of the very basic principles of the teaching-learning process such as learner involvement and intrinsic motivation. A positive climate often results in which one can see himself as others see him.
6. The involvement of the role playing participants can create both an emotional and intellectual attachment to the subject matter at hand. If a skillful teacher has accurately marched the problem situation to the needs of his learners, the solving of realistic life problems can be expected.
7. Role playing can often create a sense of community within the class. Once the class learns to share a mutual confidence and commitment to the learning process, the sharing of analysis over the role situations will develop comradeship never possible in monologue teaching methods such as the lecture method.
8. Role playing provides learners with a chance to act out, rather than merely talk about, ways to solve problems effectively. Many learners find this to be an enjoyable and instructive supplement to class discussions. It also gives teachers the opportunity to provide learners with supervised practice in dealing with “real life” problem situations.
9. Role playing can be effective way to help learners integrate their socio problem solving skills. Role playing enables learners to:
a) Practice calming down during a problem situation;
b) Act out solutions in an effective, cooperative way;
c) Observe the consequences of their actions; and
d) Practice persistence and overcoming obstacles.
10. in a more intensive and personal way role playing, more than other teaching-learning methodologies;
a) allows learners to develop an understanding of others’ perspectives;
b) gives learners the chance to gain insights into interpersonal challenges they are likely to face in their careers and private lives. This is because Role-playing is an especially effective teaching-learning tool contributing to long-term retention of fundamental concepts.
c) Offers a constructive channel through which feelings can be expressed and feedback processed;
d) Presents learners with a forum for building self-esteem and confidence;
11. Role playing is a tool for intensified and accelerated learning since learning takes place at cognitive, psychomotor and effective domains.
12. Role-playing is simultaneously interesting and useful to learners because it emphasizes the “real-world” side of science or social situations. It challenges them to deal with complex problems with no single “right” answer and to use a variety of skills beyond those employed in a typical teaching methodology. In particular, role-playing presents the learner a valuable opportunity to learn not just the course content, but other perspectives on it.
13. As a learning methodology, role-playing attempts to help learners discover personal meanings within their social worlds and to resolve personal dilemmas with the aid of their social group.
DISADVANTAGES
There are considerable limitations, however, in the use if this technique in teaching.
1. Role-playing cannot be effective when the educational objectives are complex; the insight aimed for should be in relation to clear-cut problems; it is seldom found satisfactory when there is only one answer to a problem.
2. The insecurity of class members. Sometimes it instills fear, anxiety or undue embarrassment to some members of the group for example some may react negatively to participating in a situation which will be discussed and possibly criticized by other members of the class.
3. Role-playing takes time. The class discussion of a five-to-ten-minute role playing situation may extend to several times the lengths of the situation itself.
4. The relationship of the people in the group may emerge as a negative factor. For example, previous interpersonal difficulties experienced by group members may arise in class to corrupt the role playing situation.
5. Also, if the group has people of different status, they may be reluctant to become involved for fear of being humiliated before the members of the class who are smarter or more popular.
6. When teachers give into their own impulses and slip from dealing with the group problem to explore some issue to focus on the real-life personal problems of a given individual, this may result into a permanent attitude or emotional damage.
7. Sometimes teachers fail to appreciate the complexity of a skill they’re learning, and it’s important to emphasize that directing role playing is complex. And it helps if the person doing their learning is also trained in other ways.
8. It is difficult to role play mathematical and most scientific problems and issues.

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Titany answered the question on September 15, 2021 at 12:57