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The use of teacher in role is aimed at the facilitation of learning. It is a holistic way of learning, and can create real emotions and real thoughts connecting to the world around us and events which are happening/have happened around us.
If the role of a teacher is to teach, the role of a student must be to learn. However, it has been agreed that learning is not only an exercise in reading and reciting facts, but in gaining a deeper insight of events and situations.
This is where drama becomes an invaluable tool. Through the use of drama and dramatic conventions a teacher does not only teach and learn the what but also the why and how.
What is a role
We each adopt different 'roles' in everyday situations, these roles change with the situation, we all have numerous roles in life. We can imagine those roles as hats that we wear at appropriate times (eg. Son, Brother, Teacher, Employee etc). These roles have "implied" behaviour, which we all know. It is this implied social behaviour which we can use in drama and dramatic situations to create deeper understanding and meanings.
Mantle of the expert
By using role-play, and allowing students to assume the roles of other people (eg. firemen, policemen, carers, etc.) Children can arrest each other and put out small fires in the classroom. The teacher gives them a way to view and think about a situation using the "implied" behaviour for the role they are given. Also in turn, the teacher can allow the students to become in charge of their own learning and facilitate them in it. We empower the individual making their expertise greater than our own. Through role-playing, they gain knowledge of what their role entails.
Example: "The Three Little Pigs"
The following is an example of the use of teacher in role, it will show how it can be used, and expected outcomes:
Preparation
The teacher asks the class to move all the furniture to the sides of the room and to bring a chair and sit facing him. The teacher then starts a discussion about what it is like to be a social worker: he explains what a social worker does and how they are there to help people. He then goes on to frame the group as social workers (see frames and distance) and asks them if they would like to do this; the group agrees and they make a verbal contract with each other.This first introduction in the role of a social worker, allows the children to feel empowered, they gain a sense of the task in hand, and as a group make a contract to work with each other.
The role of social workers
The teacher from now on calls the group "Social workers" and anything he asks them to do, he does treating them with the same respect as he would a real social worker. The teacher produces a pre‐printed questionnaire and a case study for the group to use. The case study is an extract from the story "The Three Little Pigs". It concentrates on the part when the wolf ("Mr Wolf") falls down the chimney and gets boiled in the pot. The questionnaire asks basic questions about who is to blame for the accident, and whether or not the wolf should be sent to jail. The teacher asks the "social workers" to form small groups and just fill out the questionnaire.This exercise is designed to reinforce the role of a social worker, and to bring the ideas of right and wrong into the minds of the groups, also whilst the group is split into smaller groups the teacher can walk around them and have discussions with them about their answers and again reinforce their role in the drama.
Discussing Findings
Next the teacher calls the group back to the chairs and asks them to briefly discuss their findings, noting on a blackboard the main points and especially any findings that have to do with the morality of the story. He then goes on to explain that the courts have asked this group of social workers to speak to Mr Wolf, and try and gain some idea of why he did what he did. At this point if the group does not seem very responsive and needs more encouragement, the teacher can ask the group to think of questions which it would like to have answered, and these can again be noted on the blackboard. The teacher then explains that he is leaving the room and that he is going to invite Mr Wolf in, he tells them that he is very frightened after his ordeal and that loud noise, and lots of people talking may scare him away, he asks that when Mr Wolf comes in they try and make him as comfortable as possible. The group agrees.The groups are brought back together to share their findings, this allows the group to see that their ideas are not silly, and that most of them are thinking alike. Writing the questions and opinions on the board, allows the group to have a reference point for the next exercise. The idea of the teacher leaving the room, and having a visitor is very exciting; the group is nervous and has little idea what to expect, asking them to be nice, creates another contact between the members of the group.
Mr Wolf's side of the story
The teacher leaves the classroom and puts on a furry coat and hat, then walks back into the room in the "role" of Mr Wolf: he is frail, and he is in pain. The group's first reaction is to laugh, as they see the character enter the room and sit down. The teacher keeps control of the room by sitting down and starting to talk very quietly. He asks the people at the front of the room who they are, and why he is here. The members of the group eventually all become interested in this conversation and begin to listen. Mr Wolf starts the group off by saying something like "So what is it you would like to know, I suppose you've heard their side of the story." If the group starts to shout over each other, Mr Wolf gets frightened, and starts to cower, the group notices the body language and calms down, they start to ask questions, putting their hands up in the air. Mr Wolf answers the questions, and gradually tells them how he was hungry and was just asking for some food, and how the three pigs tricked him.The first house, which was made of straw tickled his nose, and that made him sneeze, blowing it down; when he tried to say sorry the pig ran, so he followed him to make sure he was okay. The second pig's house, made of sticks had a stick poking out, which caught Mr Wolf's coat, and when he pulled away, he accidentally knocked the house down. He tried to say sorry but the pigs ran away. Mr Wolf caught up with them at the third house, where he knocked on the door and asked to be let in, because he was thirsty after the long run. The pigs told him to go away. Then they hatched an evil plan; they told him that the door was stuck and that he could happily have a drink and something to eat, but he would have to get in somehow. Mr Wolf suggested the windows and doors, but the pigs said they were all locked, and that he should come through the chimmney. Mr Wolf was worried he might hurt himself so the pigs said they would leave a pot of water there to break his fall, and so that he wouldn't get a cold they would warm the water for him a little bit. Of course when he fell in the water was boiling hot, and all the pigs did was dance around and laugh, then throw Mr Wolf out on the road.
After the questions have stopped and the group seems to be moving away from the point Mr Wolf realises he has to see his probation officer and leaves the room. The teacher then takes off the costume and comes back in, apologising that he took so long but one of the other teachers wanted to talk to him, he asks the group where Mr Wolf has gone, and they tell him.
This was the main Teacher in Role part; the teacher, through interacting with the children as a character, allows them to explore the person as a whole, and to think things like "Do I like this person?", "Do I believe their story?", etc. Also, whilst in the role of Social Workers, they are also thinking like a social worker.
Re-evaluation
The teacher then asks the group to take another of the questionnaires that they filled out earlier, and to read the case notes again, and then write their answers in small groups.
This should hopefully create discussion about lies, and truth, and telling stories.
When the group has filled in their forms the teacher collects them in and asks the group whether or not they believed Mr Wolf, and if they think that he should be put in prison because he is dangerous. Most of the group will say that he shouldn't be. The teacher then explains that he will send these forms off to the judge who will then make a decision.
Clean up
The teacher then asks the group to put back the pens and papers and to put the chairs and room back into order, before going for break/lunch etc. When they come back into the room they are the class again.Follow up
As a follow up the group could receive a letter later in the day giving the judges verdict, or the group could be asked to interview more characters, or create the scene of the crime, and make tableau's (still images using themselves) of major events in the story from both points of view, which could then lead to them taking on the roles of the characters in a court room situation, with themselves as judges, jury, witnesses, etc.Conclusion
This exercise gives an understanding of numerous issues, from the legal system, to media and how a story is reported. It has the potential to enter into a lot of subjects, and could be a starting point for literature, art, and countless other activities, as well as more drama. The reaction of the children is one of the main points of the exercise, they begin to care about others, and think of both sides of the story. It may give them a greater understanding of the world around them, or at the very least gives them an opportunity to talk as another, and have fun!
"Teacher in role"