The Use of Role Play Activities in the ESL Spanish University Classroom 

Lourdes Pomposo‐ UNED: Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia. lpomposo@flog.uned.es‐ UCM: Universidad ComplutenseMadrid. Spain.

English is a language, not a subject

• Students not used to speaking English.• Students used to writing and studying grammar.• Students unwilling to participate.• Students afraid of talking.• Students are aware of the problem.

Who is the guilty one? Not them.

• Previous teachers did not do well (School, high school).• They were not warned about high level of the degree.• They are not used to oral English.• They are too shy.• They do not want to speak in front of others.• They have no new ideas or suggestions to improve. 

Success in training oral skills: breaking thesilence• Objective: communication, not perfection.

• Participation in small groups: students feel protected.• Oral collaborative activity: they share the mistakes.• Mistakes are necessary to learn.• Teacher as collaborator and  observer. • Involve all the students not only the good ones.• Useful activities for their future profession.• Avoid intimidation facing classmates.

Role Play: Why?.

ROLE PLAY

Play

Teamwork

Simulation of real and practicalsituations

MotivationCreativity

To be someonedifferent

Havefun

TYPES OF ROLE PLAY USED IN ESL

Role play in ESL

IndividualExisting

theatre playsor individual created roles

Interactive

Guided role play

Non guidedrole play

Example of Guided Role‐play (1)CUSTOMER SUPPLIERIntroduction and getting who you want(complain)

Small talk

Stating problem

Agreeing to suggested solution

Confirmation

End call

Greeting and small talk

Apology

Suggesting solution

Apology again

End call

Example of Guided Role‐play (2)Student A Student BGo to page…. and ask your partner questions tocomplete the following information about hotels in Berlin.How many rooms does the hotel have?How expensive is it?Does it have business facilities?Is it close to the shops?

Go to page … and provide your partner all theinformation she/he requires about hotels in Berlin.You have in this chart information about rooms, price, facilities and distance to shops.

hotel hotel hotel hotel

Advantages and disadvantages of  Guidedrole‐play

Advantages Disadvantages

Students do not need to makea big effort in improvising.

Self confidence because it justdepends on how to deal withthe information.

Students may feel useful when“performing”.     

Good activity for practicingpronunciation and intonation.

Good activity to practice at thebeginning of the course.

Students do not develop creativityor imagination.

Activity based in reading, not in speaking.

Lack of collaboration and teamwork.

Situations may not be real forstudents.

It may be boring as there isnothing new but instructions.

Examples of Non‐Guided Role‐playWork in groups of three. Choose one of these places to buy food: a supermarket, a market or the Internet. Explain the advantages of yourchoice and convince the others.

Work in groups of four/three. You are a group of workmates who have toorganize an event in a hotel. Decide the type of event,  activities, peopleattending, needs, food, days, etc. When you finish, meet with a hotel director and exchange ideas.

Work in pairs (or group of three). One of you books a table at a restaurant and goes there to have dinner/lunch. Develop the situation as you want(problem with the food/booking, complain, congratulate, etc)

Advantages and disadvantages of Non‐Guided role play

Advantages Disadvantages

Development of  creativity and imagination. Team work. Students feel free to use thelanguage they know. Use of dictionary and willingnessto learn vocabulary or expressions. They have fun.       They feel more  motivated tospeak. Long term learning.      Body language: stand up and move.      

It requires organization and goodrelationship among students.

They need a minimum level toexpress ideas.

Shy students feel intimidated. It requires time to prepare theactivity.

Steps to develop a non‐guided role play“The instructor persuades the students to alter their mental maps of theworld instead of just filling them”      (Blatner, 2002)

1. Define objectives (linguistic and communicative ones)2. Choose context and roles (related to the learning context and related to

reality)3. Students decide about group formation (the teacher does not decide)4. Students involve in preparation (in class or outside the classroom)5. Performance in class (sitting or standing up but not reading)6. Discussion (If the learning context requires it or to keep them listening)7. Assessment (at the end of each role‐play)

Case one: Non‐guided role play.Short dialogue in restaurant

(Tourism students)

• Group profile 4 hours a week 18 students. 2nd year of  Tourism Degree. 19‐21 years old Levels: A2, B1. Non‐guided role‐play.Situation: restaurant bookingPreparation: in class. 30 minutes.

(VIDEO1)(VIDEO2)

Results after 3 months (same situation).

• More self confidence.• No need of written paper.• More fluency.• No reading.• More  improvising.• More vocabulary.

• More importance to body language.

Case two: Non‐guided role play.Trade fair (Group work. Business Students)

• Group profile 3 hours a week 25 students. 2nd year of  Business studies. 19‐21 years old Levels: A2, B1. Non‐guided role‐play.Situation: Trade Fair. Each group prepares a stand with products to selland visits other stands.

Preparation:  outside the classroom. 1 week. Performance: at the end of the term. (4months)

(Video)

General results• They forgot the teacher was there.• They were completletly involved in the activity. (selling products)• Pronunciation and accuracy was not important. • Communication was the important aim in order to convince possible clients and 

promote their own products.• Low level students were communicating: English language and body language.• There was communication even when the teacher was not listening.• Disadvantage: individual evaluation.

Assessment and correction of role plays

• What to evaluate: communication and correction.• Individual marks according to individual performance (Level B1).• Feedback: after each role play is finished.

• Linguistic evaluation(Rate: 1‐10)

• Non verbal “evaluation” 

Pronunciation

Fluency Vocabulary

Grammar

ObjectiveCommunication

Body languageImprovisation

Conclusions.

• Students are willing to participate in communcative activities.• Physical movement in the classroom.• Students explore and teachers watch.• Relaxed and supportive climate in the classroom (Peacock, 1990)• Concentration in the activity while preparing it and while listening to the others.• Development of oral and listening skills.• Student‐centered learning.

References• Blatner, Adam. (1995). Drama in education as mental hygiene: A child psychiatrist's 

perspective. Youth Theatre Journal, 9, 92‐96.• Crowther‐Alwyn, J (1997) Business Roles. Cambridge. CUP• Chesler, M., and Fox, R. (1966). Role‐playing methods in the classroom. Chicago: Science 

Research Associates. • Duke, charles. (1974). Creative dramatics and English teaching. Urbana, IL: National Council 

of Teachers of English. • Duveen, J & Solomon, J. (1994). The great evolution trial: Use of role‐play in the classroom. 

Journal of research in science teaching, 31(5): 575‐582.  (U Oxford, dept of educational studies, England) 

• Dallman‐Jones at al.  (1994) The Expert Educator. Three Blue Herons Publishing. Inc.• Flinders, S. & Sweeney S. (1996) Business English‐Pair work. Cambridge. Penguin Books.• Gorea, L. (2009) Speaking English for Success. Bloomington. AuthorHouse. (Photocopiable)• Porter, L. (2004) Role play. Oxford. OUP.• Peacock, C. (1990) Classroom Skills in English Teaching. London. Routledge.• Sheils, J. (1993) Communication in the Modern Languages Classroom. Council of Europe.

Recommended websites• http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/roleplaying/interact.html• http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/roleplaying/refs.html• http://www.angelfire.com/tx/afira/whattypes.html• http://traininganddevelopment.naukrihub.com/methods‐of‐training/games‐and‐simulations/role‐plays.html

• http://www.blatner.com/adam/pdntbk/rlplayedu.htm  (InterestingBibliography)

• http://www.blatner.com/adam/level2/dramaed.htm

THANK YOU!