Role
When we are in role, the way we stand and move, use our faces and our gestures, and what we say and how we say it tell people who we are pretending to be.
Drama Posters (poster 1)
Working in role involves the use of imagination to take on another person’s attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions, giving the opportunity to explore experiences from an alternative viewpoint.
Playing with role
From an early age, young children imitate those around them, playing at being mother, father, siblings, doctor, teacher, and other significant people in their lives. Through play, they explore what it is like to be these people while being aware that they are not really them.
From within the safety of dramatic play, children can investigate:
- feelings of power, as when a young boy in role pretends to phone the police to come and arrest a troublemaker
- the status of being the owner of a chocolate factory (created out of building blocks) who has to make sure that the plant works, including hiring, firing, and paying all the workers
- real-life situations, such as being a stallholder at a local Sunday market (image 9, poster 1) and deciding what to sell and how much to sell it for.
As children learn to distinguish between the conventions of play and those of everyday life, exploring the boundaries between play conventions and those of the everyday world can be a great source of enjoyment as well as of learning (image 4, poster 1).
Developing role from dramatic play
Banner image 3, poster 1
Students beginning school will have already enjoyed a variety of dramatic play experiences at home and at early childhood centres.
When students first enter school, teachers can capitalise on their earlier play experiences and on their innate capacity for play by supporting and extending their dramatic play, responding to their needs and interests.
A teacher can become a co-player, for example, taking on a role as a new stallholder at the local Sunday market (image 9, poster 1). The teacher can gradually begin to structure the students’ play into a drama experience, which works towards specific, identified learning objectives. As well as relating to drama, these learning objectives may link to literacy (image 5, poster 1), numeracy, social studies, health, or another arts discipline, such as the visual arts.
Some students may initially find the idea of the teacher going into role a little strange. You will need to talk about the idea of being in role and being the teacher. You will need to establish clear boundaries around when the drama begins and ends and what is “pretend” and what isn’t.
For more information on dramatic play, drama, and young children, refer to page 8 of Playing Our Stories.