Best Of

This is a pretty fascinating article about how the introduction of role-playing enhanced a college lecture.

“To play Bouguereau, you have to be Bouguereau inside and out.” Eric eschewed his customary bohemian garb and came to class in a black pinstripe suit, bow tie, and pink shirt. The other students in the class embraced their roles, too. When Eric met them outside of class, immediately they assumed their game identities: Bougeureau chatted with Monet and Meissonier. The student playing Van Gogh took to wearing a Band- Aid on her ear. Becoming other people was fun — researching their lives, writing papers from their perspective, voicing their ideas in class.

I talk about using this method a lot when I speak to the Reps and Senators of the Indiana General Assembly when we chat about education. I believe that in order to effectively teach a student, especially those with Autism, ADD/ADHD, etc., it is better to do something that clicks with them. Sometimes that means putting them in the shoes of history, whether it be in the Roman Empire, in the shoes of President Truman deciding whether to invade or drop the bomb on Japan, to the handling of a crumbling Soviet Union. Classes like these will not only teach students history, but teach them how to think independently.