Teacher transforming into a student through role-playing.

Role-Playing: The Unexpected Way to Level Up Your Teaching Skills

Mira Elwood in Mind & Education December 2025 • 4 min read.

"Ditch the lecture, embrace the drama! Discover how role-playing workshops can transform educators and revolutionize the learning process."

Since 1997, the medical program at the Faculty of Medicine of Marília (Famema) embraced Problem-Based Learning (PBL). This approach empowers students to actively build their knowledge, connect existing understanding with new challenges, think critically, communicate effectively to solve problems, and value the learning process. Activities occur in small groups, each guided by a tutor who facilitates learning by mediating the process.

Tutorial sessions typically involve two key phases: problem introduction and problem conclusion. Initially, the tutor introduces a problem, encouraging group discussion and hypothesis generation. These discussions lead to learning questions that drive individual research using reliable literature and relevant sources. Subsequently, students share their findings and collaboratively synthesize information to address the initial questions comprehensively.

Today, medical and nursing curricula integrate two core educational units: the Professional Practice Unit (UPP), which immerses students in real-world healthcare settings using problem-solving, and the Systematized Educational Unit (UES), which utilizes case studies and ABP. While professionals trained through active learning methods demonstrate better communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills (Gomes et al., 2009), traditional teaching approaches can hinder effective facilitation. Therefore, active teacher involvement is essential to transform pedagogical and professional practices, ensuring theory aligns with practice.

The Power of Role-Playing: More Than Just Pretend

Teacher transforming into a student through role-playing.

Role-playing, often seen as a theatrical exercise, offers a potent method for educators to step outside their comfort zones and experience learning from a student's perspective. By simulating tutorial sessions rooted in ABP, teachers can explore the challenges and opportunities inherent in this pedagogical approach. This immersive experience fosters empathy, encourages reflection, and ultimately enhances teaching effectiveness.

In Famema's workshops, tutors engaged in role-playing scenarios, alternating between student and tutor roles. These activities were designed to:

Foster knowledge construction through collaborative exploration.
Promote relational learning through shared experiences.
Encourage critical reflection on the tutorial process.

Following these sessions, participants analyzed their experiences using evaluation forms to capture insights about the strategies employed, topics addressed, facilitator performance, and overall relevance. The goal was to tap into the transformative potential of role-playing as a tool for professional development.

Transforming Teaching, One Role at a Time

The findings from these workshops highlight the significant potential of role-playing as a catalyst for change in teacher training. By actively engaging in simulated scenarios, educators gained fresh perspectives, confronted their challenges, and developed a deeper understanding of the student experience.

Participants specifically valued the opportunity for reflection, knowledge exchange, and the ability to 'revisit our practices' and 'feel our difficulties'. This underscores the importance of creating dedicated spaces for reflective practice following role-playing activities.

Ultimately, the use of role-playing in teacher training not only enhances pedagogical skills but also fosters a more empathetic and responsive teaching approach. As one participant noted, it's about 'rescuing the role of the tutor as facilitator of the learning process' – a crucial step towards empowering both educators and students alike.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1590/s1414-32832011000400019, Alternate LINK

Title: Role-Playing: Estratégia Inovadora Na Capacitação Docente Para O Processo Tutorial

Subject: Communication

Journal: Interface - Comunicação, Saúde, Educação

Publisher: FapUNIFESP (SciELO)

Authors: Ieda Francischetti, Ana Carolina Lemos Corrêa, Camila Mugnai Vieira, Carlos Alberto Lazarini, Lilian Maria Giubbina Rolin, Márcia Oliveira Mayo Soares

Published: 2011-12-01

Everything You Need To Know

How do role-playing workshops improve teaching effectiveness?

Role-playing workshops are significant because they allow educators to experience learning from a student's perspective. This immersive experience fosters empathy, encourages reflection, and ultimately enhances teaching effectiveness. By stepping into student roles in simulated ABP tutorial sessions, teachers gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities within this approach. This hands-on experience helps teachers confront their challenges and develop a fresh perspective on the student experience.

What is Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and why is it used at Famema?

The Faculty of Medicine of Marília (Famema) uses Problem-Based Learning (PBL), which is an approach where students actively build their knowledge, connect existing understanding with new challenges, think critically, communicate effectively, and value the learning process. In PBL, activities occur in small groups, guided by a tutor who facilitates learning. Tutorial sessions involve problem introduction and conclusion phases, driving individual research and collaborative synthesis to address initial questions comprehensively. This approach empowers students and promotes active learning.

What are the key components of the role-playing workshops?

The key components of the role-playing workshops at Famema include tutors engaging in role-playing scenarios, alternating between student and tutor roles. These activities were designed to foster knowledge construction through collaborative exploration, promote relational learning through shared experiences, and encourage critical reflection on the tutorial process. Participants analyze their experiences using evaluation forms to capture insights about strategies, topics, facilitator performance, and overall relevance. The goal is to transform the participants' teaching strategies.

Why is active teacher involvement important in teaching?

Active teacher involvement is essential to transform pedagogical and professional practices, ensuring theory aligns with practice. Traditional teaching approaches can hinder effective facilitation, so role-playing provides a valuable tool to address this challenge. Professionals trained through active learning methods demonstrate better communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills. The Systematized Educational Unit (UES), and the Professional Practice Unit (UPP), which immerses students in real-world healthcare settings using problem-solving, are also important.

What is the main goal of these role-playing workshops for teachers?

The main goal of the role-playing workshops is to tap into the transformative potential of role-playing as a tool for professional development. The workshops seek to enhance teacher training by allowing educators to gain fresh perspectives, confront their challenges, and develop a deeper understanding of the student experience. By actively engaging in simulated scenarios rooted in ABP, teachers can improve their teaching skills.