ACTING UP
The importance of role play and heritage experiences for children.
A common agony of parenthood is having to watch a child ‘learn by experience’, usually in the context of doing something they have been warned against. However, experiencing something in the first person can be a valuable learning tool, helping kids understand the messages of history in a very personal way.
Educators have long embraced the idea of learning through doing and a number of institutions around Australia offer role play and interactive learning experiences for students. Old Parliament House in Canberra has a range of educational programs that allow students to be part of the story with the conviction that participating in a heated political debate in the chamber of parliament house is a far more effective tool for teaching the rules and constitutional responsibilities that come with government than simply walking through the room and a child who goes through the experience of ‘electing’ their chosen candidate for Prime Minister is far more likely to appreciate the meaning of this activity when they observe it in real life.
Helen McHugh, Education Manager, and her team at Old Parliament House have developed a program of role play experiences that allow students from early primary to university level to step into the character of someone from the past. “It is really important for students to be active and role play enables them to take part in the action,” she says.
One of the programs, focused on secondary students, enacts the controversial dismissal of Labour Prime Minister Gough Whitlam by the Governor General. “The students use the words the characters actually spoke and this helps them understand not only what happened but the motivation behind the actions of the people involved. We want them to empathise with the people who have made historic decisions, to think ‘I’m a bit like that, maybe I could make a decision like that too’,” she says.
Of course, not all children are keen to take up a lead role in front of their peers, something the educators are sensitive to when developing their programs. “It doesn’t suit all personalities, so we have role plays that are less confronting,” explains Helen. “For example, there is a primary program that allows the whole group to be politicians discussing the Franklin dam proposal. Students can choose to hear and react to the discussion or take a lead role.”
Many of the programs are scripted, allowing children to hear and speak the actual words of the historical characters they are playing, but for some, a lack of fluency in reading can make reading from a script difficult. “Some kids are really good actors but reading can be a problem,” says Helen. “In this case, we give them a costume which helps to ‘fix’ them in a character and give some instructions on appropriate emotions and attitudes for that character. For example, if they are playing the Speaker, we ask them what sort of a person the Speaker would need to be. If they say ‘strong’, we ask them to show us how they act strong.”
According to Helen, children get very involved in the experience and their reactions after the role play demonstrate a personal engagement with the story they have participated in. “ Students start taking ownership of the event,” says Helen. “ One day, during the Whitlam dismissal tour, when the presenter described the Prime Minister being handed the letter of dismissal a student reacted ‘Aw…harsh’ . They can get really emotional and walk out talking about what they have just experienced and feeling challenged, affronted or powerful depending on the role they have played.”
Helen points out that there are no ‘good guys or bad guys’ in their role plays. “We don’t value laden the roles. We want the students to feel that all sides and opinions are valid. We work hard with opposition and try to talk about the reasoning behind why the characters are standing for a particular cause and the challenges of being in power.”
Kids are used to making decisions for themselves but not necessarily for others. Helen says feedback from teachers shows that the role plays often lead to students having a clearer understanding of what it means to be a good citizen and applying this knowledge in their school communities.
Surveys of teachers immediately after the program underline the value of the participative experience with comments such as:
“The role plays really helped the students understand what can be at times a difficult concept.”
“Role play always engages the students, makes the learning experience more real and helps them to remember and appreciate information shared.”
“Our trip here always brings 'Democracy' and 'Parliament' to life.”
To add to the realism of the experience, Old Parliament House commissions costumes for students to wear while they are acting out key roles. “We research the historical detail to make sure the costumes are correct then our seamstress makes up the outfits in three sizes to allow for as much range as possible.”
Helen is quick to point out that the physical and emotional comfort of the students is a priority throughout the tour. “Their comfort is very important and we have strategies in place for students who perhaps nominate for a role then feel they don’t want to continue or feel uncomfortable once they are in costume.” Secondary students, rather than wearing full costumes, use photographic masks to identify themselves as the character they are playing.
Teacher comments often focus on how much the effort with costuming enhances the overall experience for students:
“The flair of the costumes makes a difference, makes it more real.”
“Dressing up and role playing brings the experience to life and maintains interest levels.”
“They really enjoyed dressing up and watching their friends in action. Photo opportunities were also appreciated.”
“An amazing sense of history is created.”
“Experience of the heritage building was excellent.”
Amazingly, all of the briefing, costuming and role play is contained in a one hour time slot, allowing teachers to take advantage of other experiences available in Canberra on the same day. “We had a group of kids come directly from watching question time one day and the child playing the Prime Minister mimicked exactly the behaviour he had just witnessed in the house,” says Helen.
Old Parliament House opened as a museum in 1992 and educational programs began in 1993 and have been a popular choice for teachers trying to engage students in the political history of Australia ever since. Teachers come from all over the country with their students and those coming long distances can also avail themselves of the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate (PACER) to ease the cost to parents and school.
