Teaching with RolePlay A Structured Approach

Authors: Steven A CohenCole Julian Bird Rosalind Mance

Publish Date: 1995

Volume: , Issue: , Pages: 405-412

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Abstract

Each doctor/patient interaction presents infinite layers of meaning and complexity Teachers of interviewing face the task of helping trainees understand and analyze such interactions in a manner that will help them develop their communication skills Roleplay is a useful technique in these educational tasks examples of doctor/patient encounters are constructed and trainees adopt the role of patient or doctor for the purposes of a specific exercise This approach is particularly useful for teaching basic communication skills because it permits instructors to focus on specific aspects of interviewing behaviors Very particular communication skills can be demonstrated to students who then practice the same interventions in roleplay Instructors can give immediate feedback on trainees’ performance and encourage immediate repeat practice to reinforce the accomplishment of the specific skill in question Roleplay also allows trainees the opportunity to experience the interview from the patient’s perspective and to feel firsthand the effect of specific interventions and styles of interaction

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