Educational Role Play: Knowledge Module and Guide for Psychosocial Practice (essentials) 3658418095, 9783658418090

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Manfred Günther

Educational Role Play Knowledge Module and Guide for Psychosocial Practice

essentials

Springer essentials

Springer essentials provide up-to-date knowledge in a concentrated form. They aim to deliver the essence of what counts as "state-of-the-art" in the current academic discussion or in practice. With their quick, uncomplicated and comprehensible information, essentials provide: • an introduction to a current issue within your field of expertise • an introduction to a new topic of interest • an insight, in order to be able to join in the discussion on a particular topic Available in electronic and printed format, the books present expert knowledge from Springer specialist authors in a compact form. They are particularly suitable for use as eBooks on tablet PCs, eBook readers and smartphones. Springer essentials form modules of knowledge from the areas economics, social sciences and humanities, technology and natural sciences, as well as from medicine, psychology and health professions, written by renowned Springer-authors across many disciplines.

Manfred Günther

Educational Role Play Knowledge Module and Guide for Psychosocial Practice

Manfred Günther Berlin, Germany

ISSN 2197-6708 ISSN 2197-6716  (electronic) essentials ISSN 2731-3107 ISSN 2731-3115  (electronic) Springer essentials ISBN 978-3-658-41809-0 ISBN 978-3-658-41810-6  (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-41810-6 This book is a translation of the original German edition „Pädagogisches Rollenspiel“ by Günther, Manfred, published by Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH in 2019. The translation was done with the help of an artificial intelligence machine translation tool. A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content, so that the book will read stylistically differently from a conventional translation. Springer Nature works continuously to further the development of tools for the production of books and on the related technologies to support the authors. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, part of Springer Nature 2023 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, part of Springer Nature. The registered company address is: Abraham-Lincoln-Str. 46, 65189 Wiesbaden, Germany

What You Can Find in This essential

• • • • •

Definitions of role-playing types Hints for suitable application possibilities Procedures and techniques Specific help in the face of various target groups Various practical examples

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Contents

1 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 Role Plays: Boundaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 3 Educational Role Plays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 4 Success Conditions: The Formal Setting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 5 Role Play Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 6 Add-ons: Supplementary (Systemic) Methods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 7 Fields of Application and Practical Examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 8 Related Professional or Trade Associations and Training Centers . . . 43 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

VII

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Introduction

In life, a lot is played and more or less authentically lived. The more developed the civilization, the more role-playing is evident in everyday life. Indigenous people do not know this disguise in real life. It is known from many indigenous peoples that they do not or rarely lie. Europeans and North Americans lie statistically two to forty times a day. This can also be seen as role-playing, because in the end a false, non-authentic life takes place, a sham existence, whenever I disimulate. Had Friedrich Nietzsche exaggerated when he lamented that people incredibly often lie? Adolescents do so when they have to pass exams and, as can be proven, the well to do more often, often only to put themselves in an even better light. Lie detectors cannot uncover this either if those to be examined have strong nerves… “There is no right life in the wrong,” said Theodor W. Adorno, which he probably intended to to express that one should not allow oneself to be robbed of the sense of what is right. In fact, in modern family and professional life, constant disguise takes place, that is, false, if you will, lying or role-playing life. Even in less developed cultures playing a part is naturally rooted in every day life, but then in ritual-religious contexts and ceremonies as well as in cults. “Church” founder L. Ron Hubbard (Scientology) put it in a nutshell: one had to set up a sect like a role-play—with its own language, ideology, music and culture, so that members are triggered in their role at any moment. Freemasons, also elitistsecret (arcane principle), organize ceremonial and ritual meetings, “Old Duties” and temple work, i.e. customs, in the “lodge”, they dress up (standard clothing includes apron, gloves, bijou and also the tall hat) for a live role-play, formally e.g. to a prescribed dialogue with their peers. A little similar spiritually, the movement of Rosicrucianism emerged at that time, but opposed Enlightenment.

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, part of Springer Nature 2023 M. Günther, Educational Role Play, Springer essentials, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-41810-6_1

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1 Introduction

“The role concept has an anthropological component: people behave roleappropriately, (…) because their behavior is subject to social learning processes and oriented towards norms (…). R. are not natural, but the result of typification and interaction processes, are culture-dependent (…), a real, but also changeable phenomenon for the regulation of human coexistence (…).” (Griese, in Kreft & Mielens 2., 1996, p. 467). Role-playing is—seen from the sociological point of view—a complex method for adapting to social reality. In general didactics, they have been used for decades to enable learners to empathize with the actions, feelings and thoughts of reference persons. At the same time, one effortlessly begins to understand one’s own behavior. Many renowned authors recommend and present pair and group games in class (cf. Bliesener & Brons-Albert, 1994; Ernst, 1982; Klippert, 2008; Rosenberg, 2007; Wendlandt ed., 1977; as well as Wendlandt, 1979). The subject is usually everyday situations and personal experiences. Role-plays are initially presented in a protected space. The simulated speech prepares the participant for real life. Advanced learners can later also go into everyday situations and “play” there courageously with fellow citizens. All authors emphasize that the concerns about role-playing such as “I lack imagination”, “fear arises”, “one does not want to produce oneself in front of others” and “fears to make mistakes” are refuted in practice. Of course, the tasks themselves must be well chosen and “appropriate”; quickly comes fun, playfulness and the realization of almost all participants that practicing in the game is very suitable to tune in to real situations. In search of suitable game ideas, the imagination of all participants is unlimited. In order to introduce readers from the field of psychosocial care in the broadest sense (social pedagogy, psychology, adult education, school, daycare, etc.) to the use of role-playing in pedagogy, we have gone further back to show the backgrounds and cores of the approach initially both in its origin and in distinction to similar procedures that have something to do with “roles”. This is why we will start with Theater in general and its genres. Of course, all subtleties cannot be spread out on the provided space. Games, teaching games and performances with puppets, marionettes and other non-living figures are also widespread in schools. People of different generations have become acquainted with the “traffic clown”. In the Heilbronn area, a puppet named Benni is regularly used in classes 1 and 2 of primary schools; Benni shows role-playing social behavior and serves as a medium for the teaching staff (Heilbronner Bürgerstiftung, weblinks). In the following, the Educational Role-Playing is sketched— linked to approaches of behavior modification and therapy. To do this, we show in detail many techniques and methods that can be helpful in the “performance”. Examples from from the practice from different fields of activity follow. However, the

1 Introduction

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examples are not listed as a model for imitation, but should serve as an exemplary encouragement to design similar approaches. Taking a closer look at the procedure, we can owe the multi-layered but easily learnable system to the retired Berlin university lecturer Wolfgang Wendlandt, who has linked VT and play with commitment and verve for decades. At the center of these essentials is therefore the Educational Role-Playing— an excellently suitable scenographic training and counseling method without the claim to universal effectiveness; because “if experimental psychology only sees the flattened image of the behaviors of a psychologically well-defined, but essentially social reality, it behaves a little like the spectator of a shadow play who would refer the assertion that the real persons of the action had a third dimension in reality, which could not appear as such on the screen, to the realm of mere philosophical speculation” (Seve, 1972, p. 438).

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Role Plays: Boundaries

In order to recognize better the typical, the special and the unique features of role-playing, I will try to distinguish it from some other important forms of playing, which have often grown up side by side historically and always bring special characteristics in addition to many commonalities. Controversial psychotherapeutic approaches such as transactional analysis (TA), for example, denote regular behavior as a game. So TA has got a point there! On the other hand, it would certainly make sense to put on a mask before every role-playing in everyday life and/ or before any lie…

2.1 Theatre Play The minimal formula of theatre can be: Person A plays another person (B), and person C watches (and both have a consciousness of their roles as players or spectators). This means above all: a public belongs to the theater. The audience can influence a performance to some extent (approval and rejection). Theatre is a branch of art and therefore free. Theater tells about people and about life. The audience can recognize themselves and others and discover new things. A stage event can confirm or contradict, open up new perspectives or sharpen one's view for alternatives. The language formulations, figures and gestures of the actors are constantly adapted to the social context. Theatre means theater showplace and is the designation for a scenic representation of both inner and outer event through artistic communication between actors and audience; this means both the process of theatre- playing or generally a theater company generally.

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, part of Springer Nature 2023 M. Günther, Educational Role Play, Springer essentials, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-41810-6_2

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The theatre of ancient Greece was founded on certain principles. With the “theatron”, the spectator room, gave rise to the possibility of discussions about Greek democracy while also religious festivals, especially the Dionysia, were held; at this time politics and religion were inseparable united. Typical was the unity of action, place and time in the drama. The Athenian Dionysus became the prototype of the theater and was exported to the Greek colonies throughout the Mediterranean. In addition to the auditorium , it had a stage. Tragedies, comedies and the light-hearted epilogue of the tragedies, the satyr play, were given. The Romans adopted the Greek theater culture. In parallel, pantomime was widespread there, too. Towards the end of the Middle Ages, carnival and morality plays emerged. Only later did professionals emerge . In the big cities an urban, commercial theatre business developed, and the ever-increasing demand and the expansion of the industry soon demanded the transition from court theater to folk theatre. Nevertheless, spectator rooms were set up, whose rows and boxes reflected the hierarchy of society (cf. en .wikipedia.org Theatre). Today, theater is omnipresent, in its classical as well as in its “Off” version. Flying groups are still working, trying their luck like circus companies. From the satyr the cabaret emerged, and later “Comedy (german version)” was added, not English = comedy, but apolitical superficial Stand Up amusement with jokes and word games.

2.2 Improvisational Theatre Improv theatre: In the past, one would have said impromptu . On stage, there are usually semi-professional actors (both in terms of training and professional occupation) and they play scenes that the audience wishes for. Often suggestions are made as to what the topics are. Improtheatre has become an independent art form and is now widespread worldwide. Theatresports: In this variant of improvisational theater in germany, two teams compete, and the disciplines as well as tasks are coordinated with the audience, which also evaluates the performances. Playback Theatre: In this process, spectators describe special events from their lives and actors then put them on stage in such a way that everyday experiences gain another dimension through the language, music and body expression of the actors . Its origins can be found in Commedia dell’arte.

2.4 Charades

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Stories arise spontaneously. On stage there is no direction to an outstanding performance. The present actors briefly or not at all agree on their performance. It is decisive that dramatic scenes reach the stage without written dialogue, to the delight of the surprised audience. Apart from applause and possibly evaluation by a jury, there is no feedback to individual passages or aspects.

2.3 Role-Playing (in General) Whenever simulated, imitative role behavior occurs, we speak of “role-playing”. Game scientists describe this special game idea as “playfully being someone else”. There can be rules and frameworks for scenarios, but the imagination of the players is decisive factor. The game world appears to be very broad, because any genre can be used as a background for role-playing. Historical, science fiction, horror and other fantasy scenarios, “new socialization agencies in adolescence” (Prokop & Jansen, 2006, in the book title)—stand next to more classical approaches, if you look at the playing child with a small corner shop or with figures of the Playmobil world. We will see in the following that there are various forms. Role-playing can be spontaneous and freely associated, but it can also be ritual-religious. Further special forms, which we cannot go into in more detail in this text, are Pen Paper, Computer- Role-Playing and Live Action Role Playing. It should be noted that (armed) fights and later war games among boys with coordinated roles and boastful winners are age-appropriate and rather harmless, possibly pedagogically helpful (fairness training) and neither usually nor necessarily a precursor of the “young militarist”.

2.4 Charades For leisure activities in private, on winter evenings, at parties or on festive occasions, not infrequently at children’s birthdays, a game leader appears in front of the group of other participants and prepares slips of paper on which different words or concepts are written . It should be something concrete and tangible. In addition, film or book titles can be used . Each participant draws one of the folded slips of paper and then performes as a pantomime in front of the others until the group has guessed the word, concept or title. Alternatively, it can be agreed that the person who first solves the pantomime can continue next and draw a slip of paper. If it is not guessed within a certain time, the leader may reveal the answer

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and let someone draw a slip of paper again. Finally, you can also choose this variant without a game leader: one person voluntarily starts and thinks of a concept, which should be written down, and whoever guesses is next. Charades is therefore a special form of guided pantomime role-playing. A corresponding board game collection is called “Activity”. You play in two groups, which makes sense if there are 12–20 people in the room, half of the participants already know the term sought and have fun with making fake guesses . Because: Someone from the group draws a suggestion from the opponent, only shows the opponent this suggestion and there group has to guess. A moderation is also useful in this case. Depending on the agreement, proper names and geographical terms may also be used.

2.5 Current, Modern Role-Playing Cultures I We currently find a variety of “normal” adults participating in the trend of costume role-playing. In Germany, since the 1990s, followers of the subculture Steampunk movement of Retro- Futurism have also been seen on different occasions. These people have a certain feeling of life that leads them to realize retrolook fantasies in reality. Followers meet in public to exchange and display outfits. Special local or online shops or flying traders offer the necessary materials . Steampunk role-playing is recognizable by Victorian-era costumes. It is not limited to this old fashioned style, the players supplement the typical garb with modern devices such as cameras or mobile phones in steampunk-style. The conceptual background comes from steam technology and the sci-fi subgenre called cyberpunk. The recurring accessories include pocket watches, protective glasses, corsets for women combined with flying jackets, top hats, and much more. Steampunk appears publicly as subcultural role-playing—one could also describe the appearance as exhibitionist. The role-players often take part in other cultural events, are also invited, but without appearing disturbing, instructive or advertising. They enjoy wearing, showing and discussing their extensive valuable and selected pieces of clothing. They like to be photographed and meet-ups are often well-documented , too. II If you visit the annual Leipzig Book Fair, for example, you will be surprised by a large number of disguised young people between 15 and 30 years old. They enter the grounds in costume and show up. The motives are borrowed from the art-forms Cosplay, Manga and Anime and are often realized in elaborate self-

2.6  Social Therapeutic Role Play

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made costumes. They are modeled on special figures from Japanese comics, imitated true to detail. Fair management encourages the enriching presence of cosplayers , buts nonetheless enforces about 50 regulations, because it must be prevented, for example, that real weapons get on fair grounds. Prohibited accessories include full masks, zombie costumes, dyeing make-up, army and combat suits, sharp corners and edges, artificial blood, Tanto knives, dragging trains and tails over 1 m and scythes over 1.5 m. Imitation weapons must not be made of metal or Plexiglas or wood of more than 3 cm thick, as well as strangling weapons and nunchakus with metallic chains are also banned. The system of regulations is thus very elaborate. Show fights are also allowed on a competition stage. The goal of this so called Manga- Comic-Con is to attrack young people to the fair visit. Thus, parallel worlds arise: Traditional fair visitors look at the book-related events, while young people dressed in role-playing, whether disguised or not, look at the cosplayers usually without any interest in books. For example, the Southwest German Broadcasting (SWR) editor Otte also criticized this and, in 2017, called for an end to the uproar without any consequences (“No place for naked rabbits”, SWR 2, 17th of March, 2017). However, there are also a number of exhibitors with manga-related artbooks, comics and games on site.

2.6 Social Therapeutic Role Play In the field of addiction therapy or the treatment of the addiction syndrome, in germany one speaks explicitly of social therapy, for which payers offer recognized training courses and for which differentiated models exist. This approach is also used in other fields of psychosocial assistance, with people in crisis or in geriatrics as well as with theologians in pastoral care. Social therapy includes the economic situation, employment and housing of the clientele. A prominent representative is Horst-Eberhard Richter (cf. Richter, 2014, p. 24 ff.). Finally, prisons are a place of social therapy; most german federal states have independent or non-independent houses of this kind. In 60 facilities, prisoners are held as the special therapeutic means and social aids of such an institution are indicated for their re-socialization. Against this background (additional training courses for social therapists take place in trainings, further and continuing education institutions), the Munich university lecturer Adelheid Stein has been working since 1972 on a curriculum for special social therapeutic role play (cf. de.wikipedia.org "Sozialtherapeutisches Rollenspiel"). The approach is psychoanalytically based; today, however, the

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institute is not run by psychologists, but by representatives of the professions of social work and theology (for “bringing the Bible to life”). The training takes place in decentralised working groups in Bamberg/Erfurt, Dresden/Leipzig, Munich and Regensburg/Passau. The role-playing trainings are offered alternatively for psychosocial work or for pastoral and diaconal work. Cause the term “social therapeutic role play” was fortunately not protected, professionals can receive corresponding additional trainings in various institutions.

2.7 Psychodrama A psychodrama session can act like a pedagogical role play, and a pedagogical role play can under certain circumstances take on a psychodrama-like course that depends on the dynamics. In the 1940s, the Austrian psychologist Jacob Levy Moreno developed this method in the USA, which came from the improvisation game, as a psychotherapeutic approach. In Germany we add this and other approaches among the “small” or “soft” psychotherapy methods, because they do not belong to the group of methods specified in the Psychotherapist Act of 1999, which are recognised and financed by health insurance companies; these would have to be built up accordingly thoroughly, systematically and with professionally legal state standards. Almost all psychotherapists (based on the basic professions of diploma psychologist, master psychologist or doctor) have several additional trainings. Psychodrama is part of the enrichment of the range of methods for some, especially those psychoanalytically oriented, because it is able to work on the theme of a patient voluntarily with the support of the group and with the help of rules of the game leader (=psychotherapist) and with a selected “auxiliary self” (one copatient or the therapist supports).

2.8 Role-Playing and Gestalt Therapy Gestalt therapy according to Fritz Perls also implies and is linked to a number of exercises in which learning or therapy goals are systematically pursued. Since the concept of Gestalt groups was open for a long time in the German-speaking world with regard to (fee-based) therapy seminars, both interested laypeople, educators, psychologists and mentally suffering clients could be found in one circle. Since in role-playing “everyone is equal”, this approach is also helpful and popu-

2.9  The Business Game

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lar in this context. An exercise variant is the technique of the “empty chair”, in which an unoccupied chair or similar prop is used. “The empty chair serves as a projection surface and placeholder for reference persons who are significant for the client in context with a certain topic, but absent, or for a part of the client’s personality, or a feeling, etc.” (de.wikipedia. org Gestalttherapie). In this “fantasy conversation technique”, the client is asked to imagine in his imagination that the absent reference person, or the feeling etc. sits in the empty chair in order to then develop a dialogue with them. “The empty chair can also serve as a spatial marker for certain sides of one’s own person with which the client deals. (…) With the change of speech and counter-speech, the therapists can invite their clients to actively change their external setting and to sit on that chair, on which the currently active side is situatively anchored” (de. wikipedia.org, Gestalttherapie). Besides games of this kind, experiments, homework and above all situation-related interventions are important for the Gestalt therapy approach. All techniques are ultimately aimed at promoting awareness of perceptions and experiences among the group members in their respective personal situation. Other fields of application for educational role-playing should not be overlooked, without being able to carry them out here: Of course, such games are used again and again both in group psychotherapy with children and in clientcentered play therapy.

2.9 The Business Game The widespread method of the business game is to be mentioned because it always also interactively consults role-playing ( besides the rule game component and the system environment component). The simulation game is particularly used to simulate conflict-laden tasks, situations and processes. Simulation games are Action Learning. In addition to the fields of business, personnel management and the military, simulation games are often used in democracy education. Actors usually work in small groups; similar to educational role-playing, participants receive preliminary background information about the simulation and role profiles. Of course, the simulation game results are also processed—with feedback, reflections, summaries and possibly documentation for practice transfering intentions into the real world .

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Educational Role Plays

3.1 Starting Idea Games and play-oriented methods with playful elements in seminars are an important topic for their trainers. An open and lively climate is the best prerequisite for an active and effective learning situation. This liveliness, combined with the appropriate depth of the memories, makes them more experiential, remains better in memory, stimulates the creativity of the participants and possibly puts the cycle into motion. Role-playing in the pedagogical context can also release emotions that make the participant more aware of certain contents and experiences. “Role-playing techniques have been incorporated into several social skills and effective education programs concerned specifically with the learning of values and standards” (Walker et al., 2007, p. 218). It is important here that participantsreceive, under these controlled circumstances, a new awareness of learning and the sustainability of the acquired knowledge through playful learning—a position that is represented, for example, by the Trainplan Seminar- und Rollenspiele (cf. Schmitt, 2012). The father of Educational Role Play is, in my opinion, Wendlandt. The psychologist began his career as a scientific assistant at the TU Berlin in the 1970s and then became a professor at the Alice-Salomon University of Applied Sciences for Social Work and Social Pedagogy Berlin. In addition to his commitment to Educational Role Play, he is also known as the “stutter pope” because of his numerous writings and initiatives for stuttering therapy. Wendlandt founded the practice of Educational Role Play from the perspective of a “believing” cognitive behavior therapist with two writings in the late 1970s (Wendlandt, 1977; Wendlandt ed., 1979).

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, part of Springer Nature 2023 M. Günther, Educational Role Play, Springer essentials, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-41810-6_3

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Thus, it is an effective group procedure with action-oriented solutions and did not develope from psychodrama.

3.2 Relationship to Behavior Therapy (BT) Role-playing methods were already used early in the 1960s in the field of anxiety therapy—systematic anxiety reduction was driven, for example, by the renowned researcher Joseph Wolpe through a graded stimulus confrontation (Wolpe, 1972, p. 10 ff.). Role-playing helped in BT, and in particular in the Behavior Modification Techniques (BMT), to compensate for behavioral deficits and to practice forms of desired behavior. Finally, it has also been used in the context of attitude changes (in the therapeutic process), which is no longer an immediate role-playing topic. The BMT role-playing allows for disturbance-free sequences of actions based on action plans and a functional analysis of conditions (this corresponds to the well-known behavior analysis according to Kanfer & Philipps, 1995, p. 76 ff.). The trainer can create a structure and proceed hierarchically. The goal of the training is usually to gradually create increasing realism as part of a longer process. Finally, trainers also go out into the natural environment to practice playfully, aided by the “toolbox” that guarantees professional preparation and follow-up. After the exercises, the behavior feedback can be briefly practiced “on the street”, but thoroughly reviewed later in the seminar. Without a targeted, timeconsuming feedback, no Educational Role-playing can have an effect from its self-understanding. US authors and teachers R. G. Tharp and R. J. Wetzel demonstrated a groundbreaking practice because they showed and recommended as university lectures how to organize trainings with the support of “mediators” with all sorts of settings, Such are: playing outside, locally on the spot, in the natural environment, - and have the courage to play roles and other interventions, whether on the way to school or in the elevator, whether in the slums or near the first aid station (cf. Tharp & Wetzel, 1970). Finally, the aforementioned Wolfgang Wendlandt developed method of Educational Role Play, which he had pioneered in the early 1970s as a behavioural therapist, for educational settings and first brought the practice into schools in West Berlin. (Wendlandt, 1977; Wendlandt ed., 1979). Such role-playing can always be recognised well by the fact that it is systematically structured, presented relatively strictly with regard to rules and interventions, and does not go into psychological interpretation in depth”. Strict

3.3  Further, Advanced and Continuing Education

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framework, but cheerful, stress-free play, that could be the maxim for this formally special behavior modification approach.

3.3 Further, Advanced and Continuing Education A further education course on “Educational Role Play” usually lasts 16 double lessons or four to five block event days beside a part-time job. There are also providers who try to manage this with two whole or four half days (that would be the absolute minimum, anything else would be window dressing), but there is no fixed standard for this. After that, a certificate can be handed over, but there is no fixed set practice standard for this in Germany, too. The providers of such further education courses are universities, further education institutions for social pedagogy of the countries or other non-profit providers, institutes, academies or associations. Commercial providers are not unheard of;, they mainly work in the field of business, trade and industry. Naturally, experts value this technicque differently. Some professionals consider the role-playing approach to be useful (and consider the importance next to the technique of “conversation management” according to Carl Rogers. Others even consider sound knowledge of Educational Role Play to be indispensable if one wants to juxtapose and possibly change problem behavior with target persons in a protected manner. Curricula in vocational schools for social pedagogy often have working phases for dealing with “small therapies” with role-playing techniques integrated. The author of this essential explicitly introduced the approach “Ecucational Role Play” into the trainings (group work) for matriculation from a Brandenburg continuing education curriculum (cf. Günther, 1984, p. 11, web links).

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Success Conditions: The Formal Setting

We distinguish two types of working groups in which Educational Role Play is implemented: firstly with direct clients from the field of role play leadership, usually a school class or group in the day-care centre or in open youth work. The game is organized with children and young people so that behavioural change can be effected. The group work with learners, students and later “role play agents” who are learning this (and other methods) in order to use them at their workplaces is of course different. The learning objectives of the Educational Role Play can only be achieved in either setting if the framework conditions are adhered to quite strictly. Exaggeratedly one could also say: when applying any pedagogical role play, the form is even more important than the almost “arbitrary” game content.

4.1 Working with Clients Groups Social pedagogues, teachers, social workers and educators, as well as group therapists, depending on the field of work, deal with children, adolescents, adults, couples and even with elderly people. The maxim in working with such clients is twofold: We do not implement pedagogical role plays for fun—but they should usually be fun. We divide a game session, which can last between 40 and 135 minutes into 1) Introduction, 2) Selecting topics, 3) Selecting players,

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, part of Springer Nature 2023 M. Günther, Educational Role Play, Springer essentials, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-41810-6_4

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4  Success Conditions: The Formal Setting

4) Doubling up in advance if necessary (technique presented in detail in Sect. 5.3), 5) Playing, exchanging roles if necessary, 6) Feedback (A protagonists, B protocol reporting, C feedback (group)). Regarding the game phases: We find the competent game leader in front of a group of 6–30 equal students with equal rights and has concluded a contract with them that special and difficult behaviors will be taken on by means of role-playing, in which everyone participates. The emphasis is on everyone; even though at any given time many of the participants will only be recording and observing, roles will rotate so that everyone will have a chance to play a "speaking" role (protagonist). Without this consensus, no successful group work can start. It would be different if the auditorium had more than 30 people, if they were sitting in rows and there was no room for subgroups. Only in such cases (rooms with fixed furniture) work can be done in front of the public with the help of volunteers; such games then always have more of a demonstration character, but must also be presented carefully in all phases and with plenty of time. Let’s assume there are 12 people in the room. Now they are asked to describe three situations each on a piece of paper that relate to selected problem behaviors. The preselection is made by the game leader; if I am in a school class or home group with minors, it is already clear from the pedagogical subject what it is aprox. about (conflicts of the last weeks, mission statement, social learning, etc.). All participants then have to think about which concrete situations have already happened and/or could be (re)played. If the game leader has selected the topics “withstanding bullying, self-assertion, resisting” for today, everyone will certainly think of something that they can briefly put down in three sentences. Another group of topics would be “seeking contact, addressing strangers, maintaining relationships”. If this technique is successfully implemented, even highly sensitive topics can be addressed and processed constructively with the clientele. In a trusting atmosphere, participants have the opportunity to use practical exercises to address their own practical cases or private problems and to practice counseling. The participants are therefore asked to actively participate in role-playing and other exercises. During the evenings, literature references are given. If I am in a group that has come together to process a single current conflict role-playing, phase 2 is of course omitted.

4.2  Role-playing as a Component of Further Education

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4.2 Role-playing as a Component of Further Education Adult students and students in further education usually do not have a great professional advantage over clients and in principle must not be treated and taught differently in basic training than target persons in the group with problem carriers. Comparable situations and games are selected and the involvement must be equally attentive. With adults, a target agreement conversation should always be held first (with students depending on the group. We also divide a game session, which can last between 90 and 135 minutes, into 1) introduction, 2) select topics, 3) select players, 4) the leader doubles some characters, 5) play, 6) feedback (protagonists), protocol reporting, feedback (group). Further rules are the same as with the groups above: game suggestions must come from everyday life, they must be made visible concretely, they must be connected with activities and represented on the behavioral level. In the feedback phases, students certainly comment discriminated statements; and I’m sure, the sribe will show us some more imortant "professional" impressions. If it has been clarified in the course of the introduction what is to be offered and what framework is to be established for training in “Educational Role Play”, then the topics can be requested and collected. All present have equal say in the selection of e.g. four topics. The majority then decides between them and the game leader trusts that the selection was made according to relevance, playability and sense of purpose . Most of them are motivated to take on a certain role in the following session, whether as a scibe (here you can also commission up to eight people in a large group, who then sit in pairs in all four directions on the rim of the room and make notes), main actors or supporting role actors. Everyone knows that it will take practice to learn these skills. Finally, in the advanced training phase, the role of the role play management is also filled by participants and the responsible person takes the supervisory, coaching observer role. The role-playing guide often shouts out “stop” during the course of the game; after the leader calls "stop" the players can drop their role and discuss untill play begins again with the command "game running". By the way, even with these "professional" adults sensitive topics such as “fear/fear of flying” cannot be played, these belong into regular therapy sessions.

5

Role Play Techniques

All learners should be aware that the following techniques have not been developed by the inventors of Educational Role Play, but have their own history, so they may predate or have been subsequently added to further develop and underpin the systematic approach in Educational Role Play. As will be shown later in the context of “add-ons”, such techniques also come from Systemic Family Therapy, though without an exact antecedant. To exclude all possible misunderstandings in this context: simply put, techniques such as “flashlight” (in Germany, this term expresses "short round to contribute ideas and comments" or “warming ups” have existed for a long time even independently of the Educational Role Play presented here for discussion.

5.1 Target Behavior Agreement Conversation Originally, target agreement conversations come from the field of corporate organization. Superiors, for example, talk in private, for example at six-month intervals, about plans, goals and achievements. Such conversations are also helpful with the group in preparation for roleplaying sessions—with regard to the course or with regard to a working day— (regardless of the fact that, of course, comparable conversations can also be arranged with individuals in advance if they have special questions about the course or wish to set special conditions for participation). Above all a target agreement conversation should ensure that the learners have a high degree of individual responsibility and should make predominantly individual decisions. agreed-upon goals are put in writing. Individual questions in this context can be: © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, part of Springer Nature 2023 M. Günther, Educational Role Play, Springer essentials, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-41810-6_5

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• What skills do the individuals bring and what new competences are they to be trusted with? • In which (game) areas could there be difficulties in communication, mobility or professional understanding (for example, if people with hearing impairments or wheelchair users are present or if people from other professions and newcomers who do not yet know the terminology of psychosocial care are present). All wishes and concerns for the participants must be taken into account. The number of goals must remain manageable. The time of evaluation and review is determined in advance.

5.2 Warming Up It is well known that exercises, work sessions and seminars in which participants may have to sit for a long time (or write or watch films) are often accompanied by so-called warm up activities. These also serve to loosen up in general (the term's antecedant comes from sports), but also to get to know each other within the group, and they serve to relax. They also serve to prepare for physical contact with one another. A role-playing work phase, you know, may last a maximum of 135 minutes. Before the next phase, after the short break, a 5-minute game can be offered in which participants walk, lie down, move, warm up in 2-person groups and much more. Klaus Vopel has worked extensively on this. He coined the term “interaction games” and has now written about 60 books with group dynamic instructions and further topics. We can buy warm-up games for all occasions and for all target and age groups from him, usually in the form of practice guides. To give an example, I like to play “weather map”. Participants form groups of two, and the group leder will partner with someone in case of an odd number; game leader asks a participant to come forward for demonstration purposes; I need the back of this person (who of course must agree). The following sentences and measures are quite arbitrary, there is no prescribed order and only 2 times 2 min should be played in turns until everyone has laughed once. So I put my hands on the back of the “buddy” and draw the map of Germany with my hands. Then I start the weather report something like this: “A drizzle in the north” (with my fingertips I tap repeatedly below the neck); “in the middle cloudiness” (I rub the middle

5.3 Doubling

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back), “in the south pouring showers” (vigorously tapping with the fingers and stroking with the hands because) “strong winds can also arise …”. Further ideas are welcome. Thunder, hail, sunshine, all this can be depicted with hands on the partner's back and after two minutes everyone turns around so that the other person creates their “weather map” with their own hands (private variant of an idea that also appears in - see Vopel 2000; or Landessportbund NRW, web links). But caution is also advised: if additional offers for this kind of play happen too often, some participants will oppose it. It should also be noted that warm-ups should not concern any discussion-worthy content, but should only provide variety, movement and fun.

5.3 Doubling One of the most important aids that the role-playing leader always utilizes is the doubling of behavior and game variants during the exercise phase. This is done in two ways: 1. The game leader has the secure impression that one of the players is getting carried away, going down wrong paths, fantasizing too freely, losing the thread etc.. The group manager gives the stop signal and briefly asks for quiet and concentration to correct the performance. All players stay where they are. Only the game leader moves and stands behind the person who is apparently acting with difficulties. The game leader puts his hands on the player’s shoulders, looks around instead of him and speaks “doubling” words and sentences that are now recommended. There is no discussion! Willingly, the game leader now leaves the doubled person to continue playing by repeating what has been shown as quickly as possible in order to be able to continue. 2. If the game leader notices that the seminar participant who had given the game idea, sequence and content is becoming restless or dissatisfied with the direction the game is taking, they also use doubling,he only allows this in the form mentioned above. But now the game leader does not double himself, but the person with the game idea is asked to stand behind the players and double something that they consider appropriate. Usually players are grateful for the doubling and also grateful for the creative break.

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5  Role Play Techniques

5.4 Role Taking If it becomes clear during the game that one of the players is not up to the task and attempts to correct this through doubling fail, the game leader must ensure that another person from the circle of those present takes on the role. The easiest way to do this is to involve the person who brought in the game idea. They will be asked who they can imagine in the now “open” role. It is of enormous importance for the group and the learning process that the game leader expresses his thanks to the departing person and that this person can express themselves about the process. They will have insights to share and be grateful for being released from the task. Applause does not hurt either. Only in absolute exceptional cases should the game leader slip into the role in question, because due to the steering task with regard to the overall process, he does not have the time and concentration capacity to take on another difficult task.

5.5 "Flash/Blitzlicht" A "Blitzlicht", a flash or flashlight are a method of rapid feedback used mainly in the field of group dynamics, which can quickly determine the mood, opinion or status with regard to the content and relationships in a group. (cf. Stangl , weblinks). The participants express themselves briefly in only one sentence or in a few sentences on a clearly delimited topic or question. The image resulting from a flashlight round can help the game leader in particular to positively shape the further processes of the group and, if necessary, to change them in a solutionoriented manner; it is a suitable technique to investigate disturbances and their causes, whereby the transparency sought with a flashlight, in which all group participants have then worked, can contribute to a positive restructuring of the working situation. With the help of this technique, team development can be promoted, because with a flashlight openness, honesty and trust in interpersonal relationships can be strengthened. Flashlights are finally a form of communication: they presuppose an open and democratic attitude in all, while promoting it at the same time. The participants also improve their self-perception through a flashlight, i.e. they learn to control their own behaviour better.

5.6  Video (Media) Use

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We distinguish the initial flash—with it, for example, the expectations of the participants in a new session can be clarified, or the well-being of the group can be be discussed during a flash. It is important that the leaders subsequently take up and respond to the results of the flashlight. The intermediate flash is suitable to follow up suspected disturbances during a learning process or if there is palpable passivity or aggression. With the intermediate flashlight, factors adversely affecting the group dynamic can be uncovered, so that afterwards a better working situation arises again. The flashlight or “the flashlight-round is a method developed in particular in adult education to improve communication in learning groups and it can be used either to quickly get an opinion on a topic from each course participant or to carry out a short intermediate evaluation” (de.wikipedia.org, Blitzlicht-Methode). Each participant expresses himself in turn in a short form to the question of how he/she is doing with the course so far. I-messages should be used. The other participants are only listeners during the statements; only questions of understanding may be asked.

5.6 Video (Media) Use For at least 50 years, it has been part of the developed standard in higher education in psychosocial care to record the course of a Educational Role Play (or other psychological techniques and skills) using a video camera, with the consent of all participants, of course, so that the “result” can be evaluated afterwards on the basis of concrete image material. It is astonishing how often there are differences, for example, between the perception of observers and the “objective” feedback via video recordings, for which of course a screen must be in the room. The camera on the tripod is operated by the game leader, has a fixed image section and can be switched off in pauses. The personality rights of individuals must be respected. If it should exceptionally happen that a playing person is moved to weep, it would be helpful to delete this part of the footage publicly after the evaluation; this creates even more trust with regard to the true task of the group: to learn through guided play.

6

Add-ons: Supplementary (Systemic) Methods

6.1 The Socratic Dialogue Originally, this old Socratic approach led to self-responsible thinking, reflection and contemplation. The modern procedure of the Socratic dialogue is to be seen in this context. For a (small) group that is practicing role-playing, the following aspects of the Socratic dialogue are important: The role-playing leader clearly shows that he always relies solely on the judgment of the participants and does not let his own personal opinion influence the discussion. He ensures that the participants understand each other, stay on the topic and, of course, adhere to the agreed-upon rules (cf. de.wikipedia, Socratic dialogue). If a participant has doubts and further questions, he/she is encouraged to present them. However, they are not allowed to take the position of the confrontational, the provocateur or to play the devil’s advocate. Solutions to problems or group decisions are only made by consensus. Finally, the role-playing leader must take the statements of each individual participant seriously in the same way!

6.2 Reframing Among the psychological methods and techniques that can be helpful in group processes some psychological methods are borrowed from systemic family therapy, such as reinterpretation (in english: reframing). Pioneers of this method include Paul Watzlawick in the context of communication and Milton Erickson in the context of hypnotherapy. In order to be able to deal with difficult scenes and

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situations more easily, the conversation leader may try to make them appear in a different perspective. Many proverbs show reinterpretation offers to provide courage, optimism or perspective. The lottery winner who “only won 23.50 €” and appears annoyed is shown the silver lining to their situation; not the possibility of winning (jackpot, 1 million €) should be the orientation (not the dove on the roof), but the achieved (not the two sparrows in the hand). If a process is shown in a different frame or context, this leads to differentiation and more sensitivity. If, for example, a fellow player complains about the friend always making remarks about dangers of motorcycling, they can reinterpret this as caring, taking part, not wanting to lose the beloved person etc. It is normal that we try to framemany everyday events in a (picture) frame; with that the event is also temporarily defined with this. But was the event also correctly recorded? Are there possibly other perspectives? New interpretations can only arise if we leave mental blocks behind. In reframing, therefore, experienced or happened events are connected with a new interpretation using a different context. This reinterpretation allows us to describe the symptom in its positive meaning for the system, so that it can be assigned to a new point of view. Thus our client (in reframing) is described as the person who indicates that the group is in a process of change. It is thus understood as a warning signal and no longer as disturbing. The basis of this instrument is that every behavior only makes sense in the overall context and that an apparent disadvantage can turn out to be an advantage.

6.3 Circularity One of the foundations for self-organizing systems is circularity. The term originally comes from cybernetics/System Theory and was later taken up by Systemic Family Therapy. It is mainly about the feedback of the effects of one’s own behavior in order to be able to change future behavior. Because social processes, which are almost always the focus of Educational Role-Playing, cannot be simply explained linearly or causally; they require circular consideration. If I analyze a participant’s assessment of their truthfulness, it is worth asking them what their father would say about the same problem. This encourages a differentiation. The protagonist may be confused if he seriously imagines (in the

6.3 Circularity

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role-play!) the answer of the father, the mother, the colleague, etc. This creates new information and perspectives for him. And further: “What do you think your child feels when you assess the process in this way?” In practice, circularity is provoked in therapeutic or play processes by socalled circular questions, which are: • the triadic question (“what do you suspect your colleague thinks about it?”), • wonder question (“if a miracle happened—through a genie—and the described problem was gone forever, what would change?”), • the percentage question (“how much do you want to commit to this problem in the coming time, how much for your family?”) • the exception question (“when does the described behavior not occur?”) In this way, new perspectives can be introduced again and again. I may ask the participants to rate the severity of the problem on a scale from 1 to 10, for example. Through classification questions (“who does your boss appreciate the most, second most” etc.) we come closer to relationship problems. The list of possible, also newly added circular questions derived by the systemic Milan School is long. There are also as-if questions, questions about future plans, questions about the advantage of conserving the problem, aggravation questions, questions about resources, improvement questions and questions about possibility constructions. However, it would go too far in this essential to define everything. To collect information (implicit as well as explicit), questions are also asked in the form of differences and the resulting relationships. They show how differently life and lived experience happen in the system (e.g. the family). They should make the differences tangible in order to disturb familiar perspectives and ways of understanding (how do I think, how do others act and why?). In addition to direct questions, e.g. family members are asked in turn to comment on the thoughts, behavior and relationships of other family members. These do not have to be accepted as consistent by the other members, but they nonetheless offer new information on how others see the requested behaviors, relationships or constellations from their point of view. The game leader asks the father, for example: “To what extent has the relationship between your daughter and your wife changed since your in-laws have been living with you?”

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6  Add-ons: Supplementary (Systemic) Methods

6.4 Constellation Work A method widely used in psychotherapeutic processes is the constellation, especially the family constellation. Actually, this would be an alternative to Educational Role Play, an independent procedure to experience a complex dynamics through reduction and representative play, in order to finally gain more understanding as well as to change oneself. This approach is often used similarly to our role play when medium-sized groups work and a constellation leader tries to steer the psychically demanding events. Often a genogram is used as an aid when a certain family “comes into play”. Under certain circumstances, the role play leader can also include a family constellation—as short as possible—in the working phase, then it does so as a digression. The constellation can make it clearer to the target person and all present what is happening from the perspective of the present member of the family. For the family members of the person from the seminar, representatives are chosen. These are instructed individually in their roles and, if this undertaking is successfully implemented, highly sensitive topics can then be addressed and processed constructively in relation to the clientele. In a trusting atmosphere, participants haveopportunities for practical feedback through interviews, such as how they experienced their feelings in the assumed role or to address their own practical cases or even private problems and to practice in counseling. The participants are therefore asked to actively participate in role plays and other exercises. The participants play in the constellation until they are interrupted by the game leader or protagonist, who now supports the game leader. Interruptions must take place if the representative moves independently in completely wrong directions or for time reasons. While Virginia Satir is responsible for the family sculpture technique, the controversial former priest and psychoanalyst Bernd Hellinger is prominent in the German-speaking world for his so-called family setting technique. In role play, it must be avoided that deep-seated refutations and severe psychological dynamics enter the group work, because psychotherapy was “not on the agenda”, that would be a completely different setting and requires additional trained diploma psychologists or specialist doctors. Specific models of communication attitudes, as developed mainly by Satir, cannot be discussed at this point (cf. Satir, 2007).

6.6  Paradox Intervention

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6.5 Mirroring In psychology, mirroring is referred to as the attempt of the therapists to respond to the behavior of the respective client in such a way that they take on their perspective and “reflect on” what they have understood. This would mean for our setting that the game manager mirrors back in his own words what he has understood from his counterpart in terms of content and feelings. The method requires a high degree of empathic abilities and a professional sensitive handling. The method was discredited by practitioners who simply showed a mechanical reproduction of what was said and almost mimicked; even too frequent mirroring unsettles the client, because they apparently do not express themself clearly enough. A synonym is “paraphrasing”, i.e. repeating what was heard in a mutats mutandis way, sometimes exaggerated, sometimes understated in one’s own words. In mediation, “mirroring” helps to dissolve blocks because it helps the parties to perceive their own position from the other side's point of view.

6.6 Paradox Intervention In pedagogy and psychotherapy, one can achieve their targets even if they do not take the direct, linear, logical path, but rather—as paradoxical as it may sound— set the opposite in motion first. An example may be the relapse prescription, another the symptom prescription, and a third the already mentioned, but more specifically used reframing method. If a physically ill and currently not smoking smoker complains that they have managed not to smoke for weeks at a time, a therapist can “prescribe” that they should start smoking again five days after the acute illness has ended and to come back that same afternoon; as a reward, they would then get a cigar … Finally, one can also reinterpret a symptom positively, which the specialists then calls “positive connotation”. They all have in common that the problem is “maintained”. If the members of a small group are arguing about the unevenly distributed aspects of the written homework and one person is additionally accused of being lazy and just hanging on, a role-playing task could be to take all the work away from this person, teach them how to spend their time doing nothing and forbid them through a special contract to contribute anything related to the subject in the small group in the coming week.

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Because if the fight against the symptom has so far contributed to its maintenance, the client is now relieved; they can now comply with the shift in a new and liberated way or at least in a weakened form. However, paradoxical interventions are more successful in a therapy setting than in a Educational Role Play game. The latter can contribute to a trivialization of the serious approach.

6.7 Improper or Problematic Techniques Seminars on non-violent communication (NVC) are often conducted with Educational Role Play games. It happens that inexperienced participants confuse the fact that Marshall Rosenberg’s approach to NVC training works and must work with role-playing games, but that in reverse NVC is not the same as Educational Role Play. Crucial for his approach is the discovery of the potential of our empathy through the clarification of observation, feeling and need. Rosenberg recommends certain, standardized sentences and opposites in roleplaying communication. These have a stylized effect on normal people. Whether they are effective in terms of violence prevention (in schools, in kindergartens, etc.) must be discussed, tested and preferably evaluated elsewhere (cf. Rosenberg, 2007).

7

Fields of Application and Practical Examples

7.1 Preschool as well as 1st and 2nd Grade Educational Role-Playing is possible at the earliest in preschool with about 5 years. In 1st and 2nd grade there are fewer difficulties in the systematic implementation, but this rule still applies: please design shorter, clearer and less timeconsuming and still plan with more time. Since teaching phases in a 90-minute unit without a courtyard break may only last about 25 min, a role-playing game including preparation and follow-up should under no circumstances last longer than 45 min with these children. Since about 2013, the inclusion mandate has been increasingly implemented in German schools. So if there are disabled people in the group or class, we have additional time requirements. An example is “Separator and Comforter, SaC, in german TuT”. In this guided little role-playing game, children practice under the guidance of the teachers how they can turn to a conflict as non-participants in the “fight” or conflict, to help to separate the parties in dispute first and then comfort the victims if necessary. It is about conflict mediation and violence prevention for the youngest schoolchildren (Wennekers, 2007, pp. 11 ff., web links). Another example with explicit specifical parts of the educational role-playing is the Hedgehog game. Everyone participates! A circle formation like in the class council is formed. Now there are lively and shy, introverted and extraverted children in every primary school class. The hedgehog game can help to open individual children while showing other children how people can be picked up from a capsule. For this purpose, the class/division class with 12 to 20 children will be collected is picked up from tables and chairs to sit in a circle. A playful child is instructed to roll up in the middle of the floor like a hedgehog does. Symbolically,

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, part of Springer Nature 2023 M. Günther, Educational Role Play, Springer essentials, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-41810-6_7

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the child can be marked with some clothespins on the clothing. Now individual other children have the difficult task of getting the hedgehog out of its protective position. This can be done, for example, by good persuasion and stroking. A child tries this for about half a minute, depending on motivation, then it is changed. The hedgehog itself can choose: to respond to the well-intentioned attempts to open it, or to remain in its position. As a rule, the hedgehog will be ready to show its face after a few minutes and be happy to have been treated so lovingly. If our hedgehog opens, it is evaluated: what did it experience in these minutes? Even those children who have tried hard will be asked about their experience; afterwards another child can be the hedgehog, voluntarily or a shy child chosen by the teacher; after 25 min a phase change should take place, but on one of the following days more children can be hedgehogs or take care of the elimination of selfenclosing. The hedgehog game has been played in Neukölln primary schools for many years and always shows promising effects.

7.2 Social Learning in School As soon as the school subject Social Learning (usually from 3rd grade to 8th grade) is called up, teachers with qualifications in Educational Role Play are in great demand. Numerous teaching materials and, for example, many units on the topic of bullying/mobbing, class climate and tolerance explicitly require this approach. Let’s take the example of “Exclusion” from Heilbronn schools. Strict adherence to strict timekeeping should again be disciplined in the framework, which is absolutely necessary for success (source: private, no ©). First hour: Introduction 10 min, game 25 min, evaluation 10 min; The procedure could be as follows: “Who would like to take part in an experiment?” After volunteers or “everyone” have reported, Role-playing I: about 8 students form a conversation round (draw with Uno cards, game leader prepares the cards). Selected topic: Conversation about the holidays, everyone tells each other what they have experienced. Under no circumstances let a further person coming into the role-playing participate, ignore him, reject him consistently… Assignment: Absolutely try to get in touch with the others! Just tell your own story about the holidays…

7.2  Social Learning in School

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Rules: no swear words, no violence… Feedback questions: • Question to the “victim”: How did you feel? How was the exclusion made visible? • Question to the “excluders”: How did you feel? How did you achieve the marginalisation? (language, body language…) Role play II: 8 other students form a conversation round (draw with Uno cards, game leader prepares the cards). Assignment: Conversation about the holidays, everyone tells what he/she has experienced. The newcomer is integrated… • Positive outcome, marginalisation is overcome. Accept avolunteer. Assignment: Try to get in touch with the others! Talk about holidays… This first hour can be repeated over 1–2 weeks until everyone has personally experienced through the passages what it means to be excluded, how easy it is (and how tempting, even as an inactive) to completely exclude someone, and how good it feels to be accepted by a group. This core theme can also be varied. Feedback-Questions: • Question to the “victim”: How did you feel? How was exclusion overcome? • Question to the “excluders”: How did you feel? How did you overcome the exclusion? (with your language, body language, with friendlyness, By approaching the victim …) • Conversation with the full group: How do exclusions affect the classroom climate? • How does overcoming exclusion affect the classroom climate? Later a new, second hour: Goal agreement 30 min, conclusion 10 min. • Group work: 4 groups. Task: Collect suggestions on how to improve the situation. How can everyone be well in school? • note on work sheet; • Groups present the developed proposals. These are collected on a poster • Everyone signs this goal agreement. Another example is the differentiated program for the training of mediators, conflict mediators or mediators for students of classes 3 to 6 in which role plays—

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“technically” comparable to our recommended procedure—are used to practice the mediation. And so that the children also master the formal procedure, the author first lets various students read out the procedure plan (Jeffereys-Duden, 1999, p. 80 ff.). For older students (6th grade and older) numerous games from the collection “Lions Quest” can be used. The Lions Quest teacher folders show comprehensive approaches to social learning and are very suitable for teaching in the context of violence prevention and communication.

7.3 Role Plays for Mediation - an Example of "konfliktvermittler-training.de" Greifswald, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania The Greifswald mediator Ursula Heldt specifically recommends the following procedure for testing conflict mediation from beginning to end using role plays. „We often formed several small groups of five people who divided themselves between different rooms so that a role-playing game did not have to be carried out in front of all trainee mediators. It is worth using a video camera for the evaluation conversations. For trainers, it is enormously important not to correct errors massively, but only to give positive feedback if requested by the participants. If trainers are asked for advice, they should express themselves clearly and in few words. Role-playing with mediation can enormously strengthen the self-confidence and critical ability of the individual participants. Sometimes the students register their own conflicts for the role-play. Since they are partly involved or were involved in it, these role-plays are charged with many feelings and should be evaluated with great care. Especially the shy ones must not be discouraged, but should be built up with a lot of praise. Before the individual groups had withdrawn to their own role-play, us trainers had played a role-play with mediation. For the role-plays, the participants should decide for role-plays according to their personal inclinations or pleasure. The disputants each receive a written role description, which they only study for themselves in separate corners and prepare for the arguments. It is important that the disputants cannot exchange information about their roles when rehearsing. Everyone should feel the emotional state, the background of a party to the dispute, as well as their personality and circumstances. The mediators do not receive a role description. They use the “information they have learned” and take, for example, their rules of “non-

7.3  Role Plays for Mediation as an Example of Conflict Mediator …

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violent communication” and the contract form. They set up a table in the middle of the room in their room where the mediation is to take place and set up the corresponding chairs opposite each other. For the observer, they set the chair more into the background, as it should not embarrass the players. When the table is set up with a flower and the corresponding seating arrangement, the role-play begins with the mediators greeting the parties to the dispute and the observer at the door and assigning them the seats. Since there are always two mediators involved in a mediation in the schools (so that they can evaluate it together afterwards), we give the tip that the mediators mediate “across” and always alternately. A mediator does not ask the person sitting directly opposite him about the facts and feelings, but the person sitting diagonally opposite. In this way, blocks are avoided. The observer makes notes on the mediation and keeps an eye on the time. The trainers give 10 min for the first role-plays. The evaluation conversations—also called feedback—are led by the observer in this small group. Observers make sure that the players only talk about their role and not about themselves. Us trainers also go to the individual evaluation conversations and ask each playing person how they felt in their respective role, whether they were satisfied with the course of the conversation or whether they still needed something. In this feedback it is important that all participants in the game get the feeling that they cannot act correctly or incorrectly in the role-play, that they do not have to strive for confirmation or receive a devaluation. Negations, such as "never", "none" or "not" are strictly avoided. The feedback should be formulated as follows: “I think you are slim” and not “I don’t think you’re fat”. “I think you solved it cleverly” and not “You shouldn’t have acted so cunningly”. “You must never use such words” but “I would phrase it … if I were you ”. First the parties to the dispute speak about how they felt with their role. Then the mediators and finally the observers. When the excitement and the first tension have subsided after the game, further questions are asked, • Which behaviors of the mediators were helpful for you? • Which behaviors of the mediators were not so helpful? • What else did you need from the mediators? Another evaluation is then made with all in the large plenary in order to collect which behaviors of the mediators were helpful for the disputants“. (Heldt Mediator-Training de Greifswald, weblinks).

38

7  Fields of Application and Practical Examples

7.4 Psychotherapy Training, Supervision and Roleplaying In therapy training/further training, a number of special techniques are taught which must be practiced through pedagogical role-playing. The same applies without restriction in the field of supervision training as well as in group supervision practice. “Use I-messages” or “please ask W-questions”—such maxims cannot be implemented 1:1 without having studied them and at the same time neglecting old, unproductive conversation strategies. Pedagogical role-playing enables such cases to stop old established unprofessional behaviour through repeated exercises and feedbacks (often professionals answer the question why they do not ask exploratively useful W-questions that they “learned at Carl Rogers” only to reflect about suggestive questions; this problem, however, requires a special discussion). If there is a fairly homogeneous group of further training participants or in group supervision with 4 to 8 people in the course, difficult and provocative game exercises should certainly also be set. These include courage tests in vivo (pushing in at the cheese counter), provocations on the bus (always being just about to light a cigarette) or asking passers-by for streets that are in a different city. Such games can expand and stabilize the behavioural repertoire of future therapists. Participants will be better prepared for unexpected, difficult situations in life, they will become “cooler”. It is important with pedagogical role-plays of this kind, however, not to dissolve the playfulness (as with the TV show Candid Camera) in the end when explaining it to the astonished fellow citizens. The learning group withdraws for evaluation, while the “embarrassment” remains in the room, only then does a learning and experience effect arise.

7.5 Violence Prevention as a Task of the Police The 16 German states administer 16 police forces, which take up various methods in the social pedagogical field to different degrees. Traffic education for schoolchildren is standard everywhere; this usually concerns the 4th grade with the goal of a bicycle license. These are trainings. Specially trained, responsible police officers become pedagogically active and master this task very well. Educational Role-Plays in the narrower sense are also shown by the police in some federal states when it comes to violence prevention and also bullying in schools. Commissioned officers come to the 5th, 6th or 7th grade on request and offer, for

7.5  Violence Prevention as a Task of the Police

39

example, a double lesson in prevention. The offer is delivered by uniformed personnel. They enjoy great respect and are accepted in their requirements. All the more important is that this group of people, these colleagues, also initiate roleplays technically cleanly, because procedural errors immediately spoil the learning effect or the desired learning objectives. It is not uncommon for “offenders” to be wrongly included in the role-play, i.e. an older child who bullies himself should take on the role of the bully. Before, during and after my 4-year activity as an expert writer and policy advisor (topics: “violence prevention and rampage cases in schools” or “strengthening the educational competence of parents”) for the german MPK (conferende of federal state prime ministers), I have experienced numerous practical approaches of quasi pedagogical role-playing intervention by police officers. Since these special violence prevention teams had not received any corresponding social pedagogical further training, much was improvised. The police ultimately learned through the evaluation of their own self-devised, spontaneous and diligent practice. Selected police officers actually appear in front of citizens or the public and press from time to time to make problems of violence in everyday life vivid. Such employees should be granted small additional trainings so that they can also master their lectures enriched with examples of violence in this context. Thus, in the past, it was often shown in a knife attack demonstration that the leading policeman, (mala), also played the perpetrator, drew a (rubber) knife, provoked a person (voluntarily, from the audience) and confronted the other present with his aggression. Then he (protagonist and (!) Game leader in one person) dissolved the demonstration, calmed the audience and explained why the playing person from the audience had behaved wrongly. Finally, he himself explained and showed how better, right or correct intervention should take place. And that is sensationally unsuitable to promote civil courage! Among the most popular role-playing games on the subject of violence in public is the “flirting in the subway”. It is used by both social educators and prevention officers. Let’s assume a seminar group consisting of 16 people, male and female aged 25 to 50 years (further education). The group is aware that roleplaying is part of the seminar; accordingly, everyone will of course play with it if there is a corresponding concept and need. Those present are healthy and possibly physically disabled are also in the game. The seminar leader/ game manager asks the participants to sit in the seminar room in front of two rows of eight chairs each, as in a narrow subway with benches opposite. (In Berlin there are three such narrow-gauge subway lines with corresponding wagons). Now the role-playing leadership is looking for three to

40

7  Fields of Application and Practical Examples

four volunteers who would be willing to take on an aggressor role today or at the next meeting, assuring that nothing violent will happen and everyone will have fun playing. Women and men are sought; it is not about “being strong” or that the person is already extraverted, brave or loud. From the circle of volunteers, the leadership chooses a “normal” woman, knowing full well that the aggression to be played is carried out by men in more than 90%. 15 seminarists now sit down on the chairs as they please. One chair remains free. All chairs are placed close together without any space in between. Now the game leader prepares the “two parties” separately for the contents to be played. The aggressor has to leave the room briefly and the group learns what will happen roughly: A slightly drunk middle-aged man will enter the wagon and try to take a seat next to an attractive woman in his eyes; it is up to each individual, a subgroup or the group itself to “somehow” respond to this in a goal-oriented and simple way. The game leader now goes out the door and instructs the “aggressor”. The woman should play a man who is drunk looking for a seat “with charm”, talking cheerfully to the people present and brazenly sitting between two women, even though there is no free space there. Only a few guidelines are given, everyone can remember the role and act, react or be passive. The first sequence will not last more than three minutes: The aggressor enters, talks uninhibitedly about beautiful women and sits (tries to) between two attractive ones in his eyes. How do they react? Do they allow it? Since the drunk man is played by a woman, the attack and the counterattack will run unproblematically according to the feelings of the players. The following could happen: While one woman is somewhat trapped in silence, another loudly calls out “what’s that?” and tries to push the intruder off the seat. It may be that help comes from the opposite side. It may be that a man says, “come here, there is a free seat here”. Maybe even the quiet woman sits on the free seat. The game leader interrupts (stop!) at the moment when a new conflict situation is clearly established and prevents a back and forth, longer dialogues or, in the worst case, physical aggression, e.g. by male subway passengers towards the drunk. With this “cut” the game is initially ended and everyone may discuss normaly. Everyone leaves their roles. Game leader and protagonist sit down and proceed technically as suggested in point 4.2. Then the game can be played again with a new protagonist, who, if their predecessor acted “softly”, now has the task of disturbing more strongly. If the predecessor was already quite hard, the second round should be played “softer”.

7.6  Sales Conversation Trainings

41

After the next cut, a comparison is discussed and evaluated, formally as already described. The substantive concern in this role-playing game is to enable people in the (anonymous) group to act clearly, appropriately, solidarily and effectively in the event of aggression from outside. We experience again and again that women intervene bravely when stress is announced. This is commendable and will have different reasons, in any case it is fortunately avoided that special "machismo" competitions arise again when an intruder is approached by another man. Our subway example opens up the learning of various effective reactions. For example, the game leader can recommend (if this has not already been played or suggested from the group) that the person under pressure can successfully demand personal, concrete help through eye contact and the clear words: “Hey there, the young lady with the green anorak, help me briefly so that we can deal with this guy together”.

7.6 Sales Conversation Trainings Role-playing is also recommended for sales conversation trainings in business and trade. Brons-Albert analyzes simulated sales conversations and coaches trainers for this purpose (cf. Brons-Albert in: Bliesener and Brons-Albert eds., 1994). Peter Weber, a university lecturer at the University of Duisburg, then considers the use of specific role-playing games to be useful if they are designed to be very realistic and oriented towards the communicative fields of action of the players (sellers), if the players have also theoretically dealt with the patterns of action and if these “simulations” are used consciously to experiment with the possibilities of pattern realization. However, the use of role-playing games is also limited there, since the communicative competences that sellers must possess, which are strongly influenced by interactivity to varying degrees, cannot all be simulated by games. Practically, Weber shows in a role-playing game with students in a horticulture class an example from the work in the garden center and emphasizes that “explaining” is an important function. Between the opening of the sales conversation (in the role-playing game) and the ending are the phases “clarify concerns”, “offer goods”, “advise” (explain instead of describe, instruct and recommend), “handle objection”, “discuss price”, “bring about purchase decision” and “accept goods”. For him, the decisive factor is (simulation of) counseling: here, the transfer of assessments, advice, recommendations and suggestions should take place in

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7  Fields of Application and Practical Examples

speech action sequences. Weber likes to use ad-hoc feedback instead of video recordings. Since customer orientation is decisive for sales conversations today, Weber recommends the use of sales conversations in role-playing games for curricula in order to perfect customer-oriented verbal and non-verbal behavior that can be presented. The participants must create criteria catalogs for evaluating game and training situations; they also give feedback using audio and video technology (cf. Weber, 2009, pp. 12 ff., weblinks).

8

Related Professional or Trade Associations and Training Centers

Adelheid Stein Institute für Sozialtherapeutisches Rollenspiel e. V. Professional Association for Health Promotion/Berufsverband Gesundheitsförderung e. V. Federal Association for Mediation/Bundesverband Mediation German Society for Behavioural Therapy/Deutsche Gesellschaft für Verhaltenstherapie e. V. German Society for Systemic Therapy and Family Therapy/Deutsche Gesellschaft für Systemische Therapie und Familientherapie German Professional Association for Social Therapy/Deutscher Fachverband für Sozialtherapie e. V. FU Berlin Psychology; Public Health/Gesundheitsförderung: Prevention and Psychosocial Health Research, founded by Prof. Dr. D. Kleiber Leuphana University Lüneburg: Professional School, “Master of Public Health (Gesundheitsförderung)”, founded by Prof. Dr. P. Paulus Systemic Society/Systemische Gesellschaft e. V. University of Bamberg: Faculty “Educational Counselling in Role Play/Pädagogische Beratung im Rollenspiel”. (Further addresses and curricula of these commercial or non-profit providers can be specifically determined in the Internet).

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, part of Springer Nature 2023 M. Günther, Educational Role Play, Springer essentials, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-41810-6_8

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What You can Take Away from This essential Psychology

• Distinction between theater, role-playing games and games inside group psychotherapy • Short information about the “role-playing history” • Concrete tools for teachers who teach, among other things, “Educational RolePlaying” • Handouts for the implementation and evaluation of pedagogical role-playing • A guideline for the use of a behavior modification technique (BMT) in dealing with schoolchildren • Critical notes on role-playing practice in the context of violence prevention agents • A lot of further techniques and methods, especially derived from systemic therapy • Important addresses, further literature

© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, part of Springer Nature 2023 M. Günther, Educational Role Play, Springer essentials, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-41810-6

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