Chapter 9

. in Role-Play Simulations
Design 1!r
Law Students

I. Introduction trate the range of possibility for use of role-

four ex amples can demons
f pay
1
1
. · the teaching o aw· .
simulation s rn . . hes to convey to a class that asking a client a seri
l A law professor w1s . . .. . . e\
· of "closed ,, or " Iea ct I·ng" questions dunng an m1t1a. 1 interview
J
may block
clear commum·cation between lawyer and . client. ? Can classroorn
simulations be designed to demonstrate the point .
2 The law faculty decides to include Trial Advocacy ~s a subject in the
· LL.B. curriculum. Can practice problems be devised to allow all
students the opportunity to practice trial skills ? 2
3. A law professor teaching Contracts wants students to review the
circumstances under which a contract can be avoided because of undue
influence. Can an exercise or demonstration be used to teach this area
of substantive law ?
4. A faculty member or field supervisor guiding students' socio-legal
research on remandees in a prison is concerned that the students might
have difficulty enlisting the cooperation of the prison warden. Can a
role-play help students plan their approach to the warden ?
Whether teaching lawyering skills or substantive legal doctrine , or gu iding
research or community service, role-play simulation can be a valuable techniq ue
0
: employ. Th_is chapter discusses simulations as a teaching and leamin;
echn,que and. issues m the design and construction of role-plays. It touchc<
bnefly on debnefmg simulations. 3
II. Role-Play Simulaf T h'
ion as a eac 1ng and Learning Technique
A role-play simulates · · · i.. ~
people I an interaction between two or more people. \\ 1 c.
P ay or observe roles th h ., r
what they . 1 . ' ey ave a chance to see the human con tc\ (),
a1e earning. In that d f. . . . . . d, •r t
about how to a t Th . . rama, mite m time, they exercise Jll i ~ mt ··
. c · e s1mulat1on se I - cl ( . ,,
experiment with r . , . rves as a aboratory in which the stu en . -'
esponses to a situation.

1. Types of questions arc ct ·

2. Overall c . . iscussed in Part 11 Cl . . . . ,,'
Cl' . ou,se design is dis. . . · 1aptc1 6 (Interv1ew1ng and C()un ~c l!in i
1n1ca1 Course. T .· cussed 111 Part ll Ch, .' ' ' I r ' '1· B' I (·
forsucl 1 . . ttalActvocacy) Tl· · . . ,lpl er 10 (Deqgnin e iJ S1n1u,, tI0,. ,
technique·
a course 01. f .
Otacourse·
- 11s chapter ct I·,.
.. scu
_ . . ~
ssesthedesionrn•!d~!JC•
. · i-· . ,,·, 1·:-1 -
!, 11 1. : _,
sused. inw11
1 ch s I• . r 0 ·, _,,,.. -c )',: .
3. pDebriefin
· g. is
• discussed
. · im u a11on i s o nly nnc o r<' nuI P ,,_: ( '
e1iorrnances). 111 much greater <Jct ·1 . . .., r· r:' .
GJ 111 Pnrt I I. Cr. -rt..: r !:1 , ,....11 1•.L: r
 () csig11in~ Rol<! -f1lu.v Sin1u/c11ion, for f...mv Studen ls 169
,· l~achcr~ rna y use 1:ok~play for dcmi,n strntion to -nu<lcnL, or fo r direct
l ,l' . ,lveim:n\ in prntc.:;s 1onal 1nk "i. 111 sitii a\ ion 1 (int · b
icnl 117 ' < . _ l , 1. , ·. · erv 1ew1ng) a ove,
~ru,c 1i:,1L·hL'r irrn?'_ w1-, h .tn ,1~~ 1111:, 1
d,c..:~.m1!-lt'.·:,t11'1'g thn,11Gh a prepared role- play
\\ IL, ili:nL·1ng cl \L'( I lll ,1 ', L l l l . \ ul yi.:. s lrnJ n() qu c\li!lm,, o\ a had e.<<-tmplc to
\ \1l )
,1d - . .
,1,l 1,1,1·)cr (aclor) (rel~mng lo pape~s l : _' ·Hell o_, Mr Kyasapa ' ~o you came
11crc bcui usc yo u want my help defending again st thi s complaint •r·
Clic:nt (actor) : '"Yes.'·
uiwyer : "You were sued for money on th is contract ')"
C\ienl: "Yes."
Lawyer : ·· And you had not paid the money so ugh t. had you ?"
Client: " No ."
Lawyer : "Have you filed any response with the co urt ')"
Client : "No ."
The teacher might then ask the students who observed the simulation to
describe the interaction and the weaknesses of the lawyer's style of questioning.
Students might observe that the client would feel embarrassed at his
predicament, and ~-rustrated at _being ~iven no _opportunity to tel1 hi s side of the
story. Students might note (either with or without prompting by the teacher)
such things as the fact that failure to ask for the client's story might cau~e the
lawyer to miss a possible defence to the suit. The teacher might then ask a
student to assume the role of the lawyer and conduct the interview from the
beginning. The performing student, the teacher and the class could then examine
the questions used by the student to see the effect of using '' open" questions co
elicit general information and the use of "closed" question s to confirm
information or get specific details.
The law faculty can also use a series of simulations to teach a variety of
skills that students need to integrate. In situation 2 (trial advocacy) abo\c.
students can be given a series of problems in which they are required to perfom1
diverse tasks of a trial lawyer, leading up to a full mock trial bringing all the
skills together.
In this situation one frequently-used model is to have faculty or other actors
provide good (but not necessarily perfect) demonstrations of various sk ills
followed by classroom discussion , The students are then given a problem
requiring them to do the same task in a different simulated fact-situation. 4 ln
these situations each student usually has the opportunity to practice each skil1
(or most of the skills) before an entire integrative exercise (such as a mock trial)
is assigned . The students can then receive either indi vidual or gro up critique,
either by the principal course instructor, or by other fac u1ty members or
experienced professionals who are assisting in teaching the course. 5

4· See Part 11, Chapter \0 (De sig nin g a Simul:li ion-8 ;1-;e u Clini ca l Cnmse: Tri al Ad voc acy).
5 See Pan 11 , Chapter I2 tCriLiquin g Clinical
Pcr[orrn:rnccs).
 [Parr f l
l · r//lrr1//(lfl .
c-;, 11 ,r " I I ( .i.; <I I - . ·d one . In , , .1tua. l l ( J!l -:)J
170 ur
11.., 1a I Jl l,; l I
o, IHH'
Ii I i , 11 c i ,H. ,
J ' .
' >r ni I g h t .., c
· t up a s hort ro c:.-p ay
A rolc - J1l~1),· ,·;1n /K ,1 " ·L) ·1b <1vc. ~1 pi Di e ~"
. 1rr ·tL · t
(u ndu e i11tlucncL· .
iHl al ' " , l ·1 stuJ e nl :
I . . .a Y I n g u •
. h i s an acco un ta n l or an
i n t he rniJ.-;I nt u c a~ -" --" - R . J w o . t·t <l
. c li ent. Mr a . th e wo man h a~ o er e to
·r 1 w ere •1 11 yo u
o n th e en forcea b·1·
• 1
··cn unse l me a~ i ·1· As Mr RaJ te J it y of
e!Jcrly woman. Ms~ Urm1 a. loW - .
p n ce.
c o un .se l m e
.,. . h ·e 1·o r a very ., .
si?ll m~ l~e 1 ~u~ t make w i th her. . T he c lass co uld di scus~ the
a con tr ac t r m1 g hen coun se l Mr RaJ f ndue influen ce. as wel l a~
Th e student wo uld t t·ve legal i ssue o u
student ' s treatment o
f th substan 1 .
e ·. . to the chent. ..
- , ffectivene ss in relating d to coun sel the same c lient ,
the student s e ther stu ent . h
. . could then ask ano n
Mr Raj might state t at he
The pro tessor . For ex amp Ie. . .. I l
.
presenting s I'ghtly
I
different tacts .
b ing the house, or that she 1s f occas1on h.
a y
.
hed Ms Urmila about uy
approac . I t d to the so-ca 11 ed Socratic style
. o teac rng , in
.._
incoherent. This method is re a e h the results of decided cases m1ght
which the faculty mem ber a.sks. students ow l 1
t The advantage of the ro _e-p ay m_ et h od JS .
vary if the facts had be~n difteren · d to see the substantive law from the
that in a brief period, it allows stu ents
pers,pective of the lawyer's role. lay might be used in situation 4 (field
rained elaborate ro 1e-p •
A more sus ' h h or field supervisor could assign a group ot.
research on prisoners).hT eb~ea~•o:s and concerns the prison warden might have
tudents to prepare all t e o 1ec I ld
s
about the researc h t he s·tude nts want to conduct. Another group cou prepare a
. of·
senes responses . Then. members of each group could .role-play the
conversat1·0n bet we en student spokesperson and the warden. . . This, teaches
. the
students about addressing the interests of others to gain their cooperat ion , and
enhances the likelihood that the students wil I secure the warden ' s cooperat ion
with their research project.
These examples show that simulations can be used in classes of all sizes. In
small groups, the teacher can readily provide each student multiple opportuni tie s
to play sustained roles. In larger classes, teachers often use role-pl ay s for
demonstration. use short role-plays as part of class discussi on , ass ign sustained
s!mulat!ons for out-of-class work, or assign student groups to prepare u
simulation and ask a few selected students to perfonn in class . In co nsidering
th e_ exa~pl~s
above, teachers may have many differen t ways of approach ing
th
eir_ ~bJectives, which may differ in detail or in overall con ception from the
specific role-plays sug t d h
~ ges e ere. T heir . specific.. .
choices de pen d upon many
iactors, such as ident'1f . h. h .
bef.ore, f uture d1rect1on
. . ying w ic iss ues have proven difficul t for students
· t d df
timeava·1 bl f s ~n en e or the c lasses , ti1n e ava ilable for p lann ·rng :.in d
i a e or execut10n of the rol e-p lay.

III. Designing Simulation Exercises

In designing role-play simul .· . ,, . . .
at ions, the teacher pertorm s ~cvern 1 tac.;K · ·
 ., ,., I) l)l' Dc.\1~11i11g R1Jlc -Pluy Si111l(/a1 ion s f or Un\
( : Stud e11.ts 171
:dt-' ntif: ing lea.ming objective~ fo r stud
I ,I
ents \ may include substantive
,a\,v . prn1. \1L·al skills. ethical issues. reflection
and self-analysis 61;
Ji i l'hoo1;mg a conrext and a spe
cific inte racti on;
. l .-;ett1ng par ame ters such as time to be all
1
owed and information sources
to "' hich students may refe r:
d , preparing wm ten or othe r materi al~ nee
1
ded to perform ro\e-play (fact-
pat tern ,-\i. , hi ch may include info rma tion
available to al\ parties as well
a~ a confidential informat ion kno wn
only to one -ins truc tion s, and
Joc um enh or olhc r evidence):
(c, Jete nrn nmg ho\~ to a~s ig n stud
ents in the class to play roles, and /or
arranging for ro le-pl aye rs fro rn out side the
class:
(j\ pn:part ng. in stme tiom to
give lo students or faculty observ
conce rning what to look for in th e perform ers
ing of the simulation;
, g) pr~panng k.ey qucc,,t1nn..,
or obse rvation s for use in debriefing
u nd er\c o rc the tench Ing ohJCct ivcc,, or th to
e exere ise; and
(/1 J ;1ftc1 u1.,c ()l lhl' , 1rnula11on.
cunc,,idcr in g Lo what extent the teac
!! nah ()I the cxt:1 L t!-.l. V.L'rc tn\.'t ,i nd hing
hew. the exe rcise could be improved
tn m~e t Lhcm hl'ttt:1
Atm e l J 1..,cu..,sion nl c~1cl1 11.1 lhe, c j()\l
11w, ·
A. Tea chin g and I.A!a rn inK Obj eui ve.,
The tcac htr gt:r11:rally "'tall dc;1,1gn c,I
a role-play wi th con sideration of
particular poi nt\ tu t:1.plor~ . ·r he ,c: 10i.1)
1nc\ud~ ... ub~ ta ntive points of law ,
prole..,~ 1onal skill s 01 pr<1H: 1.,1., 1c,11al ,nitl uh1
cal , alue~. These points should be
kep t in mind when <lec1 cJir1t liuw \ti
con ,tru ll the role -play and wha t to
ernpha">i~e in cr111qu e hH er.amp!,~ 1>r1e
ni.:~d, to crbu re that the fact scenario
,\. ill not di stract the \tud en t w 1th 1' lit ,
th itt !Till ) bt: inte re sti ng in them sel ves but
are not con nec ted to lht matt er', tlii.it 1hc:
\1:aLher 11Hc nd.., 5i tudents to learn abo
through thi ~ par ticu lar ~x~ 1c1~1,,~ ut
Teaching and learnin g ~oa\ -, r1t1~l1 to bt r1.:.Jl
1 , t1c . Wh ile a great number of
po mts ca n be cL.1 mmeu i nw a \ i 11f k
11rohkm. \tu<..lent~ often wi \l be able to
discuss in depth and dige~l unl y a lcv. kL
:, f>lll nt). The number of 1essons that
students can be exp ecte J tu take 1tom c:tth
er ob!)cn 1ng or parllcipati ng in a ro1 e-
play decreases as the tim e for Ji scu ')~ion
(l! the 1r,k -pla:, dtuea..,e~.
B. Context and Specific Interaction
The factm~ to be considered here tm..l 1
.!Ll ~ ,_i, .: ~'.:: "::·c..' ·. ,,;,:,__ )pe,:,ific is\ue'-i
1

t0 be co\'en:.' LL char.,cte r~.

and ~ettmg. T Ps f-"-1:-;.r;y, ,::.· ·' , ·"-·~,1~1..--;:, ,ii nI er-v Pre ;· <' t'r, "t
- , ·- i u. ,
rneet ~ the leamin\c: £\.'a h that ha\ e been de\
l:'
.... '- i~e J
['0[ 1..'Llrlt \', a te~tcher oft~n c\W . -·
()Sc \ J ~r::-c · :.. ; '' ,, "J ' \,-
'
I .,
..- r, ~..._ - - ) ~, f' _.,..
1
1 I

, uch a~ the c-t k\..'t c,f .,~k. imz a closed quc I, ' ·- , (·:·

-t;tic'r :-. 0 " . ~ . •~,... '":.'.': 1

'-
1
1 "" • '_i;.' ir,;

(, R~n~-:t1,, ) \I'd \l' l t.l!l,l h,1, ,\I,~ di ... ,·u,, l'd ,il ~-. 1 ',. - 1 I '
.. ·
\k th,,~1 .,1 l ,l\\ 11.·.i- ht11.: ind l' Hl Il. Ch ,1!' 1•~-- 1 ; - ; :. ( .
· · ·
 ,-, . , E 1,,cor/011 [P arr 11
1
L--1i1
, ... .• c,f Lt.:'!:.' " ' .• "l an d tlle role-play can be
' "1l l)-L.'L' U f
.!Ill,mediat e y .
1
: - f ----lt" i -..'1'- _..' 1 karnrng .
L!·.-- r,llril ' nplex issues, such as
1n Lh u ,[hc'
)re COT
1
obc\c. •e •·· " - \·, J """' t,, "f be
· 3 :-~' ' · neLe.
0
- , ror
_ "ar, . , ·mts1tuauo
. . n 4 above. The more
c:,er,,p, " r\.• ;,.~.p1
Lci1!!c:; a E:: cwern me., nt offic1a1
. . - ,. ma, , ,
e ininfu rrnau. on about characters and
: n n." fJ()Ofl or
,,,nir.o c Ov e - ~
' . •n oenc, .
"ral the mor . .
3
~-- ,"
co.nf .e ,. th",, ,cle-p,
, "I, ·an 'se" . . iay com e- from legal op1n1ons,
. .
·.
scmn; ·'• rhe plo, · crs "" ·
i ch• ractei, .. and settings n
maainatton.. A simple
· device for
li Ideas for ro!e-p a}.
l rn al s. ne
ws stories . or I c
- dents to
argue an aspect ofd a case
i,

drn,c
· - riptS
· •of
· acrna
· ole-p11a1 ·s to ask two sc · uan d t o a-=sion other Stu ents to J "' •

creaLing
. . ' a lmgauon r
th~ points o . f ~'ic\.V of the parties.
_ he case f tOJ
_ . Actual tnal
the Bench.
11
opm1on ,rom J·uctaes as k.meo quesuons abo utI base t -
tor as king ,students to argue. on
sen e~ asipts canc oft·er a ;::oood contextua · thel recor. d . lo cross-examine a W1tness
[ransLr of a c1·ie nt based
behalf - on
. . ev-idence
·,r 10 tnoffer or opp ose real evidence . or
h other
b d
ase up. on 'es[imom £1\.en. c . ,1 dea\ t·or CC) ntemporary issues. t at may
l - - ... .

exhibits. News.sstones
· · o, tde ooou
pr . tiar ,on , or cl tent counse
11 mg. 1 • · •

serve a~- context b .

for fact - tn\'esugauon. neco "

c. Parameters , r the teacher may w,s . h w ' e l incl ude matters such as time, to
Param_erersd ·tnaF . atr.on sources stude nt .s mav, use. To lessen .student . anxiety
· the
be allowed an in o~m . l1 kel1hoo d h he teach i ng l!oals of the exercise will be met,
t art ...
andthe
let rn increase
students knm, "' h· · at t O expect · It i~ useful . to know
. •approx imately
· how, ..
lono a s,mu at,on "1 . c .
• J · ,· 11 rake and surne oeneral 1tlea ol the mfonnation source,
that stu ents may u • ~
d
effectively.
c se ~o that student s hav e an eq ual oppo11un1ty to prepare

Man~ role-plays in front o1 a cla " are f'ift~n mtn ute, or less. so th at there
is time ,w ithin a class hour tu discu" tltc tssue, rai sed. Role- plays in smal l
groups or ou t of class which arc designctl to allow students to practi ce speci fic
skill s or address ethical issues in the context of specific facts are ofte n lon ger
For example some pre-trial or tnal advocacy courses w ill use the , arne
si mu lated case for all student exercises over the course of a semester. In th,: cc·,c
of tria l advocacy. the course may lead up to a tlay -long simulated tria l.
Add itionall y_ setting research parameters pre ve nts d1stractt on frri:-, the rm:::
teaching
1tmntn£ the goalleof the simu
, lation. In the tnal advocacy• exarnplp ~- c..11,1•.:1t;,)
, ,. 2 ·:1-,,1,.·r,. ~ , - '

,.
1
C gal research that students may do to rs sues of the ict _,, ':. c .,_: :",:c
,
0 1

~eanc10K.rneep stduaen rs foc used on the goal of learn tng ho 'J , t 0 r lr :-- h-, .. ; •n -,: ,; ,1 : /
" ng tstracted
0 b · the . . · • " ' ·' ' ·' · · .. · ·
informat10n ~. un.:e~ J are ott
- . that . d law . ot the s1mJlaic::: , ' ,, , ,; . (>,~,.
subst.intrve , .

~
Other role -pl aVe rs such a . 1. en Use in skill d e\ e l(l
docu h1ents or sarn l · 1'.cl c .ienrs or Witne\se
ao .
,· • ·
, .r-1<' rn
·
, 1 h;:,r•

Pe Peadino, Or ot" · ,) , \\ ntien rn~n,~r1~• · ,.,

.. , •. .·
. . . . , ' '?,·,

, ·
. ,,~':,!"j.;
-,1:,· . ,
. ,
1 V , ,

,reea to a!lo,v st d , . "" uer pe rsun, ,t:ch a- :. • ·,. n : - ", • , ' ,

u en t, to consult With him or her.
 17 1
. / ,a w Stu de nls
. . nr1/c·- Plo-)· '')' /1111,lotirm .1 /o,
f) n 1g 111 11 ,1; , ,
9 · Ro le-l"lay _
··MJI I _. Wr ifleJJ or Oth er Ma/er ials Need ed ft or · ,, s . -· ts of fa ct
c. u.. lc1temcnnt1 . .. _
pre·parrng t 'i ncc u /'or . , i1111ila 1 ,on -; arc vanc »JI , (:• u <le nt1 al
D- .
, .· 11 ~lu tkn
. .• •
as we a., '
1. ~ · c..: lo all pa rt Ie; ted
Tl ll. n1 <1 rcr. . 1 J, iiil ornrn!itrn av ail cJ bl •
-. and
'
,~s ue s pre ~cn ,
Ill w Inc LI l L on e De rJc nd in g on th t.: fa ct' . • , • ~ , d
1•111en
1." · · o1.v11 only. 10 . .t . . • ,
nc e, an
nn kn curncnl'-. ur other tv iue
, ,J 10 JJrepare .simu lat ed
l , . . ·1u cJo
in ro1n1L r ind. ), n tt: I l I
·lw
. (t:,, ·1l tin g L1e ro e- p ay . ·11 11·ke IY h"ave
.

rIic . .. . .II1 ·true! ion s 1·or enac the teacher w1

- ,edi t s the sim ul arion , the mo re I · ·
.,pt . .,)mplicated ·
pp_ymg
The rnme L,
ma ke sur e the rol e-p lay occu r\ a" planned . ~u
• writi ng to en a
pared for the role-play 1s oft
1
\-!-~a~~o n
111 • to
through
tea ch stu
si mu
dents
lat ed
to
do
rea
cu
d
me
do cu
nts pre
me nts carefully and lea rn ho
w to refer
aoo d way
::i them to sup
port their analyses. not
de fin es the roles and situations. the teacher does
co While the teacher . On e of the k~y el_ements of rol
e-
lay like a sta ge -pl ay
Q:enerally script a role-p the clo sest approx1mat1on to an ac
tual
ity tha t ma ke s the m
. ., lays is the spontane t~i ~ mi~ht be _a ~-ery _s hort
~ on ly ex cep tio ns to
~rofess ional encounter. Th ke on e spec1f1c point (as in situa
tio n I
lay de sig ne d to ma
demonstration role-p
above).
role-plays bring surprises.
If a simulation
se of the lac k of scr ipt ,
Becau must exercise
ally fro m the tea ch er' s lea rning objective, the teacher
deviates tot
erv en e to cla rif y a po int and resume (or restart) the
judgment whether to int the rol e-p lay proceed, clarify the po
int
ma y ch oo se to let
simulation. A teacher lay ag ain, perhaps with other stude
nts .
n co nd uc t the rol e-p
in debriefing, and the fer en t execution of a role-play
than
ma ke use of a dif
If a teacher is able to
nity for student learning , all
ow ing
y be an ex cel len t op po rtu
expected , there ma
rstandings.
for correction of basic misunde
yers
E. Arranging for the Role-Pla
ign stu de nts in the cla ss to play roles , or arrange for
The teacher mu st ass of the roles. In the case of
ss to pla y so me
person s outside the cla ss.
on stration s, all the rol e-p lay ers may be from outside cla
dem ro le-
I oft en wa nt to pro vid e dir ections and information to
The teacher wiJ efu l s0
of cla ss. Of ten a pe rio d of a week for preparation is us
players in advance ask any clarifying question
s they
pre pa re for the rol e an d
that role-players can to fill in any gaps or correc t erro;s
the tea ch er a ch an ce
may have. It als~ gives
s.
that may appear m the material ss or
als o co ns ide r wh eth er to draw all actors from the cla - -'
The teacher must d d' . objectives and the
to select some fro rn ou ts1·d e, epen mg upon the teachma tness
.
Se lec tin g a stu de nt to pla y the ro le ~f a cl ie nt or wi ' ·
tpohrtance of the role. tt' d · pathi si n~ with the
as t e adva. nta.ge of pu 111g t he stu ent in the position of em ---
cl' .
the eff ec t of law ye rin g tec hniq ues on a client .
ient, and teelmg
.d fee l more
Sel ec ting an 'act o1. f ~om ·
ou_ ts1 -e th e cl~1.~s may make the exerc ise c)l
real to the s
yin g the law ye r. It giv es the teache r more contr
ove r th .' tudent wh_o is pla ct the actor to
e way th e rol e is· p J aye d·. f or exa mpl e. the teache r can in½ tru
 [Part/I
Educrllion
Clinical Le!,;a I · . . . ,
171..,.
art I cu Iar '
., ,
.
t··ict-situat1on, 01 a particular
. ,. .
. wil l manage a P
.;rude1i 1
. sur pi·ise· tor example, m sItuat10n
1
11 -· nt of • , .
see !,uW 1: .. ) [I all ows fo r rhe e 1eme I , ve an Australian play the elderly
. . y 1s,ue . ' rnighr 1c1 '
endent iJr_ -j - eel above. a reac 1,er , ere their approaches to the problem
1 (uncJu c int uen .. :,s students w c 11an::,
- . it th a t cc1u:-ie . -
woman !O :-iee . . . .
. d wh\.
an , _ .f out.s··1ct e tie
1
class requires
.
add1t1onal
.
log1st1cal effort
Sel~ction of actor:- ro m . h r·tors are associated with the law school. A
I all of t e ,1,.., · • . .
from the reac her . un ess ct · t· , trial advocacy and othet pract1ce-onented
, . · I n me Ja JOI · . • · · .
common prac tice t· f ·ulty members or p1 act1lioners and Judges who
. . tO have a team o ac . d h b. ..
cou rses 1s . . demonstrations, an t en o serve and cntique
larly pertorm classroom .
regu . · 1 L·ons of the same skills .
sLudent s1mu a 1 • · •
. . . !ways the risk ot last-minute cancellat1on by one or morl
However. there 1s a .k . .
I teac her should be prepared to ma e an appropriate adjustment.
actors. an d tie · t· ·k·11 d I ·
.· lati ons for the purposes o . s 1 - eve opment
Where stu dent s1mu . . and evaluation
. 1ve d. a. teacher may wi sh .to deduct marks
are 1nvo . m1ssmg a scheduled
. for
s1mu 1atton w 1
· · ·thout advance notificati on ancJ an appropriate reason.

F. Instructions for Observers

The observe rs of a role-pla y need to be given instructions on what to look
for in the performance. Th e ob'.-,erver-. w i 11 gt:; ncra 11 y be students for classroom
demonstrations. For ~k ill-buildin g \ irnulation s for stud ent s. observers will be
teachers and perh aps a small gruup o! oth c:r -., tudent ~.
After students ha ve become forniliar wi th rn le-play technique, a teacher
may fairly evaluate th ei r wo rk in a role-p lay . t':lpecia ll y if marks are being
given , it is useful for th e teache r or Lcachu1, evu lu a11ng the student work to have
a li st of the skill ~ bein g eva lu ated and ()! the f)()int:-i th~H may be earned for each
ski II.

G. Preparing for Debriefing

/h_e teach er mu st prepare kty qut ~t1 011 " or obscr\'ati ons to be used in
deb11ettng to undersc ore th e Le ach int uhJel11vc \ () j the ~xe rci se
A kw comment s on Lhe deb,-ieJ'ing proce\-., that ·1pp ly . .· ll
plays may be useful here.7 Qu es Lion s or~ th, <- . C\pec1a y to role-
role-play perfornnnce The ·I . ... 1· t !TI O\ l etfect 1ve tool for explorinQ
However, questio1~ s ar~d p . C rnd1'c_a meth oJ l'i indeed ··1carni n[! by doing·~
cr . o1nts isc uss 1n l:!: wh· t l d-., I --. .
breatly increase st udent I r . a \ u c::nh ,1avc drJne can () ft~n
' . L..

a . . . earning 1ro 111 an exp • i .. ~ D

n~wenng questions, students a d , l er.ence . ur1r1 g the pmc..e\<-i of
skills dev I · n teac 1ers can , ... - 1 .
. e oped and concepts . d CJ1n p<Jirw, r1 i ' r.,.,·11 id""nt;t·,
mb ight have been approached _use b. and replay verballv h,_,.,,/ 2 di ♦ t r .. ,; (._·1 tu,'-''11·J~'
e , n a ette - . , , - _. •. , " . ,,
prepared in advance but tl1e\1( ·1 1 _r way. Spec1fi ~ '- U~ ~tJf);' ( ~•rr,. I"•'•"' r
. ) wl Oft ' - _,,
~
I / <.,; ' . ;A "( ,

1. What Was the studen t en CO \ er the r r,! !CJ'.', , - ,_.• r r

(or othe r pan.icip J'.1\ .J~tr.::;"' :-:--:;;--,: •-

7
· -" ~ 1T1ent1one I . .
Ciin1q1 Pe . . l . abov~. !or 1n 11 l'h
1101n1<1 ncc'i' ). ' rnor~ on J 'h . .
l I l•.'l1 1w
 175
De,\'1·gni11,r.!, Nole -Ploy Si11lfllr1 tio11 .1Jo
r La w S1ude11I.I'
(!itl/J· 9/
7
Huw /1<1cJ /1L'. or she prepared lo c.J o ii ·_,
Whal w.-1-.; il.c't uall y cJo nc/s,1id ._,
3.
Wns rh e <1 c1ion effc l'li vc in ,ncetIng II ., goa l ·;
lh c pilr1icipc1nl l ancJ observ er1.,
4. 1

Bused 011 1hi.-, npc ricn cc. w/1 a1 wo u/J

5.
consic.Jcr doi ng cJ ,fl 'cr~ntl y i11 r/1 c ru1urc ·,
ers and obse rvers, the teacher
By 8 sking thes ~ questio ns of th e ro le- play
e tca.c her must c?ac h_the .stu.dcn ts t~ ~se
1iefp s swJcnrs learn .f"rnrn _each other. Th
i/Jis appr oach , espcc 1aliy in ·?stems whe
re high er educal/on is pnnc1pally base°.
es learning better than stateme nts
upon che lecwre system. Th ,s ~ etlwd .pro mot
solely from the teacher about a s1mulat1on
.
ents to think through issues for
While questions are the best way to get stud
d to note in advance the mos t
themselves, the teacher would be well-advise
ulation discussion . Sometimes the
impo rtant points to be covered in the post-sim
points do nor emerge spontaneously from
student responses .
debriefing . A class can often
It is crucial to allow sufficient time for
prorirnbly spend twenty minutes or mor
e debriefing a well-designed ten-minute
role-play.
Exercises
H. Improving and Disseminating Role-Play
After use of the simulation. a teacher
shou/c1 consider to what extent the
mo.st cases, these objectives will
teaching goals of the exercise were met. In
have been substantially met , bur the teac
her will also see ways to improve the
include elimination of facts that
exercise to meet them better. The changes may
path , or addition or subtraction of
turned out to lead students down a wrong
ed out to be too difficult or too
issues depending on whether the role-play turn
turn out to be inappropriate and
easy for many students. Some role-plays may
rse is offered.
may need to be replaced the next time that a cou
a role-play for which students
This chapter has concentrated on a des ign of
prepare in advance based upon written
material. The teacher may wish to
receive feedback on a draft from others. For
exa mple, an expert practitioner may
suggest an amendment of the facts to create
a better real-life example, a role-
nt may raise questions about the
player may note a gap in the facts , or a st ude
instructions.
ate in role-plays-for example,
Where students of different classes particip
in an upper-class trial-advoc acy
where first-year students serve as witnesses
exercise available to make each
course-a teacher may need more than one
sh material already seen.
point. This way a student will not have to reha
A good simulation problem has been hon
ed to the point wh ere it regularl y
s, and regu larly allow the sru dents
produces a challenging experience for swdent.
vv·ishes to pres ent. Such problems
to 0nd erstand most of the points the teac. her .
can then be pu bl'1s hed to mak e them avaJ/able to teachers ancJ st udents m many
1
~w sc~ools. One common patt ern of
pub licJtion is inclu sion of several
S1mu 1at1ons · .
· in tie same areJ of law a~
J cl :; uppl emcnt 1n a tex tbook on the
 <·t,m, al I ,•,:al /-,dtu ar,011

, uh.-.. \norh~, " 11lc ,:ik nf "ngk or mul11plc problem~ b) "'' nv, ,,
OOIIN'llll,tlln)! 11a g In nnt area rn another. Such,, cleanng-house migrr .,._
1111 111111
.. Bar lom1< If. a 11111,<'1 ,i t) a1 IJli;1te. or a non-go,ernmcn1al orgam,atw 1

I\ . Conclusion
Rnlc-piJ}, c,m provide a usefu l tool for the law teacher rn a "1de , a: e· ,
cour<,es Occasional role-plays can enliven and create a sense ot ,n, o!, eme;. .
almo"t Jny co ur...,e. Certain other co urses. particularly thO'.'.).c dca \irH:: v. ..
prawce sk1IJ.. can use sim ulation s as their primary lea rning tool. -