Set the scene
In this activity, classroom problems are being addressed and resolved through creative role play. The activity enhances empathy among the learners. Divide the learners into groups of three: the observer, the teacher and the learner.

Inform the learners that the scene they are going to play is the following:
“A classroom where the teacher asks one learner to solve an exercise on the blackboard. The learner ignores the request of the teacher and remains seated”.

Role playing
At this moment the learners need to formulate argumentations through role play about the whole situation.

“Teacher: The learner is normally well-behaved and follows instructions well. The teacher needs to do his/her best in order to trigger the interest of the learner to follow the instructions and solve the exercise on the blackboard. The teacher feels embarrassed of this situation in front of all the learners.

Learner: The learner had a harsh argument with his/her parents the night before. The learner feels stressed and can break into tears at any moment and wants to skip school. The learner hears his/her name but is afraid to give an answer and approach the blackboard in fear to break in tears. The learner needs a friend to rely on at the moment to be able to confide his/her problem”.

Evaluation time
After ten minutes of role play, you can start the evaluation of the impact on the learners by asking them:
• How have you felt?
• Do you know what the other person was feeling?
• What’s the conflict?
• What attitudes have you observed?

Brainstorm on possible attitudes to solve the problem. Select the best ones.