For teachers who wish to know how to undertake role-playing, here are the steps for a simple circuit. First, the teacher shows to the class the small creatures analogy (see picture 1 below). Then the teacher explains the analogy by pointing out the representations. The creatures represent the charges which are the electrons that are present in the connecting wires. The voltage source is the provider of energy. In this case, the voltage source gives cookies to the creatures. The bulb receives the cookies and turns them into light and heat when the circuit is closed. The cookie represents energy.
Picture 1. The small creatures analogy of a simple circuit
Second, the teacher demonstrates the representations by assigning the roles to five students. Assign students into the roles of bulb, voltage source, and electrons. One student must act as bulb, another student as voltage source, and three students as electrons. The three students (electrons) must receive one piece of cookie and travel to the bulb, give the cookie to the bulb, the bulb eats the cookie and acts as a lighted bulb by raising his/her two arms up in the air, and the electrons go back to the voltage source to receive another set of cookie. Here, the concept of voltage is cookie per student (the scientific definition is electric potential energy per unit of charge) and current is student only (the scientific definition is the rate of charge flow at a given time).
Third, conduct a debriefing. Help students notice that: 1) it is very clear in the role-play that current is not consumed by the bulb because the students representing the charges were not eaten, it was only the cookie that was eaten, this means that current before and after the bulb is the same, 2) electrons are supposedly identical but students are not so students who were chosen or would be chosen as electrons are preferably students of similar height, and 3) because the cookie was being consumed (transformed from one form to another), the voltage source will run out thus batteries do run out.
Fourth, when done with the simple circuit, the teacher can challenge the students to make their own role-play using the same small creatures analogy but with a series circuit with three bulbs and parallel circuit with three bulbs. They can be graded using the following criteria: 1) accuracy of content which may be subdivided into representations: 30%, amount of cookie given by the voltage source to the creatures: 15%, amount of cookie given to the bulbs: 15%, 2) creativity: 20% and 3) props and materials: 20%.
Here are pictures of my college students in their series and parallel role-playing.
Picture 2. Group 1's story is about a king who eventually had to pass on to his three offsprings (three bulbs in series) the power of the kingdom. He was fed with cookie (energy) by the servants (electrons). Here the king is being fed by a servant.
Picture 3. Group 2 made a story about a restaurant serving food to customers. Here the chef (voltage source) is giving the crackers (energy) to every staff (electron). The staff divided the crackers into three and gave 1/3 each to the customers arranged in series.
Picture 4. Group 3's story is similar to Group 2. Here the customers (arranged in parallel) raise their lighted bulb after consuming the meal. Each customer (bulb) received a full set of meal from every staff (electron).
Picture 5. Group 4's story was about a king and queen (bulbs in series), who needed energy. Here the servant (electron) gives 1/2 of the cookie to the king and queen.
Today, October 6, 2017, we are celebrating World Teachers' Day at Leyte Normal University, Tacloban City, Philippines. We thank our students for showing their appreciation to us and to all teachers in the world through their flowers, leis, cards, and song and dance rendition. Our students are the sweetest!
The first time I saw the small creatures analogy and then role-playing the analogy was in my physics class with Dr. Ed Van Den Berg back in 2002 at the University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines. From then on, my researches have revolved around role-playing electric circuit concepts. My gratitude goes to Dr. Van Den Berg for being a great teacher.
