Role-Playing in Science Education: An Effective Strategy for Developing Multiple Perspectives

Five young women are up at the front of the college classroom, and their 25 classmates are attentive to the goings on. One steps behind the lecture podium as the others take their spots in chairs set in a row. The woman behind the podium announces that this is “The Oprah Show,” and then proceeds to initiate a conversation with her scientist guests. The participants are self-possessed and serious, picking up on each other’s comments to describe their unique lives and perspectives. They are in agreement in their responses to the question of today’s show, “Who does science?,” although their expertise ranges from primatology to cancer research, robotics, and environmental activism. Their unanimous conclusion: “Anyone who has a question that she is passionate about can be a scientist.