Law in action: learning through scripted role plays

This page provides an introduction to learning through scripted role plays. The actual student scripts can be accessed through the ‘related pages’ icon on the right toolbar.

Please note that for the purpose of this resource ‘students’ are not just those at school or college but anyone interested in furthering their understanding, whether through formal or informal study.

Overview of scripted role play

Click through the tabs for more information on the benefits of using scripted role plays and how to go about it in practice.

What is it?

Imagine writing down the words that might be said in a court case – from the initial calling of a case to the final decision and reasoning of the court. There would be various participants – the court clerk, the magistrates, lawyers for prosecution and (probably) defence, and the defendant him or herself. If you did record the whole scenario, you would have a script. It is this concept we have adopted, creating a set of scripts covering a range of criminal proceedings in the magistrates court.

Unlike traditional play scripts, where a number of actors’ lines might appear on the same page, our scripts are unique in that each actor’s lines are set out on separate, numbered, pages so that there should be no confusion as to who says what and when. No one has to learn their lines!

We also believe that the scenarios provided realistically represent what happens on a daily basis in courts across the country. From the reaction of those pupils, teachers, parents, students, lecturers and prisoners who have taken part in the testing of the scripts, we think they are an invaluable aid to learning what goes on in the magistrates court. Judging by participants’ responses using the role plays also seems to be good fun – and who said that learning shouldn’t be?!

Why use it?

Using these scripted role plays is a way of ‘learning by doing’, bringing into the classroom, lecture theatre, seminar or training workshop the opportunity for students (with help from their tutors) to act out realistic scenarios, replicating what actually happens in a magistrates court. Students can take an active role in their learning through the scripted scenarios and then reflect on that experience through discussion and analysis.

The success of role play as a way of learning is in part to do with the realism of the experience. The scripts themselves are intended to capture that sense of reality. It is a common response from participants, particularly those that have seen the inside of court, that the role play feels like real court proceedings. We have on occasions used real magistrates and clerks, and they too felt that the proceedings were much like the real thing.

Outcomes

Through using these role plays students will learn about:

• the procedure of the magistrates court
• court personnel – who does what
• the powers of the court
• the consequences of going to court

Students will also encounter a range of skills, some very relevant to a legal context (for instance interviewing, research, advocacy and drafting) and others which may have more general application (communication, time management, team work and problem solving).

In addition, there is the opportunity for students to consider ethical and professional practice concerns surrounding the law and legal system – for example, balancing the rights of the individual with those of society, or how can a lawyer represent someone he or she thinks is guilty?

How to use it

The tutor (or other person responsible for the organisation of the role play) is a facilitator enabling students to take an active part in their learning. The tutor explains how the role play will be conducted, ensuring that each role identified in the script is filled. Every contribution is numbered in chronological order. The usher calls on each case (number 1). The court clerk identifies the defendant and if relevant puts the charges (number 2), and so on. One person may have more than one oral contribution. As each contribution is numbered sequentially, the tutor simply calls out each number in turn. The person allocated that number reads out their script.

Even when using participants who are totally unfamiliar with the law and courts, providing they are able to read the words on the script the ‘hearing’ should run smoothly – the tutor calls out the numbers and the ‘actors’ do the rest. ‘Stage directions’ are included in all the scripts, in the form of notes to assist the actors in playing their roles. If these are followed the action will unfold as if for real.

If the fully scripted role play is used nothing more is necessary (save for the insertion of the actors’ own names at certain points – these are indicated in the scripts), at least until the end of that particular court hearing is reached. At the conclusion of each case there is ample opportunity for non-scripted decision making and discussion.

The semi-scripted role plays need more preparatory work. Students have the opportunity to go off and prepare their part(s) of the script. This may be to apply for (or oppose) bail. It may be to present the facts to the court on a guilty plea or to do a plea in mitigation. It might involve examining witnesses or sentencing a defendant. This inevitably means that the students have to carry out some applied research and discussion with tutors and colleagues. Feedback – one of the fundamental features of good interactive learning – is given by the tutor given to assist the students in undertaking the allotted tasks and to help the thinking or reflective process.

We suggest that this approach to learning is likely to be seen by participants as more interesting than a lecture on the criminal justice process, and…perhaps more instructive as a result.

— Alan Butcher, Richard Grimes and Becky Parker

Last Modified: 4 June 2010