Role-playing games in teaching foreign languages: theory and practice

The article is devoted to the topic of using the method of role-playing games / simulations in teaching students a foreign language. Special attention is paid to the question how this method can be used in universities to encourage students to use maximally the foreign language in class. The authors pay attention to the fact that the types of role-playing games can be different depending on the level of difficulty and language skills of the students, and that the correct choice of role-play appropriate to the level of the group knowledge is required. The article demonstrates that role playing games are extremely useful and can help students to root their knowledge and to learn a foreign language for professional purposes. The practical significance of the article is that role play is methods of teaching focused on students and it develops their communicative competence. The authors have the opinion that role-playing games contribute to apply theoretical knowledge in practice, thus bridging the gap between theory and practice. Role playing is also extremely effective to learn the real world and to improve professional skills. The authors note that the working out role-playing games requires a good organizational training. The author focuses on the fact that the gaming method contributes to the development and improvement of skills of communication and improves the skills of cooperation and team work. This paper shows that the classes with role-playing games put students in real situations, teaching them such skills as the ability to follow phone calls, to book hotel, to order food in restaurants, talk with the seller in the shop, to negotiate, to be interviewed for employment, to exchange opinions and to debate in a foreign language.