Fantasy Is a Valuable Educational Tool. Just Look at ‘Barbie’
The popular movie reminds us of the power of imagination in learning
Blog Post
Image by Wolfgang Eckert from Pixabay
Oct. 13, 2023
The Learning Sciences Exchange (LSX) is a cross-sector fellowship program designed to bring together journalists, entertainment producers, policy influencers, social entrepreneurs, and researchers around the science of learning. As part of the program, our fellows contribute to various publications, including New America’s EdCentral blog; BOLD, the blog on learning development published by the Jacobs Foundation; and outside publications. The article below, authored by LSX Fellow Deena Weisberg and LSX Co-founder Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, is excerpted from a post published in EducationWeek on October 13, 2023: Fantasy Is a Valuable Educational Tool. Just Look at ‘Barbie.’
This summer provided a surprising new source of inspiration for the millions of educators and policymakers now heading back to school: Barbie.
In a world in which generative AI will be able to amass information faster than humans and in which essays can be crafted by computers, children must learn to think outside the box—literally, in Barbie’s case—not only about what is actual but also about what is possible. By embracing fantasy as an important tool in education, we help all children to create paths from the world as it is to the world as we’d like it to be.
Though not without problems, Barbie dolls have long been found to encourage the kind of open-ended, imaginative play that provides a rich context for learning. For example, preschool curricula that include active playful learning approaches lead to improvements in students’ academic and social development. Because play is intrinsically motivating, it can help students to engage with and focus on educational material.
And the recent “Barbie” movie, which invites us to imagine Barbieland as a (very pink) world with plastic oceans and open-faced dream houses, might hold an important key to helping educators nurture children’s curiosity and creativity, from preschool through high school.
To continue reading, see the full article published October 13, 2023 in EducationWeek.
Enjoy what you read? Subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates on what’s new in Education Policy!