Goldilocks and Her Sister: An Anecdotal Guide to the Doll Corner

Abstract

In 1986, the Harvard Educational Review published Vivian Gussin Paley's article "On Listening to What the Children Say," which detailed the beginnings of her career as a teacher and author. The article described Paley's methods of tape-recording and analyzing her students' daily engagement in the "the three Fs: fantasy, fairness, and friendship." Her careful analysis provided insight into how children understand the world through storytelling and imaginative play. Now, more than twenty years later, Paley's new essay, "Goldilocks and Her Sister: An Anecdotal Guide to the Doll Corner," revisits similar themes while reaching beyond the classroom into more public and private spaces (the post office or a living room) to show how children's imaginative play strengthens relationships and creates opportunities for social and cognitive development. We have included both essays in this issue in order to highlight the ways in which children, regardless of context, can be engaged in the world of imagination as a form of both pedagogy and play. These companion articles extend our understanding of children's storytelling, imaginative play, and intimacy as means of promoting learning both inside and outside of classroom settings.