Have you noticed kids (and some adults) of all ages, surprisingly both boys and girls, have this fascination with Barbie dolls? I’m not here to debate the pros and cons that Barbie has had on our society or why this plastic object has become the anti-symbol for women’s liberation. Instead I want to discuss how I used her universal appeal to teach a group of middle schoolers the math concept of proportionality.
In preparation for the upcoming Algebra I course in high school, grade 8 math curriculum in Texas centers around the concept of proportionality. To help students establish a firm foundation with ratios and scale factors, my hands-on activity allows students to experience a real-life application of proportionality. One of the central goals of this activity is to help students have a smoother transition into high school math courses.
One day last semester, I casually mentioned to my now student teacher my idea of using Barbie in a proportions lesson. Coincidentally she and a group of other pre-service teachers had done a presentation for one of their courses on the different proportions of various toy dolls. This saved me the time and trouble of looking up all the measurements of body parts. My students compared the proportions of a Barbie doll body measurements to the proportions an average woman's body measurements. I have already planned for students to then use the calculated scale factor to enlarge and draw a life-size Barbie next year.
On a side note, for Christmas during my first grade year, Santa gave my younger sister a Barbie doll while I received a Darci doll. Which one of them has endured the tumultuous 70s? Survival of the fittest in action.
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