Initially, I thought the prompt "Is there value in learning from fiction?" was going to be easy to answer. But the more I think about it, the more reservations I have concerning my my initial answer. The majority of my learning experiences, particularly in elementary school, involved fiction in one way or another. I learned to read by reading fiction. I learned math by solving fictional math problems. So, I guess there is value in learning basic, elementary skills from fiction.
But as I progressed through high school and into college, more and more of my learning was derived from non-fiction sources. A majority of my learning in college involved real-life case studies and examining the business practices of real companies. My intended content area, social studies, is almost entirely based on non-fiction. However, I do see learning possibilities in social studies by having studies consider "what-if" scenarios and having them respond to questions such as, "What if Nazi Germany and the Axis Powers had prevailed in World War II?" So, I guess that I do believe there is value in learning from fiction, but I think the value declines the older and more advanced the student becomes.
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