Deborah Landis: How to Use Costume Design to Make Learning Come Alive (From Indiana Jones to Your Classroom)
What can the costume designer behind Raiders of the Lost Ark and Michael Jackson’s Thriller teach educators?
A lot.
In this episode, Dr. Deborah Landis, UCLA professor and legendary Hollywood costume designer (also behind The Blues Brothers, Animal House, and Oscar-nominated for Coming to America), breaks down how costume design is actually about:
Reading deeply
Interpreting text
Understanding culture and history
Building authentic characters
Transporting an audience
And that’s exactly what great teachers do.
🎭 Why costume design starts with close reading
📚 How immersing students in one person or one time period builds lasting understanding
🎬 The difference between “accuracy” and “authenticity”
🧠 How asking better questions deepens learning
👕 Why what we wear tells a story — and how students can use costume to demonstrate understanding
🔥 What Indiana Jones teaches us about archetypes and engagement
🎓 Why performance and teaching are more alike than we think
Dr. Landis shares how her graduate students study Oscar Wilde by examining text, history, politics, art, and culture before ever designing a garment — and why K–12 classrooms can adapt this same immersive approach.
She reminds us:
“We’re in the transportation business.”
So are great educators.
If you want to make learning feel less like coverage and more like immersion — this conversation will spark ideas across history, ELA, arts integration, and leadership.
🎧 Listen in and ask yourself:
How might costume, story, and performance deepen learning in your classroom or school?