Human Development
Children


According to Piaget, children progress
through 3 stages:
1. Sensorimotor: 0 to 2 years

Learn about the world by associating sensory
experiences with physical actions.

2. Preoperational: 2-7
years. Associate world
with words and images.

3. Concrete Operational:
7-11 years. Begin to
reason logically about
concrete events.
Learning Styles

1.
2.
3.
There are 3 basic learning styles:
Auditory (hearing the information)
Visual (seeing the information)
Kinesthetic-Tactile (touching,
participation)
Helping children learn


Teachers and parents
usually teach in their
preferred learning
style.
Children learn best if
using their preferred
learning style.


Important to identify
your learning style,
then you can identify
a child’s learning
style.
Try to teach a child in
their preferred style,
not your own!




Everyone has varying degrees of the ability
to learn in styles other than their preferred
style.
Help children practice learning in other
styles.
All young children are kinesthetic-tactile
learners.
Other styles of learning emerge later.
Auditory Learners:






Enjoy verbal discussion.
Remember by talking aloud.
Prefer verbal instructions.
Have difficulty with written instructions.
Talk to themselves while learning.
Repeat numbers to remember them (such
as phone numbers).
Visual Learners:






Remember visual details.
Like to see what they are learning.
Keep a pen and paper handy.
Doodle while listening.
Have difficulty following lectures.
Write down instructions and phone
numbers.
Kinesthetic-Tactile Learners:






Prefer learning through activities.
Want to do whatever is being learned.
Move around while listening/talking.
“Talk” with their hands.
Touch things in order to learn about them.
Remember things by recalling who did
what, not who said what.
Libraries and Children’s Literacy
Libraries foster reading
and literacy.
How?
Summer reading
programs!
Summer reading programs



Encourage children to spend time with
books.
Encourage parents to play greater roles in
their children’s literacy development.
Attendees read better than those who attend
camp programs.
Benefits of summer reading
programs



Encourage visits to
the library.
Children participate
in literacy-related
activities.
Children check out
more books.


Children become
familiar with
librarians.
Parents become
involved in children’s
reading.
Activity!
Adolescents


A time of transition between childhood and
adulthood.
According to Piaget, adolescents enter the
Formal Operational Thought stage:
Abstract, hypothetical reasoning, develop
empathy, moral views, ability to see from
other perspectives.
Thinking Advances:





Think about thinking
(metacognition)
Monitor own cognitive
activity, use memory tricks to
remember things.
Improved memory
Think in multiple dimensions.
Exhibit introspection, selfconsciousness:
Egocentrism-imaginary
audience and personal fable.
Gender differences

School settings disadvantageous to girls:
- most classrooms are competitive
settings, not cooperative.
- receive less praise, feedback and
instruction from teachers.
- girls socialized to adopt nurturing roles,
not establish career goals.
Self-esteem


Girls more likely to
experience decrease
in self-confidence
than boys.
Physical changes play
big part: boys see
them as positive, girls
as negative.


Girls’ self-esteem is
correlated to
performance and
confidence in
scholastic abilities.
Teachers can have big
impact on girls’ selfesteem.
Identity Formulation


Teens explore their
environment and test
limits.
Develop aspects of
The Big Five Factors
of Personality:





1. Openness
2. Conscientiousness
3. Extraversion
4. Agreeableness
5. Neuroticism
(emotional stability)
Role of Libraries for Teens
Provide for:
 Developmental needs
 Youth Development
 Develop Assets
 Youth Advocacy
 Collaboration
 Information Literacy
Adolescent Literacy
 Learning and
Achievement
 Equity of Access and
Intellectual Freedom
And of course,
programs!

Teen programming


Programs for teens only, not siblings or
parents.
Assemble a group of teens to help plan
programs, summer reading program, etc.
ACTIVITY!
Adults



Do adults continue to learn?
Do adult brains continue to evolve, remain
active?
How can libraries serve the adult
population?
Learning in adulthood
Adults as learners:
 Are autonomous and
self-directed.
 Have accumulated a
foundation of
experiences and
knowledge.
 Are goal oriented.



Are relevancyoriented.
Are practical.
Need to be shown
respect.
6 factors that motivate adult learners:






Social Relationships
External Expectations
Social Welfare
Personal Achievement
Escape/Stimulation
Cognitive Interest
Issues for elderly




Continuing education
Keep brains active
and healthy.
Adjust to new role as
retirees.
Widowhood and loss
physical activity.
Mental Activity




Brain continues to reorganize itself at all
ages, ability to relearn things.
Continued learning, higher education and
income, and mentally stimulating
occupation help prevent loss in brain
functioning.
Exercise!
Use it or lose it!
Activity: Exercise your brain!





Stretch your mind
Try something brand
new
Become a multitasker
Exercise your body
Feel confident




Conquer stress
Get enough sleep
Stay in school or on
the job
Now try one!
Libraries and Adults



Provide resources men and women are
interested in.
Provide programs and reading groups.
Provide information technology training.
Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development



Sensorimotor Stage: Birth to 2 years.
Preoperational Stage: 2-7 years.
Concrete Operational Stage: 7-11 years.
Formal Operational Stage: 11 years
through adulthood.
Erikson’s Eight Stages of Development








1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Trust versus mistrust: first year of life.
Autonomy versus shame and doubt: 1 to 3 years.
Initiative versus guilt: 3 to 5 years.
Industry versus inferiority: 6 years to puberty.
Identity versus identity confusion: 10 to 20 years.
Intimacy versus isolation: 20s, 30s.
Generativity versus stagnation: 40s, 50s.
Integrity versus despair: 60s onward.
Useful Websites





www.teachingk-8.com
with links to www.teachernet.com (lesson plans)
www.seussville.com is a fun reading site-of course Dr.
Seuss themed
www.readingrockets.org literacy, booklists and author
lists, guides to help parents with the literacy of their
children.
www.reachoutandread.org some reading tips, choosing
appropriate books, booklists, literacy development by
doctors, literacy links.




www.nationalreadingpanel.org had child health and
human development information, and links to the Institute
for Literacy and the US Department of Education
www.childdevelopmentinfor.com has some information
about human development
www.famlit.org has information primarily for assisting the
most at risk children and families
www.voya.com Voice of Youth Advocates, has booklists
and programming ideas



www.ala.org/ala/yalsa Young Adult Library Services
Association, includes booklists and professional
development
www.slcpl.lib.ut.us Salt Lake City Public Library,
includes booklists, a homework help, links for teens and
children
www.slco.lib.ut.us Salt Lake County Public Library’s
website, also has great links for patrons
References



Carpenter, Maile. Fun Activities for Beginning Readers. Babycenter,
L.L.C. Retrieved March 7, 2006 from
http://parentcenter.babycenter.com/refcap/bigkid/glearning/670
30.html
Celano, Donna & Neuman, Susan B. (2001). The Role of Public
Libraries in Children’s Literacy Development. Retrieved March 7,
2006 from
www.statelibrary.state.pa.us/libraries/lib/libraries/Role%20of%2
0Libraries.pdf
Understanding Learning Styles, resource sheet #45. Canadian Child
Care Federation. Retrieved March 7, 2006 from http://www.cfcefc.ca/docs/cccf/rs045_en.htm






Pruitt, David B., editor. (1999). Your Adolescent. New York, NY:
HarperCollins Publishers.
Steinberg, Laurence. (1999). Adolescence. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Greenberg-Lake: The Analysis Group. (1994). Short-Changing Girls: ShortChanging America: Executive Summary. Washington, D.C.: American
Association of University Women.
Santrock, John W. (2005). Children. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Jones, Patrick. (2002). New Directions for Library Service to Young Adults.
American Library Association.
Withnall, Alexandra. Older Learners-Issues and Perspectives, Retrieved
March 7, 2006 from http://www.open.ac.uk/lifelonglearning/papers/392BB376-000D-5D44-0000015700000157_PaperAWithnallupdated.doc





Thompson, April. New Research Prescribes Mental Exercise.
Retrieved March 8, 2006 from http://www.asaging.org/at/at204/Thompson.htm.
Lieb, Stephen. (1991). Principles of Adult Learning. Vision, Fall
1991.
Vincent, John and Linley, Rebecca. Women, Social Exclusion and the
Public Library.
Umansky, Diane. (2002). Exercise Your Brain. Good Housekeeping,
April 2002, p. 58, 62, &65.
Scheller, Melanie. (1988). Meet the People Who Never Quit
Learning. St. Raphael’s Better Health, November/December. Pp. 2732.