top of page
Search
Writer's pictureWhytnee Shattuck

Learn YA Lit with Me (Ch.6)

The one where Ms. Shattuck learns the answer to "How do adolescent's develop?"


I'm taking a class on Young Adult literature this semester at SHSU and am required to blog about each chapter that I read, so I thought I'd create a series to share with my blog friends. Welcome to Chapter 6.



Summary:

This chapter talks about the development of children, from puberty to late teens.


Physical Development:

Constantly asking, "Am I normal?"

  • It is our job to find the books that help answer this question.

Intellectual Development:

We move from sensory motor, to concrete, to formal understanding of the world. It was thought that concrete to abstract development started about age ten-yet it is still difficult at that age because many are still concrete. Age 14 is where it truly begins, according to Piaget.

  • We need to find a way to get them to the abstract.

This chapter also went into great detail on the developmental stages of adolescents according to Havighurst. None of these happen overnight, but the changes listed in the chapter were:

  • Learning to get along with others

  • Easy relationships with opposite sex

  • Working for pay

  • Shift in parent relationship with child

  • Finding a job

  • Developing morals and values of their own

  • Adapting to the changes in the body

  • Defining appropriate gender/sex roles

Kohlberg's Theory talked about morals and values, stating that we start off working for rewards or to avoid punishment, but then move into right and wrong. These ideas were called preconventional, conventional, and post-conventional methods.


The chapter shifted in to Maslow's Needs Hierarchy and talked about which needs need to be met before the next can be met.


Finally the chapter ended with the development of readers. The order from largest level of cake (bottom) to smallest (top) is:

  • Develops Empathy

  • Unconscious Delight

  • Reading Autobiographically

  • Reading for Vicarious Experiences

  • Reading for Philosophical Speculations

  • Reading for aesthetic Experiences

As readers, we don't leave any of the levels behind. We just shift into others.


Reflection:

This chapter had a lot of information that requires a lot of thought. It gave this reader a lot to think about as far as what types of books should be in a collection. As a teacher, I try to have a variety of books in my classroom collection. I also encourage children to read books they can relate to, and knowing their developmental stages will aid with this.


1 view0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page