Module 3: Developmental theories and children's literature

In helping children with selections, can you explain why age alone is an inadequate guide?

Students maybe at different developmental stages within the same age group, their abilities and interests will be different. For example, Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences tells us that students have different ways to learn and areas of interest. The child’s background and experiences can affect their desire to read and/or which books to read. The biopsychosocial interactions are different for each student thus age cannot be a standalone thing in selecting a book. I think reading ability and comprehension can develop at different stages. My nephew is in prep and he can read books that some grade 6 & 7’s would struggle with. However this does not mean that comprehends the social meanings in the text was understood, similarly I had a student in year 7 reading 1984, and while he could read and understand the words he was confused about the plot and themes.

Can you give specific examples of the match between goodness-of-fit and appropriate literature?

Goodness-of-fit is the match between the child’s development level and appropriate literature (Travers, p.9). This is about knowing the student. In the example of how Erik Erikson’s developmental theory we see how theory can be matched to books: Carry Me, Momma (Devine, 2002) is suggested as a book that you would read to a child who is just starting to demonstrate independence in walking and exploring.

How does knowledge about a psychosocial perspective of development help an adult in advising book selection for a particular child?

By understanding the psychosocial perspective of development we can better understand issues related to that developmental level that maybe represented in the literature. TL’s can then assist children to understand their own experiences that they have or will encounter in their own lives with the selection of an appropriate book. We can help children understand what is going on in their own lives.

Devine, M. (2002). Carry Me, Momma. New York: Stoddard.

Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of Mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic Books

Travers, B. E., & Travers, J. F. (2008). Children, literature and development: Interactions and insights. In Children's literature: A developmental perspective, (pp. 2-17). Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons.