AIMing at Tweens: Advising, Involving, Motivating

Tweens are often the ones who slip between the cracks: not children and not quite young adults. This online course will focus on the developmental needs and interests of tweens and how we can best meet those needs and interests in terms of books, activities, and programming.

 

Week #1:  Information Please.  The goal of this first week is to get to know one another first and foremost.  Following introductions, you will explore your community’s tween population.  You will also discuss personal goals for this course.  Here is what we will do:

October 5-11, 2009

1.1        Discuss:  Personal Introductions

1.2        Read:  Myth-stakes and myth-conceptions about tweens and reading

1.3        Ask: burning questions and issues

1.4        Exercise: Your Tweens, Your Community, Your Knowledge Base

1.5        Read:  Select a book for tweens from Suggested Reading List or offer one of your own selections for approval.

 

Week #2:  Needs and Interests.  This week we will discuss some of the differences between teens and tweens.  This should lead us to a deeper discussion of the unique nature of tweens and how they develop.

October 12-18, 2009

2.1  Read:  Tween Psychology and Development as Readers

2.2  Discuss:  Compare and contrast YALSA’s information with tween information

2.3  Post: Write about tween book read for Week #1 in light of the assigned reading for this week. How does this book reflect content?

2.4  Explore: visit web sites from suggested list.

2.5  Exercise: locate web sites of interest to those working with teens.  Post URLs for class.

2.6  Read: another book for tweens from the Suggested Reading List

 

Week #3: Involvement. This week we will expand our focus to how we can involve tweens in programming and other capacities.

 

October 19-25, 2009

 

3.1  Read: what does research say about motivating tweens?

3.2  Post: thoughts to forums on T-A-R-G-E-T

3.3  Activity: develop a survey for your tween population

3.4  View: YouTube as a resource for tweens

3.5 Ask:  some final questions for us to consider

 

 

Week #4: Advising: In our final week together, we will explore readers’ advisory and its unique attributes for tweens.

 

October 26-31, 2009

 

4.1  Discuss:  what do tweens really want in books?

4.2  Analyze:  results of the Teens Top Ten voting for any tween trends and titles.

4.3  Evaluate:  the course and the instructor

4.4  Post: reflections about course content.