Connecting Youth Development to Library Services

A better understanding of youth development can strengthen your integration of connected learning into your teen services. Understanding where teens are cognitively, how they learn, and what ecological systems affect their growth as a person can help you construct learning experiences and environments that will have a greater impact. One way to put into action what you’ve learned about youth development from Piaget, Vygotsky, and Bronfenbrenner, is to use the social and emotional learning (SEL) framework.

SEL refers to a framework for understanding how youths’ development can be supported in different settings in their lives (this might remind you of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model). When the settings — classrooms, schools, families & caregivers, and communities — work in alignment, the positive impact is even greater.

This video from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) introduces the impact of SEL and centers the school and classroom settings. As you watch, think about how the library can play a role both as a setting and as a way to connect the different settings.

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