Monday, December 8, 2008
Diversity in the MC ~ Malena
Diversity in schools relates to the cultural background of the students and also their learning styles and abilities. I think that media specialists can support cultural diversity by joining in with world language teachers or social studies and celebrating the various monthly celebrations like Black History, Hispanic Heritage, Native American month, etc. Learning disabilities or special modifications can also be addressed by the media program by providing resources that these students need. For example, the media center could purchase large print books to assist vision impaired students, audiobooks can also be helpful to these students. Text reader programs can also be a great addition to technology in the media center
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6 comments:
I agree. Addressing diversity in the media center should include all these things. Since we are all individuals, we learn best with different styles. For example, I'm not sure what style of learner I am, but I learn best by reading the instructions and doing it by myself. If I don't understand the instructions, then I need to be shown some examples. I guess that makes me a visual learner. I am a very poor listener. So, a power point presentation does me little good unless the slides are printed out for me. Such learning styles can be accomodated in the media center with a little forethought and planning.
I like the idea of celebrating the different cultural holidays. Some school that I attended showcased books and posters during black history months. Some of them also talked about cultural Spanish events such as the Day of the Dead. It is very important to recognized people from different cultures that have made a difference in the world. I think it is good for students to see the individuals from their culture that have succeeded.
So true Malena! Media specialists can do their parts by collaborating with foreign language instructors. One interesting thing I found when completing Selections was that I was drawn to the language section (400's) because our Hispanic population at my school is growing exponentially, yet materials and resources are not on pace with growth.
In my ideal dream world, my library media program would completely embrace diversity in all facets including not only language, but also physical, ethical, and sexual challenges. Your examples are certainly fitting and delicious food for thought. Thank you for sharing.
The diverse cultural background of our students is something that I need to learn more about. Our population has changed over the last few years with many new students moving in from out of state or out of country. In order to meet the diverse needs of these learners I plan to get involved with the counseling department. The counselors know what kind of problems our students deal with on a daily basis. I agree with you about the role of support that the media center needs to offer for celebrating the various heritages. We are one of the largest areas in our school building that has potential to reach a great number of students and offer a positive lesson on diversity.
Malena,
I believe every media specialist should be knowledgeable of the cultural background of the students attending the school. I understand that budget factors could be a major cause for a media center to lag behind when it comes to the most current material and technology. Many of the informational tools that we need are available for "free" on the internet. On the other hand, we have to go through the channels in order to download many of the programs that are offered. Overall, diversity is an important factor that must not be ignored if we are to produce students who will excel during their educational journey.
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