Diversity means a couple of things to me. First, diversity can refer to one's cultural or ethnic background. Secondly, diversity can also apply to one's learning style or ability. Both are relevant in regards to considerations in the media center. When I have created assignments for this course that I plan on using in my media center, I try always to think about the diverse learning needs of the students that I serve. As a result, I try to incorporate as many learning styles as possible. Also, I have created assignments that have been differentiated for the various levels. For example, sixth grade students typically need more thorough instructions on how to use OPAC than do the seventh and eighth graders (mostly because the older students have been through the thorough instruction while in sixth grade). Additionally, I try to incorporate various ethnic examples in my instruction. For example, in one recent Powerpoint presentation about the Dewey Decimal Classification System, I used county music and rap music artists, as well as, a Hispanic band to show students where books about music and biographies can be found. When I was teaching from the PPT, I could hear the students whisper to one another in recognition of the artist that they knew and recognized. I think that it made it more relevant and interesting to the students and they knew that I had taken into consideration their diverse backgrounds.
I have not yet created any assignments to teach cultural diversity, but February is coming up soon, and it would be a great opportunity for me to begin thinking about it. Last year, I had a competition in the media center during Black History Month in which students identified famous Black Americans that were pictured on a bulletin board. Even though that competition was not tied to technology, it was still fun for the kids. Unfortunately, we are so tied to teaching for the test and making sure that we cover all the standards, that teaching diversity often falls to the way side. I know that some issues with cultural diversity are included in the standards of Language Arts and Social Studies, I'm just not sure the degree that they are covered.
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6 comments:
I agree with your definition of diversity. The first thing that popped in my head was learning styles and abilities, but ethnic diversity is surely important. Including the music, art and culture of your students in your presentations is the mark of a caring educator. Keep up the good work!
I like that you incorporate various learning styles into your assignments. I also appreciate that you consider what different grade levels need. I'm sure I understand that in an elementary school, I just don't understand it on the level of a middle school. I guess I do it unconsciously, but I'm glad you mentioned it because now I will think about it. I feel like all I do is teach to the required standards. We don't have time to do anything else anymore. There are so many important things that we need to teach that is not reflected in our standards.
It was a very good idea to include the different music styles to 'hook' the students in, I am sure that hearing the style(s) that they liked made them pay more attention.
It's so important to create learning opportunities that reach out to every type of learner. I think it's great that you were able to create interest in your students by choosing figures they recognize. It makes their learning experiences more authentic. Being able to create enthusiasm for reading and learning is the greatest goal a media specialist can have. By understanding the diverse group of learners we teach and using technology to enhance the acquisition of knowledge, we can meet that goal!
I think you have made an excellent point about how difficult it can be in the media center to prepare for all of the different standards. Making sure we are able to provide information in a great many ways, and reacting to each individual need as we become aware of them, is probably the best way we can help the teachers teach to those standards.
Most of the time we get so into differentiating for students based on levels, we do not look at other factors. More motivated teachers may even consider learning styles, but it is rare for many educators to factor in culture into lessons. This is probably because they do not know how to address diversity in culture or they are unaware of the differences culture can create in learning. This is a difficult area in which to view and modify instruction. I am not sure of too many ways to address it in activities and teaching, but I think you did a great job of incorporating this diversity into your lesson. Just by trying to add examples from different cultures, you gave students’ backgrounds relevance. They keyed into this because you made their culture seem as important as others in the lesson. Minority cultures run the risk of being ignored, and teachers can really build motivation just by paying a little bit of attention to this area of diversity in students.
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