Monday, November 30, 2009
Diversity and the Media Center
Diversity has many meanings. First there is diversity in our cultures. Then there is diversity in our learning styles. In our schools we have both. It is our responsibility as media specialist or future media specialist to make sure that we have provided both for our students. We want our students to feel that they can come into the media center and find what they are looking for in the various forms that will suit their needs. If we all learned the same way or lived the same way then we would live in a very boring world. That is why there is so much diversity in the many different avenues in life. In a media center if a child needs large print books, books on CD, computer programs that enhance their reading, or just plain books we should provide that for them. If a student comes with different cultural diversities then we should provided them with those types of media resources also. Everyone is different so we need to look around our school community and make sure that we provide the needs of our students.
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Meeting the diverse needs of the school is a tough job. Understanding what our students need is a very big very important task and it goes beyond just large print books. It means literally understanding the socio economic levels of the students within the school. Understanding the level of education the parents attained. As media specialists, we must create a collection that serves not only our students but their family as well. We must ensure that they have the information they need. Our teachers must be able to rely on the media center as a reliable place for information. They need to be able to send all of the students there and know they will be served, no matter their level functioning. We must ensure that we can challenge the gifted while still providing material for the challenged. It is a very great task!
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