The Media Specialist and the Disciplined Curriculum

Abstract

IN A RECENT EDITORIAL pleading for improved communications skills, Norman Cousins declares that modern education is scatter-prone. He asserts that schools, in want of a philosophy of education, are producing a generation of idea hoppers.1 Cousins posits that is not necessarily true that the school is helpless to cope with the onrush of increasing specialization. Major emphasis can be given to the interrelationships of knowledge and to the points of contact and convergence. It may not be possible to keep the student up to date in the accumulation of new knowledge or even instruct him fully in the old. But what is possible is to define the significance of what is happening and to identify the juncture at which different areas of knowledge come together.2 school media center, which provides resources for teaching and learning, shares responsibility for the quality of the educational program. Standards for School Media Programs, issued jointly by the Division of AudioVisual Instruction and the American Association of School Librarians, states the purpose of the media center: The pupil will not only need to learn skills of reading, but those of observation, listening, and social interaction. He will need to develop a spirit of inquiry, self-motivation, self-discipline, and self-evaluation. He will need to master knowledge and develop skills. Ultimately he must communicate his ideas with his fellows. 3 Further, it is important that media specialist participate actively in shaping the design of instruction, and that every media facility, piece of equipment, book