Using Coursebooks
Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2017 3:12 am1. "I think it is impossible to find the perfect book; each one has good and bad features."
I agree. Sometimes the content is the main obstacle when it comes to teaching because it may not be interesting for the teacher and the students. Some activities might also be challenging and not appropriate for the level. On the other hand there are also good features in a book, but sometimes it is helpful for the students if the teacher adapts the task.
2. "A good coursebook should have themes which relate to the children, lots of recycling and lots of pictures."
I believe that a good coursebook needs to be balanced, meaning, it needs to have a variety of activities that children would find useful and interesting. Everything needs to be fun so they can spend a great learning experience.
3. "It isn't enough to have a Students' Book, Teacher's Book and Workbook; a teacher needs other things, like flash cards and supplementary components."
As a matter of fact this is pivotal when it comes to teaching. Teacher need to add something to the lesson: adapt or create materiales that will complement the coursebook activities.
4. "My school chooses the coursebook. I don't have any say in the matter."
Even though the school chooses the coursebook, you can select what to teach and how to teach it. It is not an obligation to cover every single activity from the book. If that was the case, students would fall asleep and the lesson could be tedious.
5. "I like coursebooks with central characters and a story."
Stories are useful in class when there are interesting for the kids, if it is not, they will not enjoy the story even with the central characters.
6. "If the workbook has an answer key, the children just copy the answers."
Before copying the answers, students need to develop their cognitive skill, meaning, they need to think before they check how they did in the activity. If they rely to much on the answers they could develop a habit in the future. And that will affect their learning strategies.
7. "We don't use coursebooks for very young learners at my school. I make all my own materials."
This is really useful but we can create our own materials with the content from the coursebook. So this is how we could use the book and the adapted tasks for children.
I agree. Sometimes the content is the main obstacle when it comes to teaching because it may not be interesting for the teacher and the students. Some activities might also be challenging and not appropriate for the level. On the other hand there are also good features in a book, but sometimes it is helpful for the students if the teacher adapts the task.
2. "A good coursebook should have themes which relate to the children, lots of recycling and lots of pictures."
I believe that a good coursebook needs to be balanced, meaning, it needs to have a variety of activities that children would find useful and interesting. Everything needs to be fun so they can spend a great learning experience.
3. "It isn't enough to have a Students' Book, Teacher's Book and Workbook; a teacher needs other things, like flash cards and supplementary components."
As a matter of fact this is pivotal when it comes to teaching. Teacher need to add something to the lesson: adapt or create materiales that will complement the coursebook activities.
4. "My school chooses the coursebook. I don't have any say in the matter."
Even though the school chooses the coursebook, you can select what to teach and how to teach it. It is not an obligation to cover every single activity from the book. If that was the case, students would fall asleep and the lesson could be tedious.
5. "I like coursebooks with central characters and a story."
Stories are useful in class when there are interesting for the kids, if it is not, they will not enjoy the story even with the central characters.
6. "If the workbook has an answer key, the children just copy the answers."
Before copying the answers, students need to develop their cognitive skill, meaning, they need to think before they check how they did in the activity. If they rely to much on the answers they could develop a habit in the future. And that will affect their learning strategies.
7. "We don't use coursebooks for very young learners at my school. I make all my own materials."
This is really useful but we can create our own materials with the content from the coursebook. So this is how we could use the book and the adapted tasks for children.