how to do a course without a textbook

Without a textbook, I can create curriculum that engages students by relating science to their everyday lives. Lessons become clearer when I link the topic to an issue that affects them personally.

Full Answer

What does it mean to teach without a textbook?

Teaching without a textbook means more prep time, especially in the first few years. It means amassing and adapting curriculum from a wide variety of sources, including journals, lab books, Web sites, packaged curricula, and other teachers. It means mapping this collection to the standards of your school and state.

Do you need a textbook?

Several responses indicated that textbooks are useful only for certain kinds of learning. "You don't learn stuff from textbooks," one student wrote. "You just memorize for a test, then forget it." I won't settle for that in my classroom; without a textbook, I don't have to.

Do college textbooks deter the pursuit of knowledge?

Here’s a statement with which everyone can agree: College instructors cannot assume that students come to their classes in possession of basic knowledge. Now here’s one sure to generate some controversy: In many cases textbooks deter the pursuit of knowledge more than they help it.

Can text-and-test courses be placed online?

Any institution still devoted to text-and-test could usefully place said courses online.

What does it mean to teach without a textbook?

How can I create curriculum without a textbook?

Can you learn stuff from textbooks?

Can a teacher create a curriculum alone?

See more

About this website

How do you study if you don't have a textbook?

Your poor little tired eyes can thank us later.#1 Watch A Doco.#2 Listen To Lectures As You Fall Asleep.#3 Explain It To Someone Else.#4 Relate It Back To Your Life.#5 Exercise With A Relevant Podcast.

Do you actually need textbooks in college?

Although almost every college course requires a textbook of some sort, some college professors never use or refer to it. Students learn quickly the courses in which they can skip the book. Some students who choose to skip buying the textbook use other means to obtain the material.

What do you do if you forget your textbook?

If the library at your school is not open, a public library may also have the book. You can search an online card catalog or call the library to see if they have your book. Then go there in person and check it out.

How can I get textbooks without paying?

How to get free college textbooksProject Gutenberg. The Project Gutenberg initiative has nearly 50,000 electronic books available online. ... The library. Take a look inside your city library. ... Ask for alternatives to buying the books. ... Buy them used for a big discount. ... More Clark.com articles you might enjoy:

Why do students not buy textbooks?

Sixty-five percent of college students said they have delayed buying a textbook because it was too expensive and, in some cases, done so even though they were worried the decision would hurt their grade, according to the consumer advocacy group U.S. PIRG. “When you grow older, you realize, I don't need the book.

Why textbooks are so expensive?

Publisher Profits Not surprisingly, the primary motivation behind the rise in price is directly related to the desire for more money. Publishers take in a significant percentage of the profits from textbook sales, so a higher sticker price means a better bottom line for them.

What is the best excuse for not doing your homework?

Top 10 homework excuses from students rankedI didn't want to do it. This will teach you a lot about your student and/or child. ... Family pet ate it. ... Left it at school over the weekend. ... I don't know where it is. ... I was gone when it was assigned. ... I'm sick. ... Blame the siblings. ... Don't understand the assignment.More items...

What do you do if you leave your homework at school?

It's best to simply tell the truth, and let your teacher know why you weren't able to complete your homework. A sincere apology can go a long way. You might say something like "I am really sorry, but I got behind on things and wasn't able to finish my homework.

How do I get free PDF books?

List Of The Top Websites To Download Free PDF TextbooksOpen Textbook Library.Libre Texts.OpenStax.org.Bookboon.com.Project Gutenberg.Free E-Books.net.Internet Archive Books.Manybook.net.More items...•

How can I get free college textbooks PDF?

Where to get free college textbooks pdf onlineLibrary Genesis.OpenStax.Internet Archive.Open Textbook Library.ScholarWorks.Digital Book Index.PDF Grab.Free Book Spot.More items...

How do people afford college books?

Ways to save money on textbooksBuy and sell used textbooks. ... Rent textbooks. ... Use the ISBN to find lower prices. ... Check the library. ... Look for an electronic version of the book. ... Ask the professor for an evaluation copy. ... Share textbooks with a roommate. ... Only buy required textbooks.

How to overcome the lack of textbooks and other teaching and ... - Quora

Answer (1 of 3): 3 Teaching Strategies to Make Something Out of Nothing > Working in New York City public schools in the late 90’s early 2000’s was awesome. Teachers were constantly given basic resources, and the stipend we did receive for instructional materials was 100$ for the year - but at ...

Teaching Without Textbooks: Dogme | by Varun Bhargava - Medium

Editor’s Note: Fisher (1989) describes beautifully that “When a language is lost or taken away from a culture, the culture could no longer be expressed and handed down because the greetings ...

ESL Printables: English worksheets, lesson plans and other resources

ESL Printables, the website where English Language teachers exchange resources: worksheets, lesson plans, activities, etc. Our collection is growing every day with the help of many teachers.

Read Every Content Page

Again, instead of purchasing or reading a textbook, your readings and assignments are in Canvas. Canvas is divided into modules, content pages, assignments, discussions, and others. Be sure to read each and every page, click on and read every tab, and open all the hyperlinks if you want to get the most out of your course.

Attend Every Class

Even though the coursework is in Canvas, striving to attend every class ensures that you do not miss valuable information. Sometimes life happens. You may wake up ill or have a family emergency. Make attending class the norm, and not the exception or the occasional occurrence.

Read and Re-read Every Assignment

Do not attempt to complete an assignment without knowing and understanding what you are expected to do. Assignment guidelines are written in Canvas along with a rubric or evaluation criteria. A rubric should tell exactly what you need to do to ace an assignment.

Complete Every Assignment

You might think this goes without saying but skipping assignments can not only affect your grade, it can also affect your understanding of the course content. Ignoring or not completing the smaller assignments can lead to failing to understand future assignments.

Submit Every Assignment

In middle school or high school, did you ever complete an assignment, but not submit it? Do not make the same mistake in college.

Submit Every Assignment on Time

Don’t miss that 11:59 p.m. deadline (or whenever your submission deadline is). Verify the time zone used for the submission deadline with your instructor especially if you are taking an online course. One semester I had online students from Alabama to Alaska; that’s a four-hour time difference.

Schedule Your Activities

Knowing how your course is structured is critical to studying. Does your instructor suggest you follow the Modules sequentially, or use the Canvas Calendar, To-do Lists, or other?

4 Professors Can Show you How

Emma Fleck, James Sprenger, Jennifer Daniels and Mike Dominik have all jettisoned textbooks from their entrepreneurship courses this semester, replacing them with exercises from the Experiential Entrepreneurship Curriculum (ExEC).

Is it Worth Changing your Course?

A lot of questions will come up as you think replacing a textbook with experiential activities:

Stay Tuned

For more updates on ExEC, and our continuing series of free classroom resources delivered to your inbox, subscribe below.

Why do we assign textbooks?

Most of us assign textbooks for what we always assumed were good pedagogical reasons: We wanted students to be able to fill in gaps we don’t get to, engage in fact-checking, hear other perspectives, have easy access to data, find a framework for some of our more esoteric departures, and provide students with a specialized reference guide rather than having them reach for a general topics encyclopedia. Great ideas -- except that it doesn’t work that way anymore!

Can college instructors assume students come to their classes with basic knowledge?

Here’s a statement with which everyone can agree: College instructors cannot assume that students come to their classes in possession of basic knowledge. Now here’s one sure to generate some controversy: In many cases textbooks deter the pursuit of knowledge more than they help it. The sciences may be different, but at least in the case of the humanities, most of us would be better off not assigning a textbook.

Can I read history texts for free?

One can also, as I do, simply place a text -- any old one will do -- on library reserve. Not surprisingly, students don’ t seem to resent texts nearly as much when they can consult them when needed and for free.

Why do we need text?

Texts are generally required for good reason – especially if you are in school to learn well enough for what you learn to be usable rather than to get a get a piece of paper to hang on the wall.

What can you do to help someone with a practice test?

What you CAN do is ask your friends for the answers to the practice test. Then look over how they're solved and write down the hardest things.

Is it wasted time to acquire knowledge?

Acquiring a broad base of knowledge is never wasted time. I’ve come to find that the many encounters I’ve had with what I thought was useless knowledge proved to be gift of a building block for something else I needed to learn later in life. Don’t ever turn away an opportunity to learn; this world is full of wonderful things and the more “dots” you have, the more connections to other knowledge you’ll make.

Do not study in your bedroom?

DO NOT STUDY IN YOUR BEDROOM. You will fall asleep, guaranteed. I don't care how strong you think you are. You'll fail.

Is it easy to make grammatical mistakes?

Grammatical mistakes can be easy to make. But fear not! Our team at Grammarly has compiled a handy list of common grammatical errors to help make your writing accurate, clear, and(Continue reading)

Why do teachers say you need a book?

Yeah, that doesn’t matter. The only reason that teachers say you need that book is so they can say “flip to page 7,” and you'll on be on the same page. If you’re not a complete lazy-laze, then spend 15 seconds finding the right part.

What to say when you get your syllabus?

When you get your syllabus, be really honest with yourself. Are you going to do all these readings? Can you pass this class without them? (This might be something that a more seasoned college pro would know about themselves. But think about it.)

How long do you have to check out books at the library?

Is the book at the reserve section of the library? Talk to the librarians. Usually they have all the books available for 1-2 hour check out periods. (And you get to make friends with the librarians because you come in every day to do your readings!)

Is a book required for homework?

The book is ACTUALLY required to do your homework. Examples: Lab notebook you write your labs in and turn in for credit. Math books that come with a software that is mandatory for taking tests or doing homework. Software that without you would not be able to get a grade in the class.

Do you need to buy books in English class?

Wait, are you in an English class? You definitely don’t need to buy those books

Do you have to buy a book to post on Facebook?

Is there someone in your class who bought the book and will likely post their study guides on the class Facebook page? Yeah? Cool! You don’t have to buy the book.

Do general education classes go over the same information as readings?

If you attend lecture, which you should if you want to get an A in the class, then for most general education classes they go over the same information in class as the readings.

What does it mean to teach without a textbook?

Teaching without a textbook means more prep time, especially in the first few years. It means amassing and adapting curriculum from a wide variety of sources, including journals, lab books, Web sites, packaged curricula, and other teachers. It means mapping this collection to the standards of your school and state.

How can I create curriculum without a textbook?

Without a textbook, I can create curriculum that engages students by relating science to their everyday lives. Lessons become clearer when I link the topic to an issue that affects them personally. For example, many of my students live in poor, heavily polluted areas, so when we study intermolecular properties and precipitation reactions, we examine the air and water quality in their neighborhoods. Students learning about precipitation explore how two toxic substances can dissolve in the nearby bay and then combine to form a solid that accumulates at the bottom. When we're studying electrochemistry, I assign projects in which students design cell phone batteries that are cheap, environmentally benign, and of the appropriate voltage.

Can you learn stuff from textbooks?

Several responses indicated that textbooks are useful only for certain kinds of learning. " You don't learn stuff from textbooks," one student wrote. "You just memorize for a test, then forget it.". I won't settle for that in my classroom; without a textbook, I don't have to.

Can a teacher create a curriculum alone?

But the process was a gradual weaning. I wouldn't recommend that any teacher -- particularly a new teacher with multiple classes to prepare for -- try to create a year's curriculum alone or over a single summer. Beginners should take careful note of which lessons are working and why, and then make adjustments suited to their students. (For more information, see "How To: Toss the Text" .)