when you can't choose a textbook for a course

Full Answer

How to choose the right coursebook for your students?

Before choosing a coursebook, the first thing is to perform a needs and attitudes analysis covering the following areas: - the specific work or study-related language skills the students need to use now, or will need to develop in the future.

How do I choose the right textbook?

Next let’s ‘gut’ a textbook to see whether it matches what we are looking for. Most course books have a map at the beginning and this is indispensable (I find ones that don’t harder to use). Look out for headings like ‘Task’, or ‘Grammar’ as these tell us the bias of the book.

Do students have a right to have a textbook?

There is no "right to have a textbook". Students do have a right to pick a different professor, or a different major, if they want. You should assume that the lack of a textbook for the course means that the instructor has evaluated existing texts as not appropriate. Show activity on this post.

What happens if you don't specify a text for a course?

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. If you can't find a good text, and pick a mediocre one that doesn't help, the students won't like you wasting their money. If you don't specify a text in this case, the students think they're being tricked into attending class.

What to do if you can't find a textbook?

Books go out of print and publishers go out of business. But if you can figure out who published a book, see if they have a website....WorldCat. ... Interlibrary Loan (ILL) ... Archive.org. ... Google Books. ... HathiTrust. ... AddAll. ... Bookshop.org. ... The publisher's website.

Why is it hard to learn from a textbook?

Textbooks, however, make this skill especially difficult because they contain so much information that, in many cases, seems to make no connection to what the students already know. The preponder- ance of new concepts and new vocabulary requires students to look for other ways to make their reading meaningful.

How do I choose a book for a class?

Open Textbook Quality CriteriaCriterion 1: Scope and Sequence. ... Criterion 2: Content Accuracy. ... Criterion 3: Instructional Design. ... Criterion 4: Text Clarity. ... Criterion 5: Visual Clarity and Fidelity. ... Criterion 6: Accessibility and Inclusive Design. ... Criterion 7: Ancillary Materials. ... Criterion 1: Content Relevance.More items...

Why do some teachers reject a textbook approach to learning?

Some teachers reject a textbook approach to learning because the textbook is outdated or insufficiently covers a topic or subject area. As a teacher, you'll need to make many decisions, and one of those is how you want to use the textbook. As good as they may appear on the surface, textbooks do have some limitations.

How do you read difficult textbooks?

Tips to Get Through Hard to Read BooksFind your perfect reading spot — a place where you can be comfortable and read. ... Keep a dictionary with you as you read. ... Look at how the book is organized by reading through the table of contents and reading the introduction. ... Try to avoid skimming as much as possible.More items...•

Do students actually read textbooks?

18 to 20 showed that 48 percent of students thought reading textbooks for classes was very important and the other 52 percent did not. Most students reported spending just one hour reading per class per week, according to the survey.

What are the key factors you consider when selecting course books and activities?

Most recent answer Aims and objectives of the course. Learners' level.Learners' age. Content :coverage of suitable language, pronunciation, vocabulary, language use in real-time contexts. Skills: The suitability of listening, speaking, reading and writing activities.

Why are textbooks important?

At their core, textbooks are a way to distribute the essential content of a class to a massive group of students in a way that is standardized and economical. A good textbook is clear, appealing, and organized in a predictable way.

What is the criteria of good textbook?

Textbooks must have good quality pages and the content should be easy on the eyes. Binding: Textbooks must have permanent binding that makes them easy to open. Good quality binding also ensures that the book lasts for a long period of time. Loosely bound textbooks will discourage the students from studying them.

What is the effect of lack of textbooks?

A lack of textbooks and other teaching resources could have a real impact on pupils' education, according to AMs. An education committee heard that qualification reform since 2015 has led to a tight timetable for the preparation of textbooks and materials.

Why are textbooks better than tablets?

Reading comprehension is better with textbooks For study purposes, when you need to comprehend and remember what you've read, print beats digital. For most people, digital books are hard to remember. One study divided participants into two groups. One group read printed text, the other group read on a device.

How does lack of books affect the students?

Unavailability of textbooks and lack of creative skills ultimately lead to poor learning, which has greatly affected the quality of education of community schools. Practical subjects like science need textbooks that not only give instructions but also explain the procedures for experiments.

What is a textbook?

A textbook is a collection of the knowledge, concepts, and principles of a selected topic or course. It's usually written by one or more teachers, college professors, or education experts who are authorities in a specific field.

How to use a textbook as a resource?

Use the textbook as a resource for students, but not the only resource. Use a textbook as a guide , not a mandate, for instruction. Be free to modify, change, eliminate, or add to the material in the textbook. Supplement the textbook with lots of outside readings.

Why are textbooks important?

Textbooks are especially helpful for beginning teachers. The material to be covered and the design of each lesson are carefully spelled out in detail. Textbooks provide organized units of work. A textbook gives you all the plans and lessons you need to cover a topic in some detail.

What are the advantages of using textbooks?

Textbooks provide you with several advantages in the classroom: Textbooks are especially helpful for beginning teachers.

Why do students reject textbooks?

It is not unusual for students to reject textbooks simply because of what they are—compendiums of large masses of data for large masses of students. Students may find it difficult to understand the relevance of so much data to their personal lives.

What do students assume about learning?

Students assume that learning is simply a collection of facts and figures. Ask higher-level questions and provide creative thinking and problem-solving activities. Textbook doesn't take students' background knowledge into account. Teacher does not tailor lessons to the specific attributes and interests of students.

Who wrote the Complete Idiot's Guide to Success as a Teacher?

Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Success as a Teacher © 2005 by Anthony D. Fredericks. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

What are the important considerations in a class?

Important considerations include the age, final course (are the students going to take a test?), objectives, and whether the class is made up of students learning for work purposes or for a hobby.

What are standard syllabuses?

Standard syllabuses require books that will cover grammar, reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. If you are teaching a non-standard syllabus class, maybe focusing on one skill set, you'll need to get some resource books for your classroom work.

What is a Merlot book?

Textbooks specifically designated for free use. MERLOT also has tutorials, lesson plans, and other educational resources. A large collection of learning "modules" (readings, tutorials, games, videos, etc.) made available for reuse by other educators. An organization dedicated to free, reusable educational resources.

Can you get discounts for multiple books?

Some publishers may give discounts for multiple books bought at one time, if your department can agree on a set that students can use for several courses. Commonly used books (for instance, books used in several sections of the same course) are also easier for students to sell back to the bookstore.

Popular Answers (1)

I offer a partial answer below, based primarily on needs and attitude analyses and on an evaluation of the linguistic theories and language learning principles underlying coursebooks.

All Answers (13)

usually interactive books are preferred. I personally think books which provide short reading passages are useful for EFL learners too since most EFL learners, in addition to practicing speaking , need to read for gaining information, doing chores, etc.