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some waygug-in · Joined: 07 Feb 2003 Posts: 339

I tend to agree that a lot of the textbooks are crap. I've had some of my best classes using things outside the text or with classes that have no specific textbook.

However, I with all the "teachers" coming out with one week, on-line certificates......I'd rather see them using something like Headway or Interchange than winging it, at least for the first year or so.

Deconstructor · Joined: 30 Dec 2003 Posts: 775 Location: Montreal

some waygug-in · Joined: 07 Feb 2003 Posts: 339

Yes I do, but the thing is.........in order for a text to be "good" it has to be tailored to the type of student, the culture, age etc.
It's going to take any new teacher a while to figure out what will work and what won't in any given situation. It will take them a while before they will be able to judge what would be a "good" textbook for their situation.

Just because a book is "good" for one class or country, doesn't mean it will be good for everyone.

The thing with those books is they try to be generic and include things from many parts of the world so that teachers can adapt it where they are.

Any teacher will have to experiment a bit and find what works, outside of the text because the textbook will ultimately be boring if they stick too closely to it.

I don't agree that a teacher has no where to go but down if you use those books. It depends where you are, who your students are, what their expectations are, how much time they have to study and a whole lot of other factors as well.

I have had some good and some bad classes using both of those books.
It took me a while to be able to develop my own materials and I was sure glad to have a book to fall back on.

Deconstructor · Joined: 30 Dec 2003 Posts: 775 Location: Montreal

some waygug-in · Joined: 07 Feb 2003 Posts: 339

Hmm.

While I agree with you in principle, the realities of the world we live in tend to make things difficult.

I don't wish to make excuses for book publishers. Ultimately, the textbooks are a compromise. They are trying to reach a vast range of people, all with different types of experiences and situations. And usually they end up pleasing few if any.

I much prefer using my own materials these days, but still, the school insists I use a book (whether I like it or not) and I have to try.
In the case of children, I love to use things like "Let's Go" or "English Time" because, despite the failures of the various books out there, they are still better than no book. Furthermore, they are a lot better than some of the locally produced crap. At least they don't have a bunch of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors and the language is somewhat appropriate for the situations presented. I am thankful to have a real English book and not something full of Konglish and explanations in the students' language.

They provide a range of activities based on simple language and simple grammatical structures, with songs that are both fun to sing and educational.

The biggest problem I see with using these books is not the books themselves, but parents and directors of schools telling teachers they must use XXX book for YYY class. The teacher has little or no say in the matter. If the book is right for the class, (level, age etc.) it can be very successful, but if it is a mismatch, then it's going to be a source of frustration.
And then there's the problem of schools wanting to use a book, but refusing to buy the materials that go with it, sometimes even refusing to give the teacher a copy of the book. Rolling Eyes

If you have all those picture cards and things, it can be quite fun to use.
If you are forced to use just the book and told to "teachee 3 page eachee day".......... well, then I can see why the books aren't working.

These books are great for young learners, but not so great for teens or adults.

I tend to use reading books or true stories for teaching adults. But I don't limit myself to a book. I use pop songs, news articles or whatever I can to try and catch the students' interest.

In conclusion, I think that if teachers were free to choose their own textbooks (or use their own materials if they like) and free to go through them at their own pace, we would see a lot less complaining about textbooks and a lot more effective teaching going on.

The problems arise when teachers are forced to push through a book at 3 times the recommended pace, without any review or support materials, and then forced to move students up to the next level and so on.... and so on.. If they don't do it, they are fired and the next guy fresh off the boat, who knows no better, is happy to do what the school asks.