The relevance of using textbooks wisely

There are some good reasons to use prudently a coursebook  to teach English as a foreign language. A textbook is a tool that helps not only the students but also the teacher to organize their teaching learning process. Using an appropriate book helps the teacher to save time to do other activities to support what they are studying on the textbook.  Of course teachers should not rely only on the textbook they bought for a specific course; instead, the facilitator should adapt, and obviously, create more activities to complement the selected book to easily address the students’ realities and needs. A well selected textbook attracts student’s attention, produces spaces for authentic communication, and provides tools to reflect on the teaching learning process.

To use textbook, teachers must start thinking on the students first, and then analyze carefully the selection of the best suitable option of the textbook. In order to scrutinize the appropriateness of using a coursebook, there are some recommendations that facilitators should follow: first, create a textbook evaluation form that fits students, curriculum and teachers’ expectations. Page layout is very important but it is not all. There must be a scale to evaluate the extension activities, table of contents, the proficiency level of the textbook, the teacher and students role, if the book is affordable, easy to understand, if it includes the five skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing and culture. In addition, the images must be clear and without cultural biases. A good updated book embraces glossary, pronunciation, web pages to have extra practice or to consult on.

Motivating students is not something new but it is an effective strategy to wisely use the textbook.  Combining the textbook with interesting videos, songs, boardgames and other practices raises the fact that the course becomes interesting and appealing to students. Next time dear teacher you choose a book to teach personalize the lessons to adapt and design good activities to maintain students’  curiosity and desires to learn and practice what are learning. As Cunningsworth states the relevance of using the textbooks appropriately:

No coursebook will be totally suited to a particular teaching situation. The teacher will have to find his own way of using it and adapting it if necessary. So we should not be looking for the perfect coursebook, which meets all our requirement, but rather for the best possible fit between what the coursebook offers and what we as teachers and students need. (89)

Cunningsworth, A. Evaluating and Selecting EFL Teaching   Materials.

Heinemann Educational Books. 1984.