Using
coursebooks: a pleasure, a necessity or a mistake?
Even
in these days of on-line and technologically driven learning,
the most widely-used aid in the classroom, after the board,
is still the coursebook.
(See Online Learning in
the ELTForum topic archive) A significant part of many lessons
around the world involves the teacher and students doing
exercises or tackling reading or listening material from
their course book. Publishers recognise this, of course,
and continue to invest significant amounts of money in new
material and - sometimes - earn huge amounts of money back.
It
would seem, then, that coursebook use is an accepted part
of teaching. Many teachers do not question this, yet others
argue passionately that an over-reliance on coursebooks
has a damaging effect on learning and teaching. After all,
coursebooks can be static objects, organised on traditional
syllabus lines which may not be appropriate for individual
classes and students. For many years, commentators have
been fiercely arguing with 'for and against' articles on
the subject. For some people, not using a coursebook is
seen as an act of creative heroism. For others, such action
is thought of as folly.
What
do students and teachers need?
If
you believe that language learning is a result of a two-way
discussion between learners and teachers, with the student's
language 'emerging' under the teacher's guidance and support
(scaffolding), then you may feel that coursebooks can get
in the way of this process. (See The
Teacher - What Makes A Good One) If, on the other hand,
you think that students respond well to attractive, carefully
sequenced lesson material, which they can revisit and revise
from, then you probably support the use of coursebooks in
the classroom.
A
third view is also possible. Perhaps the issue is not so
much whether or not coursebooks are 'a good idea', but rather
how they are used. In the hands of creative and humanising
teachers and their students, any static object -a coursebook,
magazine, novel or website - can be transformed into learning
gold.
Students
need to be engaged with language which they understand and
can therefore learn and acquire: teachers need ways of exposing
students to language in a way that will be meaningful and
motivating. Coursebooks should be welcomed if they aid this
process, but either abandoned or used differently if they
don't.
This
month's development pack?
These,
then, are the issues which are explored in this month's
module. In my own piece I try to present a reasoned argument
which comes out, on the whole, in favour of coursebooks.
Scott Thornbury and Luke Meddings disagree profoundly, however,
and Scott then interviews a primary teacher - Nerina Conte
- who has experimented with 'materials-free teaching'. Luke
Prodromou takes the discussion on to the role of the coursebook
in effective teaching, and Shufang Wen shows how students
can be engaged with coursebook texts. Finally, Mario Rinvolucri
looks at the place of coursebooks in the humanised classroom.
Now
it's up to you. What do you think? Download the Development
Pack and join me in the next live chat session to discuss
the issues raised - go to The Forum
for details.
Jeremy Harmer
