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Critical overview of text-books 222
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- Introduction
- Part 1. The importance of textbook in teaching and textbook adaptation
- Part 2. The evaluation of textbook in English language teaching
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Theme: Critical overview of text-books in English for Russian speakers Plan: Introduction Part 1. The importance of textbook in teaching and textbook adaptation Part 2. The evaluation of textbook in English language teaching Part 3. Critical overview of text-books in English for Russian speakers Conclusion Bibliography Introduction English Language Teaching is very important because of the global status of English. English Language Teaching is a process that requires great efforts on the part of all the participants. The use of English for foreign language (EFL) published materials is more widespread than ever before since textbooks provide EFL teachers with guidelines concerning syllabus, teaching methodologies and the materials to be taught. They are considered an essential component of any EFL course and thus the selection of the best suitable book for a particular context demands careful investigation. This course paper focuses on the analysis and evaluation of a recently developed textbook addressed to native speakers of Russia learning English as a Foreign Language at primary or secondary school. The main part of teaching and learning activity is a good material for students. One of the basic things in teaching material is text book. Textbook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions. As the main things in teaching material, textbook is used in every school and course. Nowadays, textbook is a main device to deliver the material to students even at their homes. The students can use textbook to practice their understanding about the material from the teacher. They can also develop their skill by reading textbook. Textbooks are the most important elements of teaching process for the aims and objectives of a course. In view of the importance of English as a foreign language in Russia, we viewed the existing textbooks and system of teaching English in order to point out the shortcomings which have been hindering the Russia students from mastering the English language. The teachers of English should also be equipped with an up-to-date knowledge of English language teaching (ELT). The aim of this course-paper is to overview text-books in English for Russian speakers critically. The task of the course-book is to collect information about textbooks and teachers’ attitude towards ELT in Russia. The planning is important for preparing a relevant curriculum. It should be planned according to what students need to learn. Some recommendations are made for improving the Textbooks of English as a foreign language in Russia.
Textbooks are considered the key element of most language programs [11, 34] and provide the required input into classroom lessons through different activities, readings and explanations [13, 65]. Clandfield [4, 34] in a new internet discussion about the use of course book, states that textbooks are beneficial tools for ELT in that they provide a framework for teachers and students to follow, provide nice-looking, motivational, colorful and diverse content, serve as a great time-saver for teachers, and provide a source of ideas and methodology for them. ... According to Cunningsworth [2, 38], the textbooks serve for the language course as a source for material presentation, activities for learner practice and communicative interaction, stimulation and ideas for classroom activities, and a reference source for learners on grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. The faultless textbook does not exist, because Textbooks may provide learners with inauthentic language, they may contain inaccurate content, and they may disregard students' needs or de-skill teachers [11, 76]. However "the best book accessible for teachers and their learners does exist" [16, 87]. Opponents of textbook based teaching claim that even the best textbooks take away initiative from teachers. As Tomlinson [14, 67] states proponents of the course book argue that it is the most convenient form of presenting materials, it helps to achieve consistency and continuation, it gives learners a sense of system, cohesion and progress and it helps teachers prepare and learners revise. Garinger [4, 41] commenting on the usefulness of textbooks emphasises that using a textbook is one of the most effective and readily available ways to relieve some of the pressures put on teachers, lessens preparation time, provides ready-made activities and finally provides concrete samples of classroom progress through which external stakeholders can be satisfied. McGrath [12, 56] asserts that textbooks can set the direction, content and they can propose ways in which the lesson is to be taught. Many teachers are required to use textbooks and are bound to the textbook in its existing form. Since this simplifies class preparation for teachers, this is acceptable for some teachers who eventually begin to over-rely on textbooks and decide to follow the textbook closely. On the other hand, some teachers reject the textbook approach to learning and wish to make substantial changes to the textbook they need to use. Adapting a textbook to fit actual needs of a group of learners is a demanding and time-consuming process. Apart from lack of time and resources that majority of teachers state to be the main obstacles in adapting textbooks, teachers also need training and experience in modifying textbooks. It is not only the teachers who have a significant impact on the use and modification of textbooks; the learners’ reaction to textbooks needs to be taken into consideration as well. For the learners the textbook is one of the most important sources of contact they have with the language. It is a framework or guide that helps them to organize their learning. It is helpful to involve students in the process of adapting textbooks. Consequently, they would feel that their needs are respected and they would feel much more motivated to successfully finish the course [8, 176]. Textbooks are a key component in most language programs. In some situations they serve as the basis for much of the language input learners receive and the language practice that occurs in the classroom. They may provide the basis for the content of the lessons, the balance of skills taught and the kinds of language practice the students take part in. In other situations, the textbook may serve primarily to supplement the teacher's instruction. For learners, the textbook may provide the major source of contact they have with the language apart from input provided by the teacher. In the case of inexperienced teachers textbooks may also serve as a form of teacher training – they provide ideas on how to plan and teach lessons as well as formats that teachers can use. Much of the language teaching that occurs throughout the world today could not take place without the extensive use of commercial textbooks. Learning how to use and adapt textbooks is hence an important part of a teacher's professional knowledge. The use of textbooks in teaching has both advantages and disadvantages, depending on how they are used and the contexts for their use. Among the principal advantages are: 1. They provide structure and a syllabus for a program. Without textbooks a program may have no central core and learners may not receive a syllabus that has been systematically planned and developed. 2. They help standardize instruction. The use of a textbook in a program can ensure that the students in different classes receive similar content and therefore can be tested in the same way. 3. They maintain quality. If a well developed textbook is used students are exposed to materials that have been tried and tested, that are based on sound learning principles, and that are paced appropriately. 4. They provide a variety of learning resources. Textbooks are often accompanied by workbooks, CDs and cassettes, videos, CD ROMs, and comprehensive teaching guides, providing a rich and varied resource for teachers and learners. 5. They are efficient. They save teachers' time, enabling teachers to devote time to teaching rather than material's production.
7. They provide security for the students because they have a kind of a road map of the course: they know what to expect and they know what is expected from them. 8. They provide a set of visuals, activities, readings, etc., and so save the teacher time in finding or developing such materials. 9. They provide teachers with a basis for assessing students’ learning. Some textbooks include tests or evaluation tools. 10. They provide consistency within a program across a given level, if all teachers use the same textbook. If textbooks follow a sequence, as within a series, it provides consistency between levels. Textbooks also have limitations, which can lead to teachers’ and learners’ dissatisfaction with the course. The following list contains the most frequently stated disadvantages of using only ready-made textbooks [8, 149]: • The content or examples may not be relevant or appropriate to the group and they may not reflect the students’ needs since textbooks are often written for global markets and often do not reflect the interests and needs of students. • They may contain inauthentic language, since texts, dialogs and other aspects of content tend to be specially written to incorporate teaching points and are often not representative of real language use. • The content may not be at the right level. There may not be the right mix of activities there may be too much focus on one or more aspects of language and not enough focus on others, or it may not include everything teachers want to include. • The sequence of units is not in accordance with the real work-related needs. • The activities, readings, visuals, etc., may be boring. • The timetable for completing the textbook or parts of it may be unrealistic. • The textbook doesn’t take the students’ background knowledge into account. Graves [8, 176] suggests that, in order to minimize difficulties when selecting textbooks, teachers should: use the textbook as a resource for students, but not the only resource; use a textbook as a guide, be free to modify, evaluate, develop, change, eliminate, or add to the material in the textbook, supplement the textbook with lots of outside readings. We should consider the following when selecting textbook: –Curriculum coverage, –materials presentation, –and language Textbooks should: • teach learners to learn, • be resource books for ideas and activities, for instruction/learning, and • give teachers rationale for what they do. • bring about an effective learning situation There are following strategies to use textbooks effectively in class:
Assign meaningful reading homework –Using pre-reading strategies will increase learner comprehension and recollections –Assign learners to read a section and prepare a graphic organizerof the material •Spend at least one class period at the beginning of the year exploring the textbook with your learners. •Explain why you chose the book and show your excitement about it. •‘Walk’ them through the structure of the book, pointing out features. •Use the book daily in class to establish its importance Introducing learners to a topic by asking them to open to relevant chapter and scan the pages. •Encourage them to look for pictures, headings, bolded words, and any charts/graphs. •After a minute or two, ask them to suggest what they think the particular chapter addresses. Use activities that require learners to do more than just passively read. •The assignments must be structured so that learners engage and respond to the reading e.g. quizzes Textbooks can seldom be used without some form of adaptation to make them more suitable for the particular context in which they will be used. This adaptation may take a variety of forms. 1. Modifying content. Content may need to be changed because it does not suit the target learners, perhaps because of factors related to the learners’ age, gender, social class, occupation, religion or cultural background. 2. Adding or deleting content. The book may contain too much or too little for the program. Whole units may have to be dropped, or perhaps sections of units throughout the book omitted. For example a course may focus primarily on listening and speaking skills and hence writing activities in the book will be omitted. 3. Reorganizing content. A teacher may decide to reorganize the syllabus of the book, and arrange the units in what she considers a more suitable order. Or within a unit the teacher may decide not to follow the sequence of activities in the unit but to reorder them for a particular reason. 4. Addressing omissions. The text may omit items that the teacher feels are important. For example a teacher may add vocabulary activities or grammar activities to a unit. 5. Modifying tasks. Exercises and activities may need to be changed to give them an additional focus. For example a listening activity that focuses only on listening for information is adapted so that students listen a second or third time for a different purpose. Or an activity may be extended to provide opportunities for more personalized practice. 6. Extending tasks. Exercises may contain insufficient practice and additional practice tasks may need to be added. The ability to be able to adapt textbooks in these ways is an essential skill for teachers to develop. Through the process of adaptation the teacher personalizes the text making it a better teaching resource as well as individualizes it for a particular group of learners. Normally this process takes place gradually as the teacher becomes more familiar with the book since the dimensions of the text which need adaptation may not be apparent until the book is tried out in the classroom. When a number of teachers in a program are teaching from the same textbook it is useful to build in opportunities for teachers to share information about the forms of adaptation they are making. Graves [8, 205] defines the textbook adaptation cycle as a series of steps which includes: planning (including needs analysis and textbook structure analysis), teaching (implementing modifications), replanning (after the completion of one course, plan again using all conclusions made during the previous course) and reteaching (the implementation of new conclusions and decisions made on the basis of the previous course and replanning). This is followed by continuous assessment. 
The planning of textbook adapting provides a basis for all necessary changes. It is a complex process and it starts with a thorough needs analysis which gives teachers insight into students’ wishes and objectives. This is followed by looking into the textbook organization. Teachers need to understand the textbook, its content and structure in order to know what they are adapting or supplementing and to decide what kind of adding and resequencing is possible and necessary. Frequently the table of contents shows what is in the book, how the units are sequenced, and the content and organization of individual units. Once the teacher is familiar with the overall content and the organization of the book, it is helpful to become familiar with one of the units – what the content of the unit is, what the objectives are, and how the content helps to achieve the objectives [8, 186]. There are several ways to do this. One is to make a diagram of the unit. Another is to make lists of content, objectives, and the relationships between them. This is followed by considerations on how the teacher wants to adapt the textbook. There is a range of choices about how much the textbook should be adapted. The teacher may adapt the textbook at the activity level, at the unit level and at the syllabus level. The adaptations are cumulative: adapting at the unit level involves adaptation at the activity level, adapting at the syllabus level involves adaptation at the unit level. Such choices depend on teachers’ experience with the textbook; it is easier to adapt a textbook the teacher has already taught from. In the interest to create the best possible course, teachers may choose to ask the learners to express their views of how effective the textbook and the adaptations. This gives teachers valuable feedback and guidelines for replanning and reteaching and creates a crucial connection between the teacher and learners. Each time the teacher goes through the cycle of planning, reaching, replanning and reteaching he/she becomes more comfortable making choices about what to emphasize, what to leave out, and where to supplement and personalize the textbook. Adapting at the activity level. Activities can be classified into four types [8, 188]: • warm-up activities – usually based on previous topics. It can be considered a review activity and it is usually given at the beginning of a class as a creative way to start a class or break the routine of a class. • presentation activities – introduce new topics. practice activities – it is a meaningful opportunity for the learners to practice the taught material. • consolidation activity – it is developed after the practice and these activities reinforce the topics that had already been taught. The majority of teachers adapt and add activities which fit into the schedule to make students more interested and active in the learning process and provide their students the opportunity to learn in a more pleasurable way. These newly developed activities should focus on learners’ needs, give more control to the students, and allow for students’ creativity and innovation to enhance the students’ sense of competence and self-worth. Adapting at the unit level. The next level of adaptation is at the unit level. Each textbook consists of a number of theme-based units and each unit has its own structure. The teacher may add exercises to give extra practice to items that are frequently used or which require extra time to learn. In addition, the teacher may skip over confusing or not relevant parts of a unit or resequence the parts of the unit to fit the course. Adapting at the syllabus level. Ur [6, 176] defines the syllabus as a document which specifies all the things that are to be taught in the course for which the syllabus was designed. A textbook can be adapted at the syllabus level by adding items or even whole units that are important to students, such as topics on cultural understanding which are crucial for successful business or omitting components that may not be of high priority for learners. Adapting the syllabus involves the teacher and learners working together to make decisions and it is a way of giving high priority to the recognition of learners’ needs within the course. Additional Factors . There are additional factors that need to be taken into consideration prior to textbook adaptation. In order to make textbooks acceptable in many different contexts controversial topics are avoided and textbooks often present an idealized view of the world. The teacher’s understandings about how people learn and what the students’ prevailing attitudes towards sensitive issues are play an important role in textbook interpretation and adaptation [8, 203]. In order to make decisions about how to adapt a textbook at the activity, unit or syllabus level, it is important that teachers are aware of their beliefs concerning what they know about students and their needs. Also, the institutional context in which teachers work can be crucial for decisions about adapting a textbook. In some contexts teachers have a great deal of independence as far as what they do in the classroom. In other contexts, teachers may need to be sensitive to institutional and cultural constrains with the respect to what, how and how much they can adapt the textbook. Thus, s textbook can be conceived as a working tool either for the teacher or for the pupil. Decisions as to choice in this respect will determine the nature of the textbook as a tool for communication: language used, quantity and level of information, text, illustrations and links between the latter two elements. Generally speaking, the least developed countries give priority to textbooks for pupils. For teachers, the choice is that of a teacher's guide which differs from school textbooks in its nature.
Through the evaluation of a textbook, teachers know the content of the book, its strengths and weaknesses which will facilitate them to adapt it to suit the course aims, learners’ needs and teachers’ beliefs. As Littlejohn (1998) observes, textbook evaluation serves the purpose of examining whether the methodology and content of the materials are appropriate for a particular language teaching context. The evaluation would test out the claims materials make for themselves: whether they truly develop autonomy, whether they truly involve problem solving and if they indeed are learner centered. Evaluation of teaching materials can be divided in three types according to the literature in the field of English Language Teaching.
Although the textbook under scope in the present study was being used by Russia state schools, pre-use analysis was used due to limitations of the researcher to obtain information of the actual use of the book and the way it was received by teachers and students. The pre-use analysis would serve to examine the textbook as it is, with the content and ways of working which they propose and not with what may actually happen in classrooms. Apart from being a limitation, this could also be seen as a positive aspect since as Littlejohn [10,191] notes what happens in classrooms and what outcomes occur when materials are brought into use will depend upon numerous further factors, thus exclusion of other variables can be achieved through pre-use evaluation. The levels of analysis used in the evaluation of the textbook include two levels: Level 1: First-Glance evaluation which involves an overall presentation and analysis of the textbook related to its design, table of contents, distribution of units, lessons and sections in the book. Level 2: Close-evaluation which examines separately and more analytically the treatment of the different skills, reading, listening, writing and speaking and the ways of assessment practices provided through the book. Cunningsworth [2, 5] proposes four criteria for evaluating textbooks, particularly coursebooks: 1. They should correspond to learner’s needs. They should match the aims and objectives of the language-learning program. 2. They should reflect the uses (present or future) which learners will make of the language. Textbooks should be chosen that will help equip students to use language effectively for their own purposes. 3. They should take account of students’ needs as learners and should facilitate their learning processes, without dogmatically imposing a rigid “method”. 4. They should have a clear role as a support for learning. Like teachers, they mediate between the target language and the learner. The type of evaluation a textbook receives, however, will also reflect the concerns of the evaluator. One teacher may look at a book in terms of its usability. The teacher is primarily interested in whether the book works easily in her class, can be used flexibly, and could easily be adapted. Another teacher may look at a book much more critically in terms of its theoretical orientation and approach. If it is a book that teaches conversation skills what theory of conversation is it based on? What kind of syllabus is it based on and what is the validity of the activities it makes use of? Two teachers evaluating a writing text may likewise look at it from very different perspectives. In any language program it is unlikely that a published checklist can be used without adaptation as a basis for evaluating and choosing textbooks. Based on the factors in each situation questions specific to that situation need to be generated around the main issues involved in textbook evaluation and selection:
program factors – questions relating to concerns of the program teacher factors – questions relating to teacher concerns learner factors – questions relating to learner concerns content factors – questions relating to the content and organization of the material in the book pedagogical factors – questions relating to the principles underlying the materials and the pedagogical design of the materials, including choice of activities and exercise types No matter what form of materials teachers make use of, whether they teach from textbooks, institutional materials, or teacher-prepared materials, they represent plans for teaching. They do not represent the process of teaching itself. As teachers use materials, they adapt and transform them to suit the needs of particular groups of learners and their own teaching styles. These processes of transformation are at the heart of teaching and enable good teachers to create effective lessons out of the resources they make use of. It is useful therefore to collect information on how teachers use course books and other teaching materials in their teaching. The information collected can serve the following purposes.
To document effective ways of using materials To provide feedback on how materials work To keep a record of additions, deletions, and supplementary materials teachers may have used with the materials To assist other teachers in using the materials Monitoring may take the following forms: 1. Observation Classroom visits to see how teachers use textbooks and to find out how materials influence the quality of teaching and interaction that occurs in a lesson. 2. Feedback sessions Group meetings in which teachers discuss their experience with textbooks. 3. Written reports The use of reflection sheets or other forms of written feedback in which teachers make brief notes about what worked well, what didn’t work well, or give suggestions on using the materials. 4. Reviews Written reviews by a teacher or group of teachers on their experiences with a set of materials and what they liked or disliked about them. 5. Students’ reviews Comments from students on their experience with the materials
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