Choosing a Coursebook

Sebastián Concha Ulbrich

Teaching III

Icebreaker:

Index

• Introduction

• What do you want from a coursebook?

• What can a good coursebook give the teacher?

• What do your learners need from a coursebook?

• The perfect coursebook

• What can you contribute to the coursebook?

• Checklist for choosing a coursebook (two samples)

Introduction

Choosing a coursebook is one of the most important selections which teachers can make. Teachers cannot influence their working lives in many ways. You cannot choose your teaching hours, your

holiday periods, the classes you teach, the learners who are in those classes, or the classrooms you use, but you can choose your

coursebook.

You select a coursebook for your learners and for yourself, so you first need to analyze your learners’ needs and your own needs.

What do you want from a coursebook?

Different things (Interesting cover, bright colors, etc).

Different uses.

As a guideline.

As an instrument to assess the students’ progress.

A huge number of contents.

As a data base where to base a lesson.

What can a good coursebook give the teacher?

A good coursebook can help a teacher by providing:

· A clearly thought out programme which is appropriately sequenced and structured to include progressive revision;

· A wider range of materials than an individual teacher may be able to collect;

· Security;

· Economy of preparation time;

· A source of practical ideas;

· Work that the learners can do on their own so that the teacher does not need to be center stage all the time;

· A basis for homework if this is required;

· A basis for discussion and comparison with other teachers.

· A source of practical ideas;

What do your learners need from a coursebook?

Colorful pictures

Interesting

Exiting games Differe

nt activiti

esDialogues

Songs

The perfect coursebook“The Perfect Coursebook for every teacher and every

class does not exist”.

Evaluate the makeup of your class. Important considerations include:

• The age • Final course (are the students going to take a test?)

• Objectives

• Whether the class is made up of students learning for work purposes or for hobby.

What can you contribute to the coursebook?

• Are you a musician who can play and sing any songs you need?

• Do you know hundreds of simple games for your learners to play?Do

• you have a good competence in English?

• Are you a great artist who can draw all the pictures you need?

Answer the following question:

What are the potential problems that you can not avoid at all in a coursebook? (Name at least 4 of them)

Potential problems

• A lot of activities where students do "questions and answers“.

• Learning process boring and uninteresting.

• Lack of challenging reading materials.

• Similarities among coursebook.

• Enough details.

Checklist for choosing a coursebook (two samples)

Conclusion• Using course books has its share of benefits and advantages such as having a well

organized content with a consistency in the topics and genres for the four skill area (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). 

• This would be a great help to those inexperienced teachers who are just getting started into teaching.

• However, nothing in the world is perfect and teachers need to somehow solve the issues and problems that may come with ESL course books.

That’s all