Textbooks: Evaluation for Selection and Analysis for Implementation

Textbooks: Evaluation for Selection and Analysis for ImplementationPresenter: Saeed MajidiEmail: s.majidi88@gmail.comSource: Byrd, P. (2001). Textbooks: Evaluation for selection and analysis for implementation Introduction Here were going to have a look at what Byrd argues: the decision made in selecting textbook is different from those made for Implementing textbooks.

Introduction Most of Teachers come to the classrooms with some textbooks which provides content and teaching/learning activities that shape much of what happens in that classroom. Steps of using textbooks by teachers: first the selection of a book and then the steps taken to implement the book in class.Note: To many ESL/EFL teachers the selection process is not open because textbooks have been selected through an administrative process- at the ministerial level or by the school board or by the program director, etc. Textbooks are scrutinized by teachers through 1. evaluation for selection2. analysis for implementationevaluation for selectionEvaluation and selection of textbooks can be carried out in many different ways which some important ones are:1. Teachers decide on the books that they want to use in their classes:e.g. In university settings in the United States and elsewhere.2. Administrators or committees of teachers select the textbooks.3. Centralized decision making by the government:E.g. Egypt or IranNote: In this system, a unified series of textbooks is created for use throughout the country, rather than selecting textbooks from a generic collection created by commercial publishing companies.evaluation for selection4. Smaller centralized approach:In this approach textbooks are analyzed and lists of recommended books developed. Note I: No national requirements exist, and individual schools often have considerable flexibility in implementing state curricular requirements. Note II: It does not emphasize the individual teacher making a personal decision but often textbook selection is often the work of a faculty committee or of a program administrator.Systematic Evaluation Systems for evaluation of textbooks (and other instructional materials) generally provide checklists built around numerous aspects of teaching and student-teacher interactions. making a comprehensive yet reasonable checklist for evaluation of textbooks is an enormous challenge that requires different lists for different types of courses in different settings. Note: Published checklists like are offered as models that present important categories that should be considered in the selection process but you should remember that like other suggestions from colleagues, these models need to be considered carefully and adapted to fit the particular situation in which they will be used.6Systematic EvaluationSystematic Evaluation1. The Fit Between Curriculum and Texts

Its very important that there be a fit between the materials and curriculum; In some cases for large educational systems, publishers create materials based on published curriculum statements. For example, in Egypt, the Ministry of Education arranges for publication of its own textbooks, but in some other cases, school systems publish their curriculum guidelines and invite publishers to submit materials that fit those guidelines as pubic schools in the US. As a result publishers compete fiercely to provide materials that meet the stated curricular guidelines. In this case it seems that the fit between the textbook and the curriculum is more reasonable and achievable goal.

Systematic EvaluationFor smaller programs and individual teachers, the fit between curriculum and textbooks can be harder to achieve for two reasons:

Systematic Evaluation2. the fit between the materials and the Student

Textbooks are for students. To meet their needs, the textbook must have not just the English language or communication skill content demanded by the curriculum, but it must also fit the needs of students as learners of English.

Major elementsContent/ explanationsexamplesexercises / tasksPresentation/ FormatIs the content likely to be of interest or use to the students? Is there any chance that the content could be offensive or inappropriate for its intended audience?Are the examples appropriate to the lives and interests of the students? Do the examples fit closely with the concepts they are supposed to be explaining?Do the exercises or tasks provide enough variety to meet the needs of different kinds of learners in the class(es)?Are the illustrations and other graphical and design elements appropriate for their age and educational level? Will it last a term of hard use by students?Df

10Systematic Evaluation3. the fit between the materials and the Teacher

Textbooks are also for teachers. The evaluation-for-selection process needs to find out if the textbook can be used effectively by the teachers to whom it will be assigned. The basic questions will always be Can our teachers handle this material? and Will our teachers find that the textbook meets their needs and preferences for teaching material?

Systematic EvaluationMajor elementsContent/ explanationsIn all settings, evaluators need to consider if the textbook provides content that teachers will find useful to carry out the goals of the course and the program is this a teacher-friendly textbook?Are the examples usable for the teacher?Can they be expanded on or recast to be useful in the lessons?Does the text provide enough things for the teacher to give his or her students to do for the period of time to be covered by the course? Are the exercises or tasks doable in this setting?Does the illustrative material provide the teacher with teaching opportunities?Is there a close connection between the content and the illustrations?examplesexercises / tasksPresentation/ FormatANALYSIS FOR IMPLEMENTATION In the evaluation-for-selection process, the basic question is Does this book have the features that we want it to have so that we can adopt it? After adoption, the basic question changes to, How do I as a teacher working with particular students in a particular class in a particular program make this book work to ensure effective and interesting lessons? The categories that a teacher can use are the same as in the selection process but the purpose is much different and often much more urgent, since teachers can find themselves analyzing a textbook only hours before going into a class to teach a lesson that will be built around the materials in the text.

ANALYSIS FOR IMPLEMENTATIONGetting an Overview of the Resources in the Textbook:

Prior to implementing a textbook, a teacher needs to read the whole book-from start to finish, including any appendices. A basic rule of textbook implementation: You can only implement materials if you know they are there.

Teaching cycle introduction of new materials or information or a re-introduction for a review sessionNote: it can be direct or indirect; it is whatever the teacher does to get students started on a unit of study. any type of activity, from a drill to writing an essay, from the least communicative form of repetition to an unscripted discussion; it is whatever the teacher sets up to help the students learn to do whatever it is they are studying in that unitwhatever the teacher does to find out what the students have learned.Analysis of the Content of the TextbookLanguage textbooks differ considerably from those in other disciplinary areas. Discussions of problems with public school textbooks for other disciplines often concentrate on two related areas: (1) inaccurate or incomplete content (see for example, Suidan ct al. 1995) and (2) poor readability for the student audience because content experts do not necessarily understand how to present complex content for new, young learners (see for example, Britton, Woodward, and Binkely 1993).

ESL/EFL textbooks tend to be made up of two strands of content: (1) the linguistic content (grammar, vocabulary, skill area) and (2) the thematic content ("school," "gender issues," "Native Americans," and the topical content used to present and practice the linguistic content). In contrastAnalysis of the Content of the TextbookNote: The teacher can expect the topics in content-based materials to be emphasized and clearly visible. In most other materials, however, the teacher will need to look past the linguistic content to find out what themes have been included in the textbook.Example: the teacher notices in his or her initial analysis that a grammar textbook includes numerous examples and passages based on biographies of famous people, then he or she can plan to supplement the text with other materials and activities (visits to local museums, readings about people famous in the cultures of the students, and so on).Note: The analysis-for-implementation angle on content involves both the linguistic and the thematic content of the textbookAnalysis of the Content of the TextbookAnalysis of Exercises/Tasks in the Textbook for Implementation in ClassesIn planning the ways in which the textbook will be used for the whole academic term, a teacher needs to be making concrete if tentative decisions about how different activities will be used during the academic term.Which of the activities provided in this textbook will I do in class?Which activities in the textbook will I assign as homework?Which activities in the textbook will I hold back to use for testing?Which activities in the textbook can be used for review later in the term?Which activities in the textbook require longer periods of time to accomplish-special projects?Which activities in the textbook might require special equipment that has to be ordered ahead of time?Where are connections being made between various units of the book, connections that might require review?Which activities in the textbook do I not want to do at all?Answers questions like:

Seeking Help in Implementation of the Textbook CONCLUSIONIn the evaluation-for selection process, those with the responsibility for choosing textbooks need to consider not just the fit between the curriculum and the textbook but also the practical issues of usability by teachers and by students. Once a textbook has been selected, teachers need to analyze the resources in the textbook to create a plan for daily lessons and for the whole course that helps them both implement and supplement what is already given in the most efficient and effective way.Note: some teacher educators say that teachers should be free agents-creating their own materials for their own students. Such discussions are built on a vision of the teacher as an individual, in his or her own classroom, making unique decisions for that unique group of students, in contrast, At the other extreme, and probably the source of some of the negative emotions that teacher educators express about textbooks, is the administrative desire for a "teacher-proof text" that can be taught by even the most untrained and unqualified of individuals. Of course, reality for most teachers lies somewhere between these two extremes.Thanks for your attentionPresenter: Saeed MajidiEmail: s.majidi88@gmail.com