D22 The Trouble with Textbooks

Katie McKnight, Ph.D.

Katherine.McKnight@nl.edu

Katie McKnight, Ph.D.Katie@KatherineMcKnight.com

www.KatherineMcKnight.com

Twitter: @LiteracyWorld

Facebook: Katie McKnight Literacy

The Textbook Challenge

• Often Superficial• Exceedingly Hard to Read• Badly Designed• Authoritarian• Inaccurate• Not Written for Students

Six Ways to Use Textbooks More Effectively

1. Empathy- Do you remember when you had difficulty in a subject and the text was difficult?

2. Help the students to get started. We need to “front-load” our teaching.

3. Don’t leave kids alone with their textbooks.4. Choose wisely. Be more selective with

assignments. Be strategic about what is most important.

5. Supplement richly.

Textbook Feature Analysis

• In groups, we will look at the different features of various textbooks.

• How do textbooks affect our students’ study habits and success?

Now What?

• Consider the role of your textbook in teaching your subject matter.

• How can you promote critical thinking with textbooks?

Strategies for Textbooks: A Sample

• Sticky Notes• Bookmarks• ReQuest• Supplement Richly• Audio Assist• Making Smaller Book Versions

Daniels, H. and Zimmerman, S. (2004). Subjects Matter: Every Teachers’ Guide to Content –Area Reading. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, p 121.

Sketch Through Text

Stop and Write

Resources I Like

• Subjects Matter: Every Teacher's Guide to Content-Area Reading, Harvey Daniels and Steven Zemelman

• Differentiating Textbooks: Strategies to Improve Student Comprehension and Motivation, James Grant

• The Teacher’s Big Book of Graphic Organizers, Katherine McKnight 

How to Reach Me

• Email Katherine.McKnight@nl.edu• FACEBOOK

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Katie-Siewert-McKnight/127542413956216?ref=sgm