The roles of textbooks in a language program

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 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 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 part of a teacher’s professional knowledge.
The use of commercial 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 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
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:
6. They can provide effective language models and input: Textbooks can provide support for
teachers whose first language is not English and who may not be able to generate accurate
language input on their own.
7. They can train teachers: If teachers have limited teaching experience, a textbook l teacher
training.
8. They are visually appealing: Commercial textbooks usually have high standards of design
and production and hence are appealing to teachers and learners. However, there are also
potential negative effects. For example:
1. They may contain inauthentic language: Textbooks sometimes present inauthentic language
since texts, dialogues, and other aspects of content tend to be specially written to incorporate
teaching points and are often not representative of real language use.
2. They may distort content: Textbooks often present an idealized view of the world or fail to
represent real issues. In order to make textbooks acceptable in many different contexts
controversial topics are avoided and instead an idealized white middle class view of the world is
portrayed as the norm.
3. Since textbooks are often written for global markets they often do not reflect the interests and
needs of students and hence may require adaptation.
4. They can deskill teachers: If teachers use textbooks as the primary source of their primary
function is to present materials prepared by others.
5. They are expensive: Commercial textbooks may represent a financial burden for students in
many parts of the world.
In sum, both the benefits and limitations of the use of textbooks need to be considered, and if
the textbooks that are being used in a program are judged to have some negative consequences,
remedial action should be taken, e.g. by adapting or supplementing books or by providing
appropriate guidance and support for teachers in how to use them appropriately.
Retrospective evaluation refers to evaluation designed to examine materials that have actually
been used. The teacher does not carry out an evaluation with the ultimate aim of predicting
whether a given textbook/ coursebook is suitable for his/her teaching situation. Instead, the
teacher makes a decision as to whether the tasks in the textbook/coursebook s/he has used is
worth using, in other words, if these tasks are in accordance with their students’ needs, if they
motivate their students, and help students improve their language performance. In this way, the
teacher decides whether a specific task in the textbook/coursebook is worth using in the lesson,
or if s/he needs to adapt it or decide if a new activity has to be added.
There are two main ways through which retrospective evaluation can be conducted. The first,
and the most commonly used way of conducting retrospective evaluation, is to engage in what
is known as “impressionistic evaluation”. This involves teachers’ assessing, during the language
course, which activities and materials are actually beneficial, so that at the end of the course
they can make a summative judgement of the materials they have used (Ellis, 1997). The
second way to carry out retrospective evaluation involves a “micro-evaluation”, which requires
an overall assessment of whether an entire set of materials has proved to be beneficial and
suitable in a given teaching situation. Most commonly a micro-evaluation of teaching materials
is carried out in relation to a task, defined as an activity in which meaning is of primary
importance, to determine if there is a correlation of the activity to real-life situations. The
evaluation of how well students perform in the task is carried out on the basis of the outcome of
the task When you evaluate the quality of the reading tasks and activities, answer the four
questions below:
a) Do the reading activities contribute to the learners’ development of reading skills so that they
can achieve the learning outcomes?
Consider if these activities offer students opportunities to practice their reading skills written in
the learning outcomes.
b) Are the activities balanced in format, containing both free and controlled practice?
Consider if there are a wide range of tasks, including both controlled and free practice.
Controlled practices such as multiple choice tasks, or fill-in-the-blank activities guide students
to a single correct answer. Free practice which involves open-ended activities (such as writing
or speaking in the post-reading stage, making a prediction in the pre-reading stage or
confirming predictions in the while-reading stage) offer students an opportunity to read with a
real-life purpose (e.g. to read in order to confirm or reject a prediction).
c) Do activities progress in such a way that they capitalize on what students have already
learned?
Activities should progress from simple to more complex, both linguistically and cognitively.
Activities should require more from students as their language skills develop to keep them
interested and challenged.
d) Are the activities challenging and varied in format?
Routine can make students lose interest and lead to boredom. Tasks should serve as a stimulus
for communication and lead to stimulating writing or speaking tasks. For example, many
activities in the textbook rely too heavily on comprehension questions, depriving students of an
opportunity to read a text with a real-life purpose. Textbooks need to include reading activities
that demand students to make use of a wide range of cognitive skills so as to be challenging to
students.
e) Are the instructions clearly stated for each task, so students know what, how and why they
engage in a given task?
Instructions for the tasks must be made clear so that students know what, how and why they
engage in the tasks.
f) Are the tasks authentic, simulate real-life situations, or are they too contrived?
At least one of the tasks in the lesson should resemble real-life situations