The English Language Coursebook
English Coursebook Selection - is it a straightjacket or guide
Oct 20, 2007
The choice of an English language coursebook in language schools worldwide is often taken too lightly, which can lead to serious repercussions for both teachers and students. The selection of an inappropriate coursebook is likely to act as a straightjacket, forcing teachers to grapple with material that is too difficult or irrelevant and fails to engage learners and therefore impedes learning.
It is common practice, especially in developing countries, for educational departments and owners of language schools to control and influence the educational decisions made within them whilst having little or no knowledge or expertise in English language teaching.
The Importance of English Coursebook Selection
Sadly, inexperienced school directors and local government departments often make coursebook selection based on financial viability or are unduly influenced by one particular publisher. The cost of a coursebook is an important consideration certainly, but it is by no means the only one to be taken into account. Time after time, managers and officials make buying choices without sufficiently liaising with teachers, carrying out needs analysis or piloting potential coursebooks within language classrooms.
Much of the commercially published textbook material which hails from British or US publishing houses these days still has a very Anglo centric feel. This is of no particular interest, say, to a Thai or Chinese student who lives in a small town and who is unlikely to travel outside of their province or has little exposure to the outside world.
The Benefits of a Well Chosen English Coursebook
Whilst a good language teacher can struggle to make the best of a bad coursebook, a good teacher can become a better one with a carefully selected, engaging coursebook containing topics relevant to the student profile, the country culture and learner experiences of real life.
There is no such thing as a perfect coursebook but it is possible to carry out sufficient research to narrow down a choice of 2 or 3 that best fits a particular group of learners. As any experienced English language teacher will tell you, one size does not fit all!
It is also interesting to note the differing attitudes towards a coursebook in institutions across the globe. Some view it as ‘written in stone’; others view it only as a guideline; and others, particularly fledgling teachers, cling to it as a life support system, giving them basic grammar knowledge and the major source of teaching ideas for their classroom.
The Role of the Teacher’s Book in English Language Teaching
Amazingly, some school owners, in the interest of economy, are still reluctant to invest in teacher’s books or supplementary ‘add ons’ which enhance the standard course material, providing language reinforcement and a variety of additional learning tools.
Gone are the days when the teacher’s book only provided answers to exercises. Open up 90% of mainstream English language courses today and you’ll find the teacher’s book is a valuable guide to different teaching approaches, suggestions for expansion on topics, photocopiable materials related to extension activities and games with detailed grammar explanations and teaching advice, invaluable to the novice teacher.
The Role of Today’s English Language Coursebook
For newly qualified English teachers the coursebook serves as both a crutch and a guide; for learners it is a source of motivation, knowledge and reference.
Today’s modern English language coursebook should be a road map – a guide of where to go and how to get there. What happens along the way and how much a teacher deviates depends on learner types, chosen methodology and the interests and motivations of their students. It should not be a straight jacket where through careless selection; an English teacher is forced to plough through inappropriate material and learners dread opening up their books!
