Blog #5 - Textbooks

     In education, each subject area has specific textbooks which are, usually, used as the primary text of the class. These textbooks have been assaulted, especially in recent years, with mixed feelings. Some teachers view textbooks as a crutch while there are some teachers who find themselves with the exact opposite position by holding a strong dislike of textbooks and refuse to use them. In my opinion, textbooks are treasured assets. These books, in the realm of English, avail themselves readily to classroom use. Without such textbooks, the students in English classes will be required to be responsible for piles of small books and novels which they will only read a few pages to the whole work to carry around for the whole year. A textbook, primarily an anthology, reduces the amount of books and loose pages that the students have to juggle through for homework.

     In English classrooms, having more than one textbook has always been necessary for this content area. The method of using a variety of printed and online resources in the classroom has proven to be successful. Using a variety of works of literature from the textbook in the classroom, which teach the most valuable lessons, in conjunction with works outside of the textbook, will give students a taste for how the world has changed throughout history and how speeches, poems, and other written texts changed the course of history. Yet, the works chosen need to have the appropriate vocabulary for the students. If they are unable to understand the vocabulary found in the text how are they going to understand the meaning the text is attempting to convey.

     In the English classroom, one way to efficiently and effectively use a textbook would be to wisely choose the work, page number, and duration of use for each assignment. Give the students smaller chunks of pages to read. The students will be able to accurately study and create a larger understanding with a smaller amount of pages verses a large amount. For example, while reading a novel, such as To Kill A Mockingbird, having the students read one chapter at a time will hold the students interest longer than assigning two or more chapters. Also, the students will be able to comprehend what they have read due to the fact that they were not intimidated by the sheer amount of pages several chapters can accumulate.

     English classrooms are special, using a variety of different texts is required in each high-school classroom. Therefore, having just one textbook is difficult. One teachers', found here, English department has banished using textbooks. The entire department creates their own curriculum based on what they are required, and what they wish, to teach. This may be viewed as a unique way of using textbooks, but the English department uses novels and anthologies of poems and other works to teach their students.