Here is our last forum. In class we discussed some of the advantages and disadvantages of using a book. Based on the disadvantages we could predict some of the problems we might encounter when using a book. Look at the following chart presenting some common difficulties students and teachers might face when using books. Choose a problem and post a solution to overcome that difficulty.
Thanks for sharing!
Weakness
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Teacher/Student Difficulty
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Ways of Overcoming Problem
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The textbook is designed as a the sole source of information.
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Students only see one perspective on a concept or issue.
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Textbook is old or outdated.
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Information shared with students is not current or relevant.
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Textbook questions tend to be low level or fact-based.
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Students assume that learning is simply a collection of facts and figures.
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Textbook doesn't take students' background knowledge into account.
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Teacher does not tailor lessons to the specific attributes and interests of students.
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Reading level of the textbook is too difficult.
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Students cannot read or understand important concepts.
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The textbook has all the answer to all the questions.
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Students tend to see learning as an accumulation of correct answers.
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Well, I have chosen the last one about the students see learning as an accumulation of correct answers because the book has all the answers to all questions. My proposal is to don't use the textbook as the only tool for both of them to measure, the students knowledge or improvement, I think is necessary to use alternative activities which allow students to make use of their different skills, giving to these ones more importance.
ReplyDeleteI agree. A book should not be the only resource used to test students knowledge. They should be provided with alternative activities to allow them to think in various ways.
DeleteI agree with you, the teacher shouldn’t use the textbook as the only tool. He/ She can use other activities to assess students learning or knowledge. In a typical class we often listen to the same student’s comments: they say “the teacher has all the answers in his/ her book” this happens when they are completing an exercise proposed from the textbook. It’s clear and safe to say that students just see an accumulation of correct answers and have no encouragement towards using other possibilities for the use of the language.
DeleteI agree with you. Finding new and communicative approach resources will always be useful when the textbook does not offer much of what people need.
Delete(Textbook doesn't take students' background knowledge into account.
ReplyDeleteTeacher does not tailor lessons to the specific attributes and interests of students.)
I think this is a common problem students may face wehen a teacher uses a book step by step. I would recommend teachers to become familiar/knowledgeable with their students, so much that they are able to adapt each class t students interests and preferences. Books are usually made to teach large amounts of students at the same time, personalizing the goal provided is the best solution. Similarly, a book generally does not consider preview knowledge students may have, therefore, teachers should add to it by testing their knowledge, comparing to see what´s missing and providing any information it may be lacking.
I agree with you maybe have students do some research of the topic that you as teacher are going to cover up during your class, this way you'll prepare a lesson based on that knowledge.
DeleteI agree with you maybe have students do some research of the topic that you as teacher are going to cover up during your class, this way you'll prepare a lesson based on that knowledge.
DeleteAs i believe, it all is on the teacher. If the teacher always uses the book even without checking previous knowledge, then students will have no secuence and will have trouble in relating some things. Also students should have some interest in searching for some information that is not in the book. Only reading a book does not make a good students of english, and students and theacher should know it.
DeleteI definitely agree, I think the main goal of a teacher is to get the students to understand and learn, but if the students are not still in the required level for the next topics, the goal is not being reached.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteWhen the textbook is old and outdated and as a consequence the information is not current or relevant, students may feel totally ostracized. To overcome this issue teacher should avoid the old pieces of information from the book and bring updated info from a different source so instead of working with the outdated piece of news or text, students will work with something more meaningful to them and each time this happens T. will have to find a suitable resource to cover for it.
Good point, we can't just stop using it, since students are paying for it, and because sometimes it might be the only resource available,thanks for sharing your opinion(even though is an assignment), also another thing about old coursebooks could be that they use forms of the language that may not fit with the forms that are used in nowadays real context.
DeleteI agree that it’s up to the teacher to find resources to overcome working with an outdated book. Even though the book is a requirement to be used in class, as teachers we can handle the use of the book and decide what to use from the book and what to include from other sources without getting off track from the class objectives.
DeleteI agree. Teachers need to pay attention all the time to even the most little things and the book as a tool needs to be updated and of course in the best conditions as possible 🙆. Besides the teacher has to find solutions for students in the best way.
DeleteI agree with you, most of the time teachers don't get to pick the textbooks that they're going to use. I think they always should see textbooks are guides, and they could work even if the info is outdated cause teachers can bring updated information related to the topic presented in a more meaningful way.
DeleteReading level of the textbook is too difficult.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion students should read level appropiate material, and this will be changing as the students gets older and as their skills advance. I would recommend the use of supplemental materials such as library books, some internet textbooks. then this way we as teachers can make the students read and adjust the material they might need to develop a better reading habit.
Reading level of the textbook is too difficult.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion students should read level appropiate material, and this will be changing as the students gets older and as their skills advance. I would recommend the use of supplemental materials such as library books, some internet textbooks. then this way we as teachers can make the students read and adjust the material they might need to develop a better reading habit.
supplemental material could be a good solution to understand textbooks and but it's the book is not a requirement the best solution is just take the topics from it and don't use it.
DeleteWhen the textbook is designed as a the sole source of information and the students only see one perspective on a concept or issue, we need to adapt the material and offer discussion/creation scenarios(role plays, web research,etc), where the students critical thinking and creativity have place within the boundaries of the topic they aboard allowing them to develop their own point of view from their experiences, making meaningful practice, we can also offer technology based solutions like Dvds or website companions that come with books, and make use of multimedia and social-media sites.
ReplyDeleteYeah using only the book nowadays is quite nocive for the students process, specially since there is information that can be easily acquired thru the internet. In this age of information and conectivity relaying online in one information source is not wise.
DeleteReading level of the textbook is too difficult.
ReplyDeletestudents and teacher must look for a book where it appropriate with the level on the other hand as teachers is our responsibility to adapt the activities from the book to help the student to understand also add information and extra examples to make it easier for them.
being a guide to use a book as a extra tool.
I think we can adjust the material for the level of the students, is all about being creative and adapting the activities for them.
DeleteIf the textbook is to difficult for the students, I think that one has to leave it on the side all together, at least for a while and try to create different activities so to level students level with the level of the book. At least that is what I have done where I've had the freedom to do it. Thank you Yeison, I also agree with you.
Delete"Textbook questions tend to be low level or fact-based.
ReplyDeleteStudents assume that learning is simply a collection of facts and figures." I do not really agree with this statement. When we talk about english, english is the same. Even if the book is old, the teacher can still do somehting with it. I believe it all laids on the teacher and the way he ir she uses the book provided. Offcourse there are some books with cultural information that is very old, but still students can lear english with that old book.
I agree with you because even though the book is old, students can learn something from it, it just have to follow the students' needs and the teachers' objectives.
DeleteI agree with you because even though the book is old, students can learn something from it, it just have to follow the students' needs and the teachers' objectives.
DeleteHello guys, I have chosen the fourth one that says that the textbook does not take into account students' background knowledge and that the teacher does not tailor lessons to students' attributes and interests because I find myself in that point so I propose to stop trusting the textbook, the teacher is the one who has to guide and tailor lessons using the book as a tool but not a guide so students' needs and opinions can be part of the class since they're the most important factor within it. Besides being the most important factor within the class, students are the ones who should help the teacher build a perfect class giving opinions and talking about their own plans and experiences. Textbooks should be just a little part of a class where the teacher takes the most important things from but at the same time it should be followed by students needs.
ReplyDeleteI think that this depends of what context we are talking... For example sometimes as a teachers we NEED to use the book. Sometimes its a requirement, we can't just stop using it and thas it... students are paying for it, (parents almost see this factor) and like someone says in another coments sometimes it might be the only resource available.
DeleteThe textbook is designed as a the sole source of information. ( Students only see one perspective on a concept or issue.)
ReplyDeleteI chose this one because the book can be just a small tool for the class. Even though the book have some information that is necessary it cannot be the only resource a teacher. Information is unlimited and we can get a lot of ideas and have a great class. Put together the information and students life to get them connected.
When the textbook does not take students` background knowledge into account, I would be hard to catch their attention, so I would create huge difficulties at their learning process. My option to overcome this situation is to look for new materials that take into considerations the needs and desires students have. If the students don’t have a relation between what they are learning and their necessities, they would never want to learn such a useless knowledge.
ReplyDelete"the textbook is design as the sole source of information, students only see one perspective on a concept or issue." i think textbooks are an important tool cause they've been adapted continuosly to new findings in researchs and new challenges and demands but they shouldn't be use as the only one resource in classroom, teachers must learn how to integrate and organize the content of a book to make learning an interactive and meaningful experience. i think a really good way to learn is try to search and use different resources to get information and create your own concepts through interacting with different points of view.
ReplyDeleteDifficulty "Information shared with students is not current or relevant" I am sure the teacher can predict if the topics of the books are not as good as the author had thought they would be, and the years come with new things, the teacher nevertheless must be creative to try to challenge the comfort place and really focus on what the students need to learn as well as doing some research by using their students learning styles and seek the way to teach a more convenient class where all students will to get engaged. Having these kinds of books is a challenge for the teacher because the book itself tries to guide the lessons but the teacher must find the way to keep the goals but modify the procedure.
ReplyDeleteWhen the textbook is old or outdated the best way for us as a teacher to overcome this issue is to bring at class actual information. Using another resources,materials,texts,graphics, etc. The information of the book can be useful if we offer more than that to our students.
ReplyDelete"Textbook doesn't take students' background knowledge into account." I think that this is an obvious flaw of any textbook, but I think that a way of diminishing this biased way of learning, teachers have to become more proactive in their student's learning, especifically because I think that a textbook is a tool, maybe even only a pattern to be followed only as a model, but the content of the teaching has to be develop by teachers. We are always in the classrooms with students, we know the particulars situations our students can deal with and which they cannot, so I whick that books are of great importance but is the teacher's activities and enthusiasm what makes the difference inside the classroom.
ReplyDelete