Hi everybody,
Here is our last forum. In class we will discuss 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Textbook is old or outdated.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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The weakness that I chose is that the textbook question tend to be low level or fact based. I think that a way to overcome this weakness, is with activities that support the central topic talked in the textbook, it is just a helper for us as teachers, but is not the main exercise that should be treated during a class. The textbook should be the introduction of a topic, and the questions it presents are just for helping the students to point the objectives of all the lesson, but it shouldn’t be the only thing they do, the teacher, has to be able of fulfill the topic with their own knowledge and planning extra activities to be develop by the students, also giving them real world examples and not just the facts presented on the textbook.
ReplyDeleteThe topic Cristina chose is actually something we all should think about. A blind faith in a mediocre textbook will only result in an impaired learning process. Cristina is right when she says that the textbook should serve as a guide but not be the main core of the class. I totally agree with Cristina as well when she writes that the teacher's role is to ''fulfill the topic'' with their own intellectual & material resources. It's maybe too easy to plan a class based only on a textbook, and if it's a book with untrusty sources or methods, it can be even worse. So Cristina makes us understand that the teacher's work does not begin or end on a textbook.
DeleteERRATA: *with his/her own instead of ''with their own''
DeleteI agree with Cristina with the fact that the teacher should bring another activities to fulfill the topic. But I also think that the teacher should change the questions if they are too easy for students and to increase the level of those questions. It would be very important in a reading comprehension activity, so the teacher can actually assess students on the comprehension.
DeleteHey everyone! I selected the 4th issue. I believe that the teacher should try to analyze certain clues about his/her students. For example, socio-economic conditions, level of studies, and their specific skills or interests. In this way, the teacher can manage to connect with his/her students’ true motivations and try to build a common ground where they all will thrive. Why? Because they will be paying attention and become more active during the class. If the textbook doesn’t take the student’s background into account, then the lessons won’t be as appealing as they have the potential to be. A possible solution is to better tailor the lessons to reveal, suit and empower the student’s necessities and wishes. The teacher plays then a major role rethinking the whole dynamics of his/her course because he/she can’t solely rely on the textbook. The teacher should then include creative activities that call for the more specific attributes and passions of the students. Finding materials that can complement their learning process is important too. The teacher can hence be sure to connect on a deeper level with his/her students since they will be more interested and will work harder because they seize why it’s useful or important for them to be really involved in the classroom. As a teacher, I think you should always put your students first. Metaphorically speaking, they are the seeds of the trees you want to help grow, so you have to pay attention to their roots, that is their background knowledge. If you do this, despite a non-comprehensive or too general book, it is your call to nurture their interest, to gently make them realize by themselves that they actually need to learn what you are teaching. To make them see that it is in their best interest and not just some external obligation. The teacher will finally overcome the problem of a textbook being not so in tune with his/her students’ knowledge. By tailoring to the students' specific interests, a deep intrinsic motivation will be sparked in them. The classroom will be more harmonious and the students will learn in a more fruitful way.
ReplyDeletewhen an old textbook doesn't take students' background knowledge into account. A resourceful teacher may want to look into ways to remedy this; a teacher may perform a diagnostic evaluation in order to assess students level of knowledge on a particular subject. Another teacher may put the book aside and begin a fun activity in order to activate previous knowledge among students. and yet another teacher may want to implement a combination of activities to evidence students previous knowledge, in order to assess an effective lesson plan.
ReplyDelete"The textbook has all the answer to all the questions"; for instance, a good lesson plan needs to be producced where creativity and curiosity must to be the main focus of the class, including a selection of challenging objetives. Also homework (research and exploration) with the help of technology could be another good comtribution - the teacher must always be in control and the student the focus of the class.
ReplyDeleteI wish all teachers had their students as priorities, but it's sadly not the case in so many instances! I guess another problem with this weakness is that it limits what a student can be curious about, as to say that it'll probably won't leave much room for creativity or exploration. Also I don't think there's such a thing as "having all the answers" that's completely closed minded and I think it shouldn't have a place in a classroom because it discourages reflection, problem solving abilities and critical thinking.
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DeleteI would definitely agree with Mar as I do think that when textbooks have the answers available it discourages critical thinking. I believe that in classes, and especially in humanities and languages, answers should be open for discussion, allowing students to constantly challenge the information they receive, even from their professors, as long as differences are expressed respectfully. Additionally it allows students to defend their ideas, developing their argumentative skills. Finally, I believe that students should go beyond looking for the answer "at the back of the textbook"
DeleteThe problem I chose was that of a textbook being old or outdated and therefore the information shared with students is not current or relevant. I feel like there is so many ways you could fix that given the ideas that Willy provided is with today about adding or rewriting or replacing, etc. For any given lesson, the teacher can choose to replace the texts or pictures or conversations, etc with more updated ones that would be relevant to students and therefore engage them more and allow for curiosity and conversation to take place. In another instance, a teacher may still use the activities from the book and then add some other ones that could tie into the book ones but be more relevant to the student and with this create even more critical thinking by making the students see connections and differences between both the book and the added activities.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Aleja.I have to add that text books can be complemented with readings,videos and exercises from internet. websites
Delete"The textbook is designed as a the sole source of information." The teacher could integrate another materials to the class such as, handouts, worksheets, posters, etc. with information from different resources or to ask students to do a short search on the web or different books before the class, depending on the activity the teacher has in mind for the class.
ReplyDeleteI think that for each weakness on the book, the teacher must be creative and find out different ways to use the textbook so, it is appropriate for his/her students according to their level and needs.
I agree with Jenn. All the problems provided have a solution if the teacher is creative and knows how to use outside resources. I think that maybe we might encounter this issues often since most places teach with books and it is up to us to make things relevant, exciting and curious to our students in order to spark all the good things we have been talking about in this module :D
DeleteI agree, all the problems provided have a solution.
Deleteall we need to do is to show interest in our students and teach them the right way.
Weakness: The textbook is designed as a the sole source of information.
ReplyDeleteDifficulty: Students only see one perspective on a concept or issue.
How to overcome problem:
The best way to overcome this problem is to introduce other perspectives on your topic. This can be achieved by using additional texts (textbooks, journals, articles), visual-audio material (video clips, interview snippets), and online research as an in-class student activity, as well as other resources.
Additionally, a teacher can have guest speakers give an alternate perspective on the topic and also engage the students by asking for their perspectives or understanding of the topic.
Yes, we should teach our future students that a textbook is not the only source to gather information. We should increase their curiosity by making them use technology and other materials to find answers.
DeleteI agree, i think that is very important to always give the students the opportunity to know about different points of view about a topic because in that way we are developing their critical thinking and also they will have deeper and wider knowledge about the topic taught.
DeleteTotally agree, I think that depens on the teacher's creativity. We as teachers should adjust the text book to students' needs.
DeleteWhen the reading level of the textbookis too difficult, students wont be able to read or understand important concepts. As future teachers we should help the students in these cases by let's say adding a video clip about the topic in the textbook that isn't understood. We can also rewrite or reduce certain text in the book which we can find not necessary or replace words with a vocabulary that can be more simple and easy for the students to understand.
ReplyDeleteTanya, this is one of the things I would try to remember. Sometimes textbooks try to achieve too much too quickly, and it makes it difficult for students to understand. Replacing difficult language with learnable language may be one of the best things I do to make myself and the lesson more effective.
DeleteI do agree with Tanya, I think that if we are teaching a lesson of a text book and we see that the students are not responding to it because of the unknown words or they can't read the lesson, the teacher is the one in charge to create a new way of teach the same in a level they would understand; one of this ways is like adding new activities, replacing unknown vocabulary with synonyms we know they know or making the learning process With a creative method.
ReplyDeleteI agree Patrick. Having the book as part of an overall set of tools to implement a lesson plan, should ensure that your students don't feel constrained by a sole source of information.
ReplyDeleteIf we are the "cultivators of curiosity", we must also encourage dissent and entice students to investigate different sources.
An effective lesson plan can be achieved by using more than the textbook as a sole source.
Hi, I choose the 1st weakness. Why because I do think this is actually a problem with not science or math related topics. So, if you are teaching math or science and you need to come down to an answer, you are pretty much set with a book to give you, after all those subjects are as specify as it gets. But to us, who dwell on the world of humanities, nothing should EVER be black or white, and every subject should be as complex as humanity itself. So my main problem when taking on a book is that it is tailored to the pov of the author, even if they made an effort of being objective and detached some of their world views, interests and inclinations transpire in the text, and don't even argue with me on this 'cause I'll fight you. So a solution, would be to leave the notion that just one book or source is enough to dictate a course. For I'm of the mind that it's always a good thing to have different kinds of materials in the classroom; not only will it help give your students other perspectives on a subject, but i'll be less tedious, as mixing up kinds of texts can help them to acquire a more global knowledge of the topic but can also help them develop critical thinking and they'll have the tools to agree or disagree with the different authors.
ReplyDeleteThe weakness: textbook is old or outdated. What i would do to overcome that problem will be that i will replace the reading or the old pictures to more updates new ones, but i will still take in consideration what was the purpose of the reading or pictures that i replaced and i will try to develop the same skills and achieve the same goals that were expected from the outdated reading or activity. By doing this students will be more engaged and motivated in the class and they will still be developing the same skills and topics they supposed to learn with the old and outdated activity or reading.
ReplyDeleteThe teacher is always in control, so an old outdated book should not interfere with a good lesson planing and the learning of the students. I agree that replacing pictures and updating the text for a more updated one is one the solutions to this problem. Also the class can be enhance with the use of technology, fun activities and the students curiosity - the latter will induce fully participation and engagement from the students.
Deletebooks are always an advantage,they so useful. teacahers can use them as a guide to prepare clases and to teach about so many thin g in general.
ReplyDeleteAs we have mentioned in class, teacher should be able to give a class without materials and that is no different when it comes to the textbook. When an old or outdated text book is used, one way to shift the focus from the text book would be that once the tb activity is done, the professor can pose similar questions adapted to more current situations. One could even ask the students to "modify" the activity they just participated to make it more current, which will allow the students to explore what they have already learnt while being creative in the way they "modify" the existing activity.
ReplyDeleteGood ideas, Juan!
DeleteI 'm going to talk about the fifth point ( the level of difficulty in textbooks)In most of the schools are the teachers who choose the Text books So We have to take into account The interests and needs of our students in order to make a good decision.So that the text book is one of the main tools that we as teachers wil use in ours classes. just in case that We can not choose the book, We have to adapt this resource to our classes and other materials specially realia.
ReplyDelete