Thank you to everyone who attended our first Focused Forum – for anyone who couldn’t make it, keep an eye out for the next one on Tuesday 20th April. We’ll post a poll the week before with three options to choose from and please do add other questions which you’d like to talk about.
We split into breakout rooms fairly quickly during the session, chatting first in larger groups and then mixing up the groupings into smaller groups for a second chat.
From the group feedback at the end, it’s clear that there was lots of interesting chat and that nobody felt hugely anti-coursebook, which is sometimes a feeling which comes across on other platforms.
Here are some of the main benefits and drawbacks of coursebooks, as well as some further ideas which were discussed:
Benefits
- coursebooks can save time when planning
- they provide structure with a syllabus and objectives
- it can sometimes be difficult to adapt authentic materials to lower levels – Keynote from National Geographic was mentioned as a favourite for a coursebook which is already using authentic materials (TED talks) across levels
- there was also talk around the culture of coursebooks, as some people mentioned learners in their contexts much prefer having a physical book to use
- they are a good scaffold and can be very effective with judicious use
Drawbacks
- they can quickly become outdated
- they require adapting and supplementing to be more relevant to your context
- there is often a lack of diversity (both in terms of the elements which James and Ilá spoke about in the Raise Up! webinar, but also cultural diversity and an awareness of English in and from other countries)
- new editions often aren’t that different – just shiny new images – but often mean teachers can struggle to source older editions for their students
- they tend to be expensive
- it’s very difficult for freelance teachers to sample coursebooks – meaning that you might get tied to a particular book or series because of the initial investment
- they are often designed for a group environment (Work with a partner / Tell you partner about…)
Some other themes which came up during feedback:
Is there a market for one-to-one coursebooks? Perhaps rather than a coursebook as such, it would be a framework for lessons along with appropriate methodology for working in a one-to-one context.
There was also discussion around how well coursebooks support learners in their receptive skills and the subskills around listening and reading.
With the move online, teachers are trying to flip the classroom more to avoid spending time in the online environment reading. There was positive chat around how this allows for differentiation: students who require more time with a text can work through it at their own pace; however, in our exam preparation classes, it’s also important that learners are trained in timings.
On the topic of exam preparation and coursebooks, there were questions around how useful content is for learners and a suggestion that when we look at exam activities, we should share with our learners how this skill will help them in the future.