Coursebook | Teaching English | British Council

Teaching English

Coursebook

Submitted by admin on 19 June, 2008 - 17:55.

Most teachers have a coursebook to use with their students. Some are able to choose how much of the book they use and adapt other materials to suit their students' needs.

How much choice do you have with your coursebook?

I have to use only the book

18% (101 votes)

I just use selective items from the book

9% (50 votes)

I have to use some things from the book but can also use other materials

38% (211 votes)

I can use whatever I like

18% (99 votes)

I get my students to decide

3% (15 votes)

I don’t have a coursebook

14% (76 votes)

Total votes: 552

Please note - this vote is to promote discussion.

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Comments

ro10bb20ie

course book

Submitted on 20 June, 2008 - 10:32

Using a course book is par for the course for me in the Korean franchise school system....But I think the teacher must never be constrained in the limited role of simply reiterating what is simply presented in any book..It must be the duty of a talented teacher to seek opportunities and means to broaden students basic study whenever and wherever possible. The teacher is a facilitator who should present ways and means for the students to go beyond simply grasping the basic fundamentals. Students should be prompted by the teacher to learn those skills of a lateral thinker who will come to learn how to expand their choices and style of knowledge aquisition

GSteed

Course Books

Submitted on 20 June, 2008 - 20:17

Course books are like lesson plans. They are a good way to keep an orderly progress through a syllabus. Too many course books are poorly set up for the student. There never is adequate space to write answers. Many are re-hashed without adequate editing. Their vocabulary is often beyond the course book level and many answers are ambiguous. Publishers need to spend time proof reading their products. Course book progressions are often inadequate. Course books are great for grammar and vocabulary lessons. Usually my lesson is half course book and half reaction to my students needs.

nomad_bull

tragedy&comic coursebook :))

Submitted on 21 June, 2008 - 20:20

I think teaching a language with coursebooks finished its mission.though ,all over the world , everybody accepts that learning by doing is the best way of learning we still force our students to study on a death object.If language ,itself,is alive we should end this death style of teaching.

dcklondon

Course book poll

Submitted on 22 June, 2008 - 07:48

Couldn't agree with the previous comments more. So many of the books have been so poorly designed - not necessarily in terms of the grammar - but in terms of how they actually work as books. Readings that are supposed to act as the input text but only have an instance of the grammar. Poorly worded questions. Pages covered in graphics and pictures and colours and patterns which look good but contain nothing, contradictory information, typos, incorrect answer keys, the list goes on and on. Having said that, I do appreciate having a course book to use as a foundation and basic guide for the course, but I don't think there's one series of books that I'd like to have to rely on for all of the course content.

sweet1428

Course style

Submitted on 26 June, 2008 - 11:52

when I become teacher in course, i will take my student's opinions.

I think this thing is very important to improve my teaching

The students themselves wihh become happy and enjoy with this course

I always respect my student's point of view.

I want reply on my comment

tanx,,,,,,,,

Pat2

I think there are lots of

Submitted on 2 July, 2008 - 21:10

I think there are lots of good coursebooks available now to make life easier for teachers... but to be honest it's often quicker to prepare something myself than try to adapt something for a certain group.

MarniJamil

Coursebook and other English books

Submitted on 22 October, 2008 - 21:46

i use the coursebook that my language department supplies as the text was carefully chosen to suit the objective of the course.

Moreover, it acts as a guideline for me to follow the sequence of the topics/chapters while at the same time adhering to the syllabus given. I think that the content in most of the good language books are well organised. For example,there is a gradual level of mastery for each language component. (e.g noun > adjective > adverb > etc )

In addition, I use other references from the collection of books that I bought and exercises to supplement the information from the coursebook.

ravayee

Coursebook

Submitted on 11 November, 2008 - 05:50

In my opinion coursebooks don't let the teachers be creative. In modern methodology they say we must teach according to the needs of our students. As far as the classes are filled with different students with different abilities it is not a very good idea to prescribe a coursebook to all.

In Iran our teachers believe that a successful class is the one whose teacher tries to teach what the students need not what the coursebook orders them to do.

Amir Abbass Ravayee