Brigette Banta-Cain

March 3, 2014

Readings: Chapter 3 & 6

            Both of these chapters address a very important element of teaching, the infamous “Textbook”.  The pros and cons of using a textbook are examined and more importantly, suggestions on “How” to use a textbook. 

            As the title of this response suggests, it may not be necessary to read a textbook straight through and in chronological order. The Teacher is still charged with the task of presenting the material in a way that makes sense and keeps the students engaged. I spent countless nights as a high school student racing through chapters that were meant to prepare me for the next day’s discussions, only to find that maybe one third of the material I read would be covered in class or deemed important. Why then was I spending so much time reading things that I would certainly forget after the quiz? Was the teacher a victim of poor planning or did he or she feel the pressure of justifying the expense of a costly textbook?

            In many instances avoiding a textbook all together isn’t an option so selecting the right textbook is important. The authors suggest that filtering through books before making a selection and really taking the time to educate students on how to use the textbook will make for a better experience. Part of creating a better experience would involve paying closer attention to pictures and diagrams that can aid in predicting what the chapter will be about and increase retention. There are also methods to approaching the content that will help students better understand why and what they are reading.

            With current pressures to perform well on high stakes tests, covering a plethora of information in a timely manner also makes it difficult to follow the traditional patterns of textbooks. Extrapolating pertinent information from texts and trimming down on the extra fluff will allow teachers to go more in depth on the concepts that they feel really matter and will also allow students to supplement text information with other resources and activities that lend themselves to higher levels of thinking and learning.