When I was in highschool we used these incredibly heavy English Literature Anthologies that weighed a real lot. More than 5lbs. My teacher, Mr. Klock would throw these books like discus if you forgot to bring them to class. Once, we threw one so hard that he smacked some kid (not the kid he was aiming at) with the book and it knocked him out cold. That is the epitome of why I do not like textbooks. They are too heavy, too cumbersome, too out dated and too intimidating for the average high schooler. At the same time, especially in English, they can be useful because they are a nice and neat condensed version of info. They also contain little bits of info that can be interesting and fun to read.
I have one question though. If we as teachers use textbooks, and these textbooks provide every bit of info on your subject, what is the point of the teacher? Why not use TV stand-ins, or internet chat rooms? Seriously, I feel that the use of textbooks negate the use of the teacher, and the knowledge they bring to the classroom. Why did I sit through Chaucer in old english (Whan that April with the shore's soot, the drought of march hath pierced thru the root) if I was never going to be able to bring that into the classroom? I just feel that a lot of education about education is about how to convey the info in books, not the info in our heads.
Anyway, I thought that the chapters about textbooks are going to be very useful later on. I especially liked the part about different ways you could use the textbook in the class room to make it more approachable to the students. I did not like the idea of splitting a book into parts and having each student read a chapter and share what was in that chapter with a group. I think that it is important for students to read literature in its entirety. I am convinced that you cannot grasp the idea of a story if you only read little bits of it. Anyway, is anyone else having trouble with posts? This is the second time I have posted this assignment- the first one I posted disappeared. Hopefully this one will stick- have a great night all!
3 comments:
Kate...I think you and I agree on our opinion of textbooks, especially since we are English teachers in training. I completely agree with your dislike of splitting the reading into parts. I cannot fathom how that would possibly work. How can a student read chapter 6, but not 1-5 and know what is going on. If all the students are to read specific chapters each night and then come in and discuss them the next day, how does the person reading chapter 6 know what is going on? Don't get it…will never use it.
Also, English teachers have a bit more leniency when it comes to textbooks. Unless it is an anthology, there isn't much room for a textbook in English class. I am doing my field observation right now and I asked my teacher if he used a text and what he thought of it. He does not use them. First of all, he only has 30 for a 118 students and sharing a textbook is really not possible or realistic. I picked the book up and could not believe how heavy it was. When I looked inside, it was all surface information and completely basic. I doubt that I will use a text when I am a teacher.
Kate-
I don't think any of us "English people" are huge on textbooks. As I have mentioned, I don't even remember ever using a textbook in any of my English/Language Arts classes. I think I saw the first textbook intended for English or Literature class last Tuesday night when we started to work on our Textbook Inventory!
The textbook that we worked with last Tuesday seemed interesting and like it could be a lot of fun to use. But I do not think I would be saying that if I were the student. I think it's fun because I am at the point where I am interested in a compilation of short stories, non-fiction, and poems by famous authors. I find this interesting now because I can use that textbook as a resource and pull from it.
As Katrina mentioned, most of the time the textbook-to-student ratio is not realistic. As the English teacher, we can use these textbooks to get ideas to use in the classroom, make copies, or use in group work activities. By no means could the teacher be replaced by the textbook.
Kate, I think that the writers of textbooks rely upon the teacher to bridge the gap between what is written and student learning. This way, the teacher is not obsolete in the classroom. Rather, the teacher is quite instrumental in the learning process.
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