UNIT 24: Selection and use of coursebook materials

As teachers we present and guide students towards the use of language communicatively, undoubtedly the coursebook is our alliance for this. This entry will cover what a coursebook includes, its selection and its adaptation.

Normally a coursebook package includes a student’s book, a teacher’s book  with tapescripts  and audio recordings. There can also be a workbook for extra practice on the language and vocabulary covered in the unit, such as Top Notch which includes every resource mentioned above. Regarding to coursebook selection it can be according to students’s needs which can be discovered by diagnostic tests or interviews while building up a class profile that will guide a teacher to choose a suitable coursebook. However when a teacher cannot select a coursebook we can still adapt it. To make it a motivating resource you can extend or shorten a task, as well as changing methodology by implementing a variety of interaction patterns, or by using realia, like when we teach clothes we can elicit information based on what students are wearing, that could teach language units in real context.

In conclusion it important for teachers to make the best out of a coursebook and to adapt it to make it more attractive to engage students to learn English actively.

For additional information check:

Robinson, A. (Lecturer). (2015, October 8). Moving and Flying with your coursebook [Video file]. Retrieved January 15, 2016, fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZmvtcDzfrw

PearsonELT. (2011, December 19). Choosing a Coursebook. Retrieved January 16, 2016, from http://www.pearsonelt.com/professionaldevelopment/articles/Choosing a Coursebook