Diseo y evaluacin de recursos

Professor Jennie Popp

What do I really want in a coursebook By Juan Carlos Figueroa Venegas Magister en enseanza del ingls como lengua extranjera, first year student A coursebook is a manual, a guidance for teachers, which it helps by providing a clearly thought out programme which is appropriately sequenced and structured to include progressive revision1, it also offers to learners: a sense of purpose, progression and progress. !eeds and wants for an "nglish coursebook are going to be analysed in three ways, teachers view, students view and administrators view. A course book is seen as the always the nice girl in the prom, everybody talk about her and she is ok to somebody, for different reasons, for good and bad ones. #eachers need and want perfect decisions to make: $oursebooks are manuals to do it, because it guides us to teach what is teachable, to build students mind from the very beginning until the highest level of any ta%onomy known. A coursebook which is able for change is perfect to us, able to break the routine with new activities according to students& needs and conte%t, activities suggested by the same coursebook are perfectly elected and clearly e%plained, preparing us to make choices to face what could happen in the classroom. A coursebook should offer: real use of language' a communicative spirit' to teach through functions' to develop social abilities through pair work, group work and team pro(ects which also involve increasing of the communicative skills' to teach grammar (ust like a grammar spot' to prepare in balance our students skills through activities and techniques clearly defined based on instructional to constructivist methodology' to encourage deductive and inductive thinking' good timing' well)structured and sequenced units' to integrate other sub(ects' well)chosen teachable contents' to turn the role of the teacher from teacher at the very beginning, until a facilitator role' to provide practical ideas' ambiguity. A complete coursebook should have additional materials like flash cards, games, posters, *uppets, videos, standard tests, e)learning webpages. Also in these days, a coursebook should be created in different formats, such as digital formats which are very important, to provide more access to them, because a coursebook on paper print vs. electronic has different ways and places
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Diseo y evaluacin de recursos

Professor Jennie Popp

to use it, #he actual form of the material +e.g. durable vs. consumable, worksheet vs. boundbook, paper print v,s electronic-, all of which may have direct implications for the classroom methodology. , thus we can cover needs and wants related to format, very important on these days. Access is a very important issue, through internet, electronic format, audios in mp., on line tests to check their progress, e%tending the learning process at home, giving support to parents and students. /ur students en(oy coursebooks which are: colourful and full of photographs' based on real life situation' easy to follow and work with it, at school and at home' well structured, clear and sequenced instructions' according to their levels from the very beginning until the highest "nglish level, developing in them skills in a communicative way' usable and significant for the learning process, almost instantly, in their communicative process with classmates' motivational, full of information about their favourite topics and contemporary famous people, given in different ways from grammar e%ercises to classroom drama pro(ects, thus looking interesting to students' compounded with open)ended tasks, large tasks, and pri0es like downloadable pictures. 1or them a coursebook must have real and clear readings and audios, easy for students who can&t read yet, such as beginners, providing lots of activities to do and giving security when they use it. About integrated students and their special needs, a coursebook must give us guidance to work with them, approaching topics of every unit to their abilities and capacities. A coursebook for ours administrators suppose to reflect the national plan and syllabus needs, these needs and wants could be political)ideological, religious, promoting an educational state policy even a touristic culture. Also a coursebook choice is made by the school following a bunch of pedagogical reasons with a blend of the school ideology, and sometimes it is the best offer from the local bookstore dealer, which decision smell like economic spirit.

An "nglish coursebook must be chosen, even made, based on wants and needs of 2tudents, teachers and Administrators.
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Diseo y evaluacin de recursos

Professor Jennie Popp

An "nglish coursebook must follow clear methodology and techniques, along the learning process. An "nglish coursebook must become a series of coursebook, keeping the methodology and style of it, through the different levels. 3t&s clear for us that to choose a coursebook is not an easy decision to make, we have treated too many points on this essay that we have to care about them. A course book is a guide and a manual but it isn&t the centre in our teaching, it must be fle%ible to motivate our students, if you follow this course you can guarantee the optimum level or boredom +/45- in your classroom 6 A coursebook must cover every format possible, to improve access to it, access related to technology. 2tudents will en(oy a coursebook in relation of their interest, so the coursebook has to be updated according to the information it will use to develop the students learning. #he election or production of a coursebook must be based on questions of what and how the coursebook covers students, teachers and administrators& needs and wants. 2ometimes, (ust watching news, you can noticed that coursebooks are not chosen based on the methodology needed or in what teachers need, this choice is made looking for economic benefit, this decision smell like economic spirit.

Prodo!ou, #u%e" 0How o $e a $oring eacher ar icle1" English eaching professional !aga2ine, issue Twelve" July 1&&&"