COURSEBOOK ASSESSMENT

COURSEBOOK ASSESSMENT

In some places coursebooks are taken for granted. Others they may not be used at all: The teacher works according to a syllabus, or according to his or her own programme, using textbooks and supplementary materials as the need arises.

ADVANTAGES OF USING A CORUSEBOOK

a) Framework

    A coursebook provides a clear framework:  Teacher and learners know where they are going and what is coming next, so that here is a sense of structure and progress.

B) Syllabus

    In many places the coursebook serves as a syllabus: If it is followed systematically, a carefully planned and balanced selection of language content will be covered.

c) Ready- made texts and tasks

    The coursebook provides texts and learning task which are likely to be of an appropriate level for most of the class. This of course saves time for the teacher who would otherwise have to prepare his or her own.

d) Economy

    A book is the cheapest way of providing learning material for each learner; alternatives, such as kits, sets of photocopied papers or computer software, are likely to be more expensive relative to the amount of material provided.

e) Convenience

    A book is a convenient package. It is bound, so that its components stick together and stay in order; it is light and small enough to carry around easily; it is of a shape that is easily packed and stacked; it does not depend for its use on hardware or a supply of electricity.

f) Guidance

For teachers who are inexperienced or occasionally unsure of their knowledge of the language, the coursebook can provide useful guidance and support.

g) Autonomy

The learner can use the coursebook to learn new material, review and monitor progress with some degree of autonomy.  A learner without a coursebook is more teacher-dependent.

DISADVANTAGES OF USING A COURSEBOOK

a) Inadequacy

Every class- in fact, every learner has their own learning needs: no one coursebook can possibly supply these satisfactorily.

    b) Irrelevance, lack of interest

The topics dealt with in the coursebook may not necessarily be relevant or interesting for your class.

c) Limitation

A coursebook in confining: it set structure and sequence may inhibit a teacher’s initiative and creativity, and lead to boredom and lack of motivation on the part of the learners.

    d) Homogeneity

Coursebooks have their own rationale and chosen teaching/learning approach. They do not usually cater for the variety of levels of ability and knowledge, or of learning styles and strategies that exist in most classes.

    e) over-easiness

Teachers find it too easy to follow the coursebook uncritically instead of using their initiative; they may find themselves functioning merely as mediators of its content instead of as teachers in their own right.

           ACTIVITY:  Work in pair

  Ø  Choose and analyze a coursebook

 



 

REFLECTION

I think that Chilean reality offers four hours for the English subject, so, the aims or objectives are too ambitious.

In the first Unit, the reading activity is focusing a very passive skill, because there are ways in which the students without understanding what his reading can guess the correct answers (drawings).

I think that this book is not appropriate for an eights middle schools, because the morphosyntax  content are too high (unit one contents, cover simple and complex sentences, simple present, simple past, present perfect , passive voice, connectors and pronouns.

On the other hand, I think that the focus of the book is centered in passives skills of comprehension and know skill for productions. Each unit present reading and listening comprehension.

The topics are interesting, and they enhance cultural values of our Chilean culture, example Gabriela Mistral is presented in Unit two and some national bands. All the topic are interesting, but there are too many for students. It is tiring at each of the modules. The teacher would have to filter some topics so as to motivate the student.

Maybe I would take out some pictures that would distract a boy form eight grade. They would pay too much attention to female figures instead of focusing in the contents and aims presented in the lesson.

The presentation is attractive, it has a lot of colors and uses a format where the students can write his answers straight in the book.

Maybe I would choose the most important tasks and leave some out, because I consider that there are too many activities for four hours a week.

 In the pronunciation students don’t practice the language enough, the same applies to grammar students can’t write a complete sentence. With the vocabulary is enough too.