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Textbook and Teaching

Speaker: Susan Holden
Moderator: Jenny Johnson
Date: Wednesday 24 January 2001

The textbook is central for most teaching, even when teachers devise some of their own materials. It can be a straitjacket ... or a real inspiration. Teachers, authors, publishers -and students - all, have different views on textbook design, content, and use ....and on how to evaluate textbooks.

Susan Holden has worked as an ELT writer and publisher, and in teaching and teacher training, for over 20 years. She set up her own company, Swan Communication, in 1996 to specialise in materials writing, publishing joint ventures and training for Central and Eastern Europe and parts of Latin America.

MODERATOR> We're delighted to have Susan Holden here to chat with us about textbooks, possibly including a little on cross-cultural and cross-curricular issues too. Hi Susan.

SPEAKER_Susan Holden> Hi Jenny! It's good to be here.

MODERATOR> OK! Has anyone got a question to ask to start us off?

Gloria> Have you been involved in writing textbooks yourself, Susan?

SPEAKER_Susan Holden> Yes, Gloria. I've just finished writing a series for large classes (grades 5-8) in Brazil.

Gloria> What age are grades 5-8?

SPEAKER_Susan Holden> It's students aged 12-16.

norbert> What special considerations were there for that age group?

SPEAKER_Susan Holden> Well . . . their interests (which may be different from their teachers' interests). And what they feel about learning a foreign language - how it fits into their lives in their country today.

MODERATOR> How did you research those things before beginning to write?

SPEAKER_Susan Holden> I visited lots of classes (not just good ones). I looked at the textbooks they were using and talked to lots of different teachers and students about them and I tried to find out what kind of books they used in other subjects, too.

Montse Moreno> My students don't seem very happy with the topics there are to read in the book

SPEAKER_Susan Holden> Is that because the topics seem unrelated to their lives?

Montse Moreno> I think so yes. My students are teenagers.

SPEAKER_Susan Holden> It's good to find a way to relate them ... finding a local equivalent, for example or asking the students to make up a parallel text about a local topic.

Brian D> How do other subjects relate to English books?

SPEAKER_Susan Holden> Lots of people now talk about 'crosscurricular' topics and I thought it was important to find out what the students really did in other subjects like maths, geography, science, L1 - concepts and activity types, not just facts - to see how these might spill over into the ELT classroom. I learned a lot!

Brian D> Did you put maths, geography etc in your book?

SPEAKER_Susan Holden> Yes . . . where it fitted naturally. Like using the students' own knowledge - or curiosity - in these areas to extend the things they did in English.

MODERATOR> We have a question about mixed ability from Carol in Turkey:

Carol> Could you please give some suggestions on how to use a textbook--either a 4 skills book or a one skill book, ie, reading--in a class where students are all classified as beginners but in fact range from zero or absolute beginners to false beginners. How to I motivate the more advanced students without losing the less advanced ones?

SPEAKER_Susan Holden> Carol, this is a real problem, I know. It's worth looking at the activities and seeing if you can add on something, perhaps a mini-project, or some information the more advanced ones bring to the class themselves and, of course, groupwork helps.

MODERATOR> This is a classic problem and it will arise with any textbook, I think.

SPEAKER_Susan Holden> I agree . . . it is very common.

MODERATOR> We have some questions about native and non-native teachers from Karmen Pizom.

Karmen> Is there a difference in using a textbook between a native and a non-native English teacher?

SPEAKER_Susan Holden> Well. . . the non-native teacher has the advantage of having learned the language. So s/he understands more easily what is going to be difficult for the learners. The native teacher should know the language better in many cases, but may find it more difficult to understand the learners' problems and 'mediate' with the textbook.

Karmen> Do you think that there should be a different teacher's book (or even a different student's book) designed for natives and non-natives?

SPEAKER_Susan Holden> Interesting! There is often a lot of discussion about whether Teachers' Books are most helpful in L1 or L2 (English). People have strong ideas - but I actually think the same books can be used by both, as long as they are really clear.

Gloria> I sometimes wish my teachers book was in Spanish to make life easier.

SPEAKER_Susan Holden> Perhaps there's a difference between the Introduction part which is often like a training seminar, and is probably easier in L1 and the practical 'Lesson Plan' ideas, which are probably more effective in English.

MODERATOR> Yes that sounds like a good compromise. Karmen also has a comment about project work.

SPEAKER_Susan Holden> Good!!

Karmen> Whenever there was a project work suggested by the author of a textbook I remember my non-native colleagues being very reluctant in doing it? I myself think, being a non-native that in a project work students subconsciously raise questions such as What is ... in English? and non-native teachers feel insecure in not being able to provide all the answers. Their self-esteem may be challenged.

SPEAKER_Susan Holden> Yes, that's a very practical objection! First, I think that projects need to be simple to do and relevant to the learners. And they can involve finding out information in L1 - for example, asking your parents or other older people about what kind of holidays they had (or didn't have) at the students' age . . . working out reasons (money/cultural...) and bringing that information to the English class to do something in English (most popular/strangest, etc) ... and of course the Internet is a great resource where teachers, too, can rely on what they find, ask the students to be 'experts' themselves!

MODERATOR> Yes, it's true, that students can be experts themselves, if we let them!

Jo> What do you think about covering EVERYTHING in a coursebook or leaving things out? :-)

SPEAKER_Susan Holden> I think no teacher can be an expert all the time! Jo, I think it's important to be aware of your aims in each lesson, and letting the textbook help you to achieve them. And this usually means leaving bits out, and adding things but I don't approve of lots of haphazard 'dipping into' books . . . they all have their logic and structure if they're any good!

MODERATOR> Has anyone any more questions or comments for Susan?

SPEAKER_Susan Holden> It's been really good hearing these questions. I know the perfect textbook doesn't exist - and it's interesting to try and 'personalise' the one you have.

MODERATOR> Thank you Susan for joining us from wild and windy Scotland. Stay warm!

SPEAKER_Susan Holden> Bye to all of you - have a great evening!