Author: Adrian Tennant | Published on 1 April 2023
Question: Should I follow the textbook step-by-step?
Answer: No. You should adapt some parts to make sure it works for your learners.
When you have a textbook, you need to ask yourself some questions:
- Is the content suitable?
- Is the level right?
- Are the methods suitable?
If you answer ‘No’ to any of the questions about the whole textbook, then maybe you need a different textbook. Of course, you may not have this option – so you will definitely need to adapt your textbook at some points.
Even if your textbook is generally good, you should still ask these questions about every lesson and activity. If you answer ‘no’ for a particular lesson or activity, then you have four choices:
- adapt (change)
- replace
- leave out
- add (something extra)
Remember, the textbook should help learning happen. Keep your aims in mind when you evaluate the textbook.
Do you use everything from the textbook? Do you think that might change?