ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute OBJECTIVES You will understand: 1. Detailed explanation and analysis of methods and criteria for evaluating textbooks and grammar resources 2. To explore resources available for teaching grammar You will be able to: 1. Develop and implement a personalized set of criteria for evaluating teaching resources.

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute INTRODUCTION Teachers regularly make decisions about the usefulness and appeal of textbooks. These decisions are reflected in the texts teachers purchase and use with their students. Or course, textbook choice is often limited by budgetary and curriculum constraints, but teacher preference still influences the selection of core and supplemental textbooks.

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute How do teachers decide which to use in their classrooms? If presented with two textbooks, equivalent in level and scope, (e.g. grammar, four skills, or writing), how would you as a teacher decide which to use? Rather than relying on subjective choice, we will consider practical, objective methods of choosing textbooks. In addition to conducting a pre-evaluation of potential texts, it is beneficial to analyze the effectiveness of a particular textbook after completing it with a class. This module will present several methods for evaluating grammar books and other textbooks.

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute Jeremy Harmer suggests several criteria to use in determining the effectiveness of a textbook. In How to Teach English, he describes the following nine criteria: Price: Is the book affordable for students, teacher, school? Availability: Are all components available? (teacher’s book, audio, video etc.) Layout and design: Is it attractive and user-friendly? Methodology: What teaching/learning styles are used? Is there a balance between Study and Activation?

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute Skills: Are all four skills included? Is there a balance between the skills, and both Study and Activation work? Are tasks and language appropriate and engaging? Syllabus: Does it cover the language points you expect, in a logical order? Do tasks increase in difficulty throughout the book? Topic: Is there a variety of interesting topics? Are topics appropriate and suited to learners’ ages? Stereotyping: Are different nationalities, genders and situations treated equally and fairly? Does the book contain conscious or unconscious stereotyping? Teacher’s Guide: Is it easy to use? Does it contain answers and alternative lesson suggestions?

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute Harmer recommends that teachers write down their answers to these questions in a chart for easy comparison. Answers can be obtained by any of the following methods: looking through the textbook, piloting the text with a class, consulting with colleagues who have used the book, and gathering opinions from students, bookshop owners, publishers etc. In The Practice of English Language Teaching, Harmer notes that the criteria list above can be reduced or expanded, according to a teacher’s needs. In addition to developing a relevant list of criteria, Harmer advises teachers to write “assessment statements” for each criterion. These statements can be arranged in a checklist for easy comparison of textbooks.

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute Harmer provides the following example on page 302:

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute The criteria described in Harmer’s books are fairly widespread, and appear in varying forms in other resources dealing with ESL text selection. For instance, an article in the online digest of the Center for Applied Linguistics, contains a yes/no checklist similar in content to Harmer’s

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute

Diane Dow’s article on the Institute for Cross-Cultural Training’s website, html explains another method of evaluating ESL/EFL texts. Her method is not contradictory to a Harmer-style set of criteria, it is simply a broader approach. Dow believes that there are three steps in determining which text will work best in a particular classroom: html Students’ needs: English proficiency, goals, learning styles Learning Objectives: what are the desired outcomes of the course? Teaching Style: role of teacher/students, teacher’s strengths, level of reliance on textbook

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute Using this model, the choice of textbook depends not only on quantitative characteristics of the book itself, but also on qualitative characteristics of a particular group of students and their teacher. Dow also makes the point that some texts may be suitable for ESL, but not EFL. Some ESL texts may contain topics, situations or language that students in EFL contexts would have no interest in and no opportunity to practice outside the classroom. (i.e., shopping in an American supermarket)

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute An article by Hasan Ansary and Esmat Babaii on advocates the identification of the “universal characteristics of ESL/EFL textbooks”, to allow for the systematic evaluation of resources. The authors note that although many different checklists have been developed over the years, they are quite subjective, in that each contains methodological and personal biases. Ansary and Babaii considered these biases as weaknesses that prevented the systematic evaluation of textbooks. They reviewed ten checklists, and identified textbook features that were mentioned by most checklist developers and reviewers. They then considered these features to be the universal characteristics of textbooks. Universal features included details of a textbook’s approach, content presentation and physical composition.

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute Internet teaching resources are becoming increasingly widespread and more teachers are utilizing them in their classes. Certainly, the criteria discussed above still apply to on-line resources, but additional evaluation is needed. In an article appearing on the Centre for Adult English Language Education’s website, Mary Ann Cunningham Florez points out the particular need to evaluate resources found on the Internet, as there are few controls or standards for web publishing. It is especially important to evaluate Internet resources for relevance, authority and accuracy. Teachers are advised to consider the author’s credentials, biases, and intentions, as well as the credibility, timeliness and documentation of the information.

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute Until now, we have focused on selecting textbooks in general, not grammar texts specifically. Of course, the same concerns as above apply to grammar texts, but there are some unique considerations as well. A good grammar book should follow the guidelines for good pedagogical grammar rules. The information presented should be clear, helpful and generally true. That is, the language used to present grammar explanations should not be beyond learners’ abilities, and should not confuse learners. Whenever possible, the practice activities should be communicative and personalized for learners. Some texts alternate between inductive and deductive grammar presentations, which is beneficial because it appeals to different learning styles. English is a living language, so grammar rules change and very old grammar texts may contain “old-fashioned” English. These are some of the concerns specific to choosing grammar books.

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute One final consideration is the evaluation of textbooks after they have been used with a particular class. The teacher can determine if the text is worth using again, or how it could be made more effective. In The Practice of English Language Teaching, Harmer suggests three main stages in evaluating textbooks after they have been used with students: Teacher Record: teacher records comments on the usefulness/efficacy of each lesson/activity, and what could be changed Teacher Discussion: teachers using the same book compare their experiences Student Response: teacher can collect feedback, orally (potentially less accurate) or in writing by giving students a list of questions about what they enjoyed/didn’t enjoy

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute Harmer believes that the information gathered in these three stages should be considered along with factors like student achievement and durability of the textbook. Did students learn what the book’s syllabus promised? Did the book’s cover stand up to classroom use? This post-evaluation helps a teacher to decide if his or her initial judgment of the book was accurate, and if the book should be used again. Many teachers feel that they don’t have time to do a post- evaluation, or that they already know whether a textbook was a success or not. However, a systematic post-assessment can provide more accurate information about the effectiveness of a text, and help the teacher to use resources more efficiently in the future. Although it is widely agreed that textbook evaluation is a useful and necessary process, it is still the teacher’s skill in exploiting a textbook that ultimately determines how effective the material will be in the classroom.

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute Harmer believes that the information gathered in these three stages should be considered along with factors like student achievement and durability of the textbook. Did students learn what the book’s syllabus promised? Did the book’s cover stand up to classroom use? This post-evaluation helps a teacher to decide if his or her initial judgment of the book was accurate, and if the book should be used again. Many teachers feel that they don’t have time to do a post- evaluation, or that they already know whether a textbook was a success or not. However, a systematic post-assessment can provide more accurate information about the effectiveness of a text, and help the teacher to use resources more efficiently in the future. Although it is widely agreed that textbook evaluation is a useful and necessary process, it is still the teacher’s skill in exploiting a textbook that ultimately determines how effective the material will be in the classroom.

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute Consider what you have read about methods and criteria for evaluating textbooks. With which criteria do you most strongly agree? Are there any criteria with which you disagree? Do you believe textbook evaluation should be qualitative, quantitative, or both? Develop a list of SIX criteria that you would find most useful in choosing a textbook. Give a short explanation of why you chose each criteria. Evaluate given textbooks according to criteria, and choose which book you think is best. Be prepared to explain why. This is your Task Journal.