Today some thoughts about teachers' evaluation crossed my mind.
Are teachers willing to be criticized either by their learners or their supervisors?Are they willing to reflect on both positive and negative comments/feedback they receive and try to improve themselves??
What about evaluating ourselves? Do we do that?? Or we do it only when we are asked to??
Do you reflect to be developed as a teacher???
Friday, April 1, 2011
Thursday, March 31, 2011
The role of coursebooks
What is the role of coursebook??? Is it a safety blanket, a shield for teachers?? Do we feel dependent on the coursebook??Is it relevant to our learners' needs? Or is it designed from someone who doesn't really know the situation, our context??
However, if we don't rely exclusively on the coursebook and we believe that it doesn't always meet our learner's needs, I am wondering if efl teachers are willing to supplement, adapt or even design their own materials. Do we feel insecure to do something like that?? Are we bored?? Is the lack of time or the lack of training a problem??
In case we adapt the materials when do we do it, why and how?
Do we CHALLENGE the coursebook?Publish Post
However, if we don't rely exclusively on the coursebook and we believe that it doesn't always meet our learner's needs, I am wondering if efl teachers are willing to supplement, adapt or even design their own materials. Do we feel insecure to do something like that?? Are we bored?? Is the lack of time or the lack of training a problem??
In case we adapt the materials when do we do it, why and how?
Do we CHALLENGE the coursebook?Publish Post
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Evaluation Framework
I would like to add some extra features in our evaluation framework concerning various aspects of a course book such as the subject matter, the tasks and the illustrations. Finally, we could review if the course book and more specifically the unit we are going to design fits the curriculum, our students' needs as well as the teachers' needs of our cultural context.
- Illustrations
Are the images clear in the sense that are not ambiguous?
Introduction
As a private teacher of english as a foreign language I remember myself trying to select the appropriate textbooks for my students. I found this process quite challenging for a novice teacher as me. For this reason, I started searching for guidelines in the literature.
Byrd gives some recommendations for facilitating the process of selecting and implementing coursebooks. She points out that in many cases teachers may not have the right to be involved in the selection process of course books as these may have already been selected by an administrator. She refers to checklists as a way of evaluating course books by indicating how difficult the construction of a checklist might be. She notifies that although these checklists provide us with an example that may be useful, teachers should scrutinize and adapt them in their own situation.
( Byrd, P. (2001) Textbooks: Evaluation for selection and Analysis for Implementation. In Celce-Murcia, M. (ed.), Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language. Heinle & Heinle: Thomson Learning. 415-427.)
Byrd gives some recommendations for facilitating the process of selecting and implementing coursebooks. She points out that in many cases teachers may not have the right to be involved in the selection process of course books as these may have already been selected by an administrator. She refers to checklists as a way of evaluating course books by indicating how difficult the construction of a checklist might be. She notifies that although these checklists provide us with an example that may be useful, teachers should scrutinize and adapt them in their own situation.
( Byrd, P. (2001) Textbooks: Evaluation for selection and Analysis for Implementation. In Celce-Murcia, M. (ed.), Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language. Heinle & Heinle: Thomson Learning. 415-427.)
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