Textbook as AID: #actfl16 slideshow and checklist
November 19, 2016
News flash: Textbooks are not the enemy. Faulty reasoning for evaluating the universe of language teaching activities that are out there, in print, online, passed out in sessions- that is the enemy.
So whether you’re evaluating an activity I’ve shared or one you’ve seen on the authentic resources activity collaboration or one in your textbook, see if this checklist developed with participants in a session on textbooks helps you evaluate it. I advocate a three-pronged approach to any such activity: ask yourself these questions.
Should I ADAPT it?
Should I INCORPORATE it as-is?
Should I DITCH it completely?
Here’s the checklist:
And here’s the slideshow with several text examples from my ACTFL ’16 session in Boston.
And here is a link to the VIF open-educational-resource Spanish 1 curriculum I helped develop that I reference in the presentation.
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[…] Sara-Elizabeth’s Textbook session […]
Hi Sara-Elizabeth! I attended this session at ACTFL and really enjoyed your thought-provoking advice about activities for the classroom. I already pick and choose what exercises to use from my book, or adapt them to something I think is better… but the idea of a checklist was the missing key, I think. Now I have a better idea WHY I think certain exercises are bad — and, even better, using a checklist like this will give me a SPECIFIC REASON to address as I judge whether to adapt or ditch.
By the way, I am the Japanese teacher who greeted you briefly after your session (or maybe later, at another..? Such a whirlwind few days!) and I believe you mentioned a site for pooling resources. I’d love to get in on that!
Yes, I would LOVE for you to add some Japanese resources! Check the blog post here for info – http://musicuentos.com/2015/10/authres_collaborate/
See you there!