The Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Textbook
The use of textbook by teachers as their source for
teaching materials might happen because they are aware of the advantages of
using textbooks. There are some advantages of using textbook for both teachers
and students. The first advantage is that textbook can be suitable for the
students even they are designed not for the specific group (O’Neill, 1982). Finding
the suitable textbook for a specific group of students is not easy. Whereas, if
the teacher finds that kind of book, then it will covers all the things needed
in the teaching and learning process. In other words, the materials needed for
teaching and learning process are provided on that textbook. Thus, it would be
easily to adapt and reusable by the teacher (Woodward, 2001:146).
The second advantage is that textbooks allowed the
students and the teachers to look at the previous lesson they have learned or
next lessons they are going to learn (O’Neill, 1982; Woodward, 2001). Sometimes
students want to review their previous materials to check something or just to
make sure they did not forget what they have learned. In addition, they usually
review their lesson before they are facing a test. Moreover, textbook was used
to look at the next materials they are going to learn I the next meeting by the
materials can be done using textbook because it was provided all the materials
in a semester or a year (Cunningsworth, 1995).
The third advantage is that textbooks can save money
and time (O’Neill, 1982; Woodward, 2001; Cunningsworth, 1995; Ur, 1996;
Sheldon, 1988). All the materials in a semester or a year have been compiled in
one textbook with an inexpensive price (Woodward, 2001) or costs fairly
reachable (Cunningsworth, 1995). It is economical than buy one book contained
with just a specific materials (grammar, genre, etc). textbook has provided
ready-made materials (Woodward, 2001; O’Neill, 1982; Cunningsworth, 1995). The
ready-made materials provided can help teachers because it reduces teacher’s
preparation time (Cunningsworth, 1995; Woodward, 2001).
The forth advantage is that textbooks provide adapted
materials (O’Neill, 1982; Sheldon, 1988). The materials provided on the
textbooks enable the teacher to adapt or improve it to make it more suitable
for the students (O’Neill, 1982:105). The materials help teachers from their
confusion on designing teaching materials because they can adapt or improve the
ready-made materials on the textbook. (Woodward, 2001).
The fifth advantage is that textbook is a map that
will show the teaching progress (McGrath, 2002:10; see also O’Neill, 1982; Ur,
1996, Sheldon, 1998:238) and provide direction and ideas on how the lesson
would be delivered to the students. Some of them proposed that textbooks
present the syllabus in an English Language Teaching program (Ur, 1996) and it
facilities the curriculum change (MrGrath, 2002). Textbooks can save the
learners from the teachers’ incompetency and deficiencies in providing the
materials (O’Neill, 1982; Litz,2005). In addition, it is also economic and
proper teaching materials for students (O’Neills, 1982, Ur, 1996).
The sixth advantage is that textbooks can support the
teachers from some conditions such as the change of the curriculum (Hutchinson
and Torres, 1994: 321-323; McGrath, 2002), demonstrate new and or untried
methodologies, disturbing and threatening change processes, and help teacher
arrange a good and effective scaffolding (Hutchinson and Torres,1994:321-323).
Textbooks become the help for teacher, especially if those conditions happen in
a sudden.
Meanwhile, despite of the advantages provided by the
textbooks, some other theorists have pointed out the disadvantages of using
textbooks. Allwright (1982), for example, conveyed that textbooks are too
inflexible and generally show the pedagogic, psychological, and linguistic
preferences and the authors’ point of view on the lesson. Allwright (1982) also
adds that the methodology of the textbooks can influence the classroom by
imposing the learning objectives and learning principles to the students as
well as inappropriate instructions to teachers who use them. Subsequently,
textbooks can establish and care for the methods, processes and procedures of
language teaching and learning in the classroom.
Finally, pedagogic principles displayed on the
textbooks may also be conflicting, contradictory or even out-dated based on the
view of the publisher (Allwright, 1982 cited in Lawrence, 2011).
Another theorist who proposed some disadvantages of
using textbooks is Woodward (2001:146-147). First, textbook can provide
character and situation that are not relevant and interesting to learners.
Second, it has to propose a lock-step syllabus than the one based on the
student’ readiness. Third, even though sequence is good but if it is too
familiar, the student could get to be predicted and bored. Moreover, the amount
of the units can be too long or too short for the lesson or the content is too
compact, or hard to be graded or too rare for the student. Then, method used by
textbook may not fit with the class. Lastly, the textbook would not fit with
the classroom, teacher and also the student are the worst case (Woodward, 2001:
146-147).
Tsiplakides (2011) has concluded some disadvantages of
the textbook. There are five disadvantages of the textbook, these are:
a) Coursebooks
are not flexible and generally simply mirror the pedagogic, psychological, and
linguistic preferences and biases of their authors
b)
Coursebooks
contain social and cultural biases, such as gender bias, sexism, and
stereotyping (Carrel and Korwitz, 1994; Renner, 1997)
c) They
are often too contrived and artificial in their presentation of the target
language. For example many scripted language models and dialogues are unnatural
and inappropriate for communicative or cooperative languages teaching
d)
Textbooks may prevent teachers” creativity if
teachers are obliged to follow the coursebooks sequence to the latter (Skierso,
1992,p.432)
e) The
teacher’s role is undermined. Teachers may find themselves as mediators; they
only carry out teaching practices imposed on them (Ur, 1991). (Tsiplakides,
2011: 759)
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