Synthesis Blog #3: How to Use a Textbook

Assigning a whole textbook is in the days of the past. We find ourselves finding new ways to present material to students rather than following the textbook way of doing things. There’s also the notion of being selective with the sources and texts presented to the students; it is always beneficial to present both sides of the argument. Furthermore, by providing different texts it exposes students to different styles of writing including grammar, sentence structure, and vocabulary that increases their reading comprehension. After saying all this I am in no way telling you to throw your state mandated textbooks out the window in defiance but to simply only use the parts of the textbook that are useful. Find the big ideas that the text is trying to convey, use what you need, and find some more.

When using a textbook I believe the strategy presented in Subjects Matter Activity 3: Guide-o-Rama Study Guides is extremely useful. This is a way to break up long readings for students; it also adds teacher commentary that would explain the importance of the section, focus on diagrams, and give students a sense of structure instead of just a giant text to read. This allows for teachers to break up the larger reading into sections and not assign everything. Yes, this requires quite a lot of preparation, however, over time the amount of prepared chapters will increase. It can be a learning process as you continue your years of teaching. It creates a personalized way of helping your students at home.

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