Table of ContentsWhy do teachers use textbooks?How do teachers use textbooks?Textbook evaluation methods Textbook selection is a daunting, sometimes overwhelming, prospect for both program administrators and teachers teaching second-year English. language. Quereshi (1981) suggests that for "the instructor, the textbook is usually the most pervasive influence in a course" and O'Neill (1982) believes that "no other medium is as easy to use as a book” (p. 107). . Nevertheless, it is a perspective that has a significant impact on students' ability to achieve their language goals, define their learning abilities, and inevitably affects learning outcomes. All stakeholders in a program, from policymakers and administrators to teachers and students, rely heavily on textbooks to achieve prescribed goals and objectives. Therefore, it is important to make informed decisions and effectively align textbook selection with the academic needs of learners. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In Assignment 1, the “General Certificate English” textbook will be examined for assessment. The content of the textbook is based on previous syllabi and papers from the University of Cambridge and the University of London for 'O' level students preparing for the GCE English examination in Pakistan. The assessment will contain an overview of the basic organization of the textbook and individual chapters; importance is given to the general approach and language learning [accuracy/structure/grammar/vocabulary and mastery/communicative learning/mastery]. I will study textbook teaching, its limitations and the importance of cultural context in language learning. Emphasis will be placed on the strengths and weaknesses of manual teaching, keeping in mind the goals and objectives set based on the analysis of students' needs. Cunningsworth (1995) and Ellis (1997) believe that textbook evaluation helps teachers engage beyond impressionistic evaluations and allows them to gain systematic and contextual insight into the overall nature of the instructional material. For Task 4 “Literature Review”, I want to focus on “Teaching Use of Textbooks in the ESL Classroom”. The literature review will focus on the relevance of manual teaching and its broader impact on language learning. Does manual teaching bring social and contextual dimensions to language learning? How does manual teaching respect the social constructivist approach to learning while contextualizing learners' conceptual understanding? Teachers and researchers agree that the availability of textbooks in schools in developing countries is associated with student achievement: students perform better on tests when there are textbooks in the classroom (Heyneman and al. (1978), Fuller (1987) and Clarke (1993) Yet we know very little about how teachers actually use these textbooks to help students learn. second, it is surprising that few investigations have been conducted into how and why materials are selected by teachers. One reason may be that, in 21st century communicative teaching, experts.may appear to advocate and advise on the use of textbooks. out of step with socio-constructivist educational methodologies. Yet, no matter how much emphasis is placed on using authentic materials, teachers often do not have the extra time, or administrative support, to adopt all the materials necessary for their work. course. ELT materials (textbooks) play a crucial role in language lessons; In recent years, there has been much debate within the ELT profession about the importance of using diverse teaching materials in English as a Second Language/Foreign Language (TESL/TEFL) classrooms. Important issues in recent years include the design and practicality of textbooks with open discussion of methodological validity. Emphasis is placed on the role of textbooks in innovation, the authenticity of materials in terms of language representation and the relevance of gender representation, subject matter and cultural components. Why do teachers use manuals? When considering textbook selection, it is important to ask why teachers use textbooks and how they became the focal point of so many classrooms. The use of textbooks in teaching English as a second language plays a crucial role in language teaching and learning and is taken into account. be the second important factor in the second/foreign language classroom compared to the teacher. As Hutchinson and Torres (1994) suggest: The textbook is an almost universal element of [English language] teaching. Millions of copies are sold each year and numerous aid projects have been set up to produce them in [various] countries… No teaching-learning situation, it seems, is complete until it does not have its corresponding manual (p. 315). Haycroft (1998) indicates that there are many advantages to using textbooks in an ESL classroom; they are psychologically essential for the student since his progress and achievements can be concretely measured against the prescribed objectives. O'Neill (1982) suggests that textbooks are responsive to students' needs, even if not specifically designed for them, that they are time and cost effective, and that they should enable adaptation and improvisation. Another benefit highlighted by Cunningsworth (1995) is the potential for textbooks to play additional roles within the ELT curriculum. He argues that they are a good source of independent learning, a practical resource for presenting concepts and activities and a good reference point for students. Hutchinson and Torres (1994) pointed out that textbooks play a key role in innovation. They conclude that textbooks help teachers by demonstrating new and novel methodologies to create a scaffold on which teachers can build their own creative activities using various teaching strategies. Sheldon (1988) identified three main reasons why he believes textbooks are so widely used. First, developing teaching materials from scratch is a daunting task for teachers. Second, grading and planning are central to the teaching process and take up a lot of time, thereby limiting the teacher's time spent developing new materials. Third, external pressures limit many teachers. This is a realistic reflection of the tensions felt by teachers and the use of a textbook is one of the most effective and readily available meansto combat these obstacles. On the one hand, the use of lesson preparation time in textbooks and, on the other hand, provides ready-made activities and concrete examples of classroom progress that managers/administrators can be satisfied with. However, there are other, less positive reasons for using textbooks. Often, instead of selecting course textbooks that meet program objectives, “an approved textbook can easily become the classroom curriculum” (Lamie, 1999). Any time a teacher allows this to happen, it is unfortunate because the needs and desires of the learners are defeated in favor of the narrow perspectives of the text. As Cunningsworth states, "English course materials should be regarded as the teacher's servant and not as his master" {p.15, 1984}, which brings us to the question of how texts are or should be used in a classroom. How do teachers use textbooks? Experts advocate various methods for how teachers should use textbooks. Many authors believe that textbooks are only a starting point from which teachers are challenged and encouraged to create lessons for their classes. Allwright (1990) views texts as “resource books for ideas and activities rather than teaching materials.” This perspective is supported by Cunningsworth as he believes that the published materials provide the initial framework that must be adopted by every teacher to meet the needs of their students. Although these views may represent the ideal model of how texts can simply improve teacher effectiveness, they likely do not reflect actual classroom practices. Skierso concedes that “most teachers tend to follow the sequence, methodology, rhythm and vocabulary of the text to the letter.” (p.432, 1991). This situation occurs for a variety of reasons: the ease of organizing courses, to ensure student stability, or by the desire of program administrators to ensure that comparable teaching is presented in all courses. Although few experts advocate such adherence to a text, O'Neill believes that coursebooks can meet students' needs even if they have not been specifically designed for a particular group of students and therefore benefit to both the instructor and the learner (Kitao, 1999). Although beliefs about textbook use can be as dichotomous as never getting them into class to use every page every day, the happy medium between these two is the most practical and useful approach to teachers and most reflective of what happens primarily in ESL classrooms. Yet, due to the growth of the ESL publishing market, teachers must be increasingly knowledgeable and sophisticated about textbooks in order to sort through the masses of books available. Methods for Evaluating Textbooks Although many scholars may think that this is the most effective way to judge In textbooks, it is a matter of examining the language objectives they contain, scholars have proposed various approaches that can be used. Most often, an analysis of the content of the text is recommended, but under this broad theme, what should be included? Hartley sees three content areas that need to be addressed and advises reviewers to ask themselves the following questions: First, will the book meet their educational objectives? Second, does the manual contain in-depth material and.