In this last article in the series on textbook companies, Robert Harrell offers a concluding statement to Sarah’s original set of questions about how to respond to her department’s actions in choosing a textbook. The point he rhetorically makes and has made throughout this series of articles is pretty clear by now – it is not effective to teach a language using a textbook – it is most effective to teach using the language, not a book. Thank you Robert for putting so much thought into your responses to Sarah.
If the leader of the discussion or the textbook rep replies at any point that certain things are the responsibility of the teacher, then your next question needs to be why you even need the textbook since you, as a content expert, can achieve all of these goals more cheaply and more effectively by other means. Ultimately the textbook company has to convince you that their product is worth the $100.00 per book they are charging. In my opinion, it is not, because you can get all of the external support you need from other, often free – and certainly much cheaper, sources. The textbook cannot supply you with what students truly need to acquire a language.
Just a few questions I would ask. Hope they help.
Robert Harrell
German Teacher