Textbooks are Hard
Posted by: milobo in Ed_Tech, tags: curriculum, integration, laptop, technology, textbookTechnology is Hard. That’s the mantra that keeps many teachers from reaching out and really exploring technology tools in their classroom. It’s hard to manage 30 students when they all have a laptop in hand. It’s hard to integrate it meaningfully because the activities need to have structure and guidance to be successful. It’s hard to step aside and hope that your goals are met when you no longer are on center stage in the front of the room.
This week, Mathew Needleman’s post entitled “Five Reasons Why We Aren’t Integrating Technology in School” listed the reasons technology often isn’t incorporated into the learning cycle. It’s a good list and one that will resonate with many technology coaches, teachers, and administrators. But like any list of reasons, it could quickly become a list of excuses that lead down the road to inaction. Matthew asked for solutions to his reasons and I know there are great ones out there, but I’m going to take a different turn. I’d like to turn the tables and use his list to rationalize why we should stop using textbooks in the classroom. I’ve already argued previously about the dangers of allowing students unfiltered access to paper. This seemed like a natural follow-up…
5 Reasons Why We Shouldn’t Integrate Textbooks in School
- Textbooks are expensive. On average, our students spend at least $250 per year on textbooks. We’re a private school, so the cost of the textbooks is carried directly by the parents. Here’s a list of average costs for new texts:
Math Textbook $60.00
English Grammar Textbook $45.00
Literature Textbook $60.00
Paperback Novels $40 ($10 x 4 novels)
Dictionary $15.00
Science Textbook $55.00
Social Studies Textbook $60.00
Religion Textbook $40.00
Elective Course Textbook $40.00
That would mean a cost of over $400 spent on textbooks in just a single year if they purchased new. That’s a lot of money, especially realizing that they’ll need to purchase different ones every year. Sure, they can sell them back secondhand (if a new textbook hasn’t been adopted in the meantime) but wouldn’t it be much more economical to just hand them a laptop? Even adding in the cost of online subscription services such as Explore Learning and Discovery Learning would still mean less money out of pocket for the average parent.
- Textbook supplemental materials are missing or unavailable. We’ve already showed in point number 1 how expensive it is to purchase textbooks. The accompanying teacher materials are an additional expense, especially when you look at purchasing the supplemental videos and additional resources that a textbook publisher includes in the package. Plus, whenever there’s a teacher change, the materials are never easy to find as they’ve slowly migrated out of the class and into the black hole of a storage closet. I’d bet the cost of a good projector would be much more economical.
- Textbook use isn’t tested. Well, this one isn’t really true. There have been several studies linking the use of textbooks to increased achievement. Do a Google search, you’ll find them. However, most of those studies link textbook use to achievement as measured by a standardized test. If you’re looking for students who know which bubble to fill on the Scantron sheet, textbooks are for you. However, it might change your mind if you were to take a look at the textbook publishing process.
- Textbook lessons often aren’t well planned. Really, why do they need to be? The beautiful thing about a textbook is that when you finish page 23, it’s easy to figure out that page 24 is next in your curriculum (though you could be a rebel and skip all the way to page 28…). Plus, they have the instructional objectives, supplemental questions and homework all mapped out. If you’re looking for teachers to plan and organize meaningful units that can quickly adapt to new information and a changing world, you certainly don’t want to use textbooks. In our Computer Applications course this year, we decided to break away from the $50 textbook that was used in previous years and design our own. It’s a work in progress, and the web postings are only the bones of the curriculum, but it’s a start to providing a structure that can be adapted and flexed as we progress. A technology-rich curriculum is the only way to go.
- Fear of losing control. Teachers who use textbooks often lose control over their curriculum and find it difficult to adapt their classroom to the individual needs of their students. If you want teachers to have true control over the learning opportunities they offer to their students, it’s only logical to provide them with access to technology.
I think the arguments against using textbooks speak for themselves. What do you think?
Entries (RSS)
November 7th, 2008 at 12:32 am
I absolutely agree with your sentiments. I have blogged about this topic repeatedly over the past two years. In the African context, your first argument (cost) is particularly relevant. Learners simply cannot afford books. Schools are under-resourced. Result? Learners do not have access to content. We are trying to fill the gap with technology – but there the challenge is to change the mindset of teachers to give learners access to technology.
This posting is thought-provoking (and for some people it would simply be provoking) – but I believe that you are making a valid point.
[Reply]
November 7th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
When laid out like that I don’t think anyone could disgaree that textbooks shouldn’t be used. It’s a great comparison to the technology list from Mathew’s blog and very thought provoking. One of the points that jumps out at me is the one about poor lesson planning – what can we do about poor teaching? These teachers are often the ones using technology/textbooks as a crutch because they need them – they don’t know the content, they’ve never mastered engaging a class.
[Reply]
November 8th, 2008 at 11:52 am
@Kobus Access to content that is current and adaptable to any learning situation is one of the reasons I think it’s time we think about transitioning to technology-based content resources. Even without building the argument for the ability of technology tools to allow learners to process and remix content to match their learning style, it’s clear that paper-based content can’t keep up with the demands of today. Thinking about your situation and the cost of texts, has the XO laptop made a difference in availability of online resources? I would hope that someday soon we’ll see global access to knowledge become a reality.
@Mobbsey You are correct, many times technology isn’t the solution because the problem isn’t access to content or to resources, but a lack of basic understanding of the learning process by instructors. It’s often said that a great teacher is great regardless of the tools they use and the same can be said of a poor teacher. No matter how much we throw into resources, it still takes someone who knows good teaching to make it all work.
[Reply]
November 8th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
I love your list.
However, many teachers given a choice between textbooks and computers would choose textbooks every time because it’s just more comfortable to keep doing the same thing.
I don’t see purchasing technology use as a choice between books and computers. In Los Angeles, teachers are currently fighting for health care and salary. You know, of course, that I am a proponent of technology use. However, if given a choice between health care and buying computers for teachers that will sit unused in the back of the room, I would choose health care (is that selfish?)
Your point and Mobbsey’s about poor planning rings the truest. I was hoping to get to some solutions from my original post and that hasn’t happened yet so I’ll offer one. We need better training on how to integrate technology…starting in teacher ed programs and continuing with district support. Computers become obsolete fairly quickly and so we need to know that making a purchase will result in increased student learning today. That means, of course, that the computer has to be used but also that it’s used in a way that’s transformative i.e. don’t just put it to use it as expensive electronic flashcards but allow students to create something that wouldn’t be possible otherwise using the technology.
[Reply]
November 8th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
@Mathew You are correct. The choices we make are much more complex than choosing between a book and a laptop. But, it becomes frustrating when spending $250-$400 per student on texts is considered a no-brainer, can’t-live-without necessity while other, even more applicable resources are seen as luxuries. It’s even more frustrating that the best and brightest teachers I’ve worked with over the years rarely make it 5 years because they lack the ability to live without the “luxuries” of a living wage, health care, and basic supplies.
I tend to be tongue-in-cheek when I feel strongly about an issue, so the list was meant in that vein. However, here’s what I can add to your list of true solutions:
1. Making sure that pre-service teachers have a solid understanding of their curriculum. Not just the facts and figures that make up the subject, but the ability to distill that content to the most basic truths at its core.
2. Making sure that pre-service teachers understand and see in practice effective discipline, management, content development, and student engagement. A course in brain-based research, best-practices, and constructivist teaching would be a good start. Seeing their own courses taught this way would be even better.
3. Providing *time* in the day so teachers have time to effectively plan for great teaching and for collaboration with their peers.
4. Providing access to mentoring and professional development for just-in-time learning. This is an area where our school has invested and seen great benefits. My job is entirely about providing mentoring, co-teaching, modeling, resource acquisition as well as individual and small group professional development for the 40 teachers at our school. It’s one reason I think our 1:1 is going as smoothly as it is this year.
5. Providing administrative support for trying new things. That’s another area where we’ve been lucky. Our principal is completely supportive of our efforts to explore new tools and is willing to leave many resources such as YouTube, email, wikis and other web tools unblocked. As long as our outcome is supported by a core educational goal, we know our efforts are supported and even encouraged.
Thanks for starting the conversation.
[Reply]