A Conversation Starter…
Ernesto mentioned in his presentation on the Presidential Timeline today that, “my textbook doesn’t drive my course anymore.” He was referring to his use of supplemental materials and primary source documents in developing life long learners and critical thinking skills.
Does your “textbook drive your course”? To what extent do you integrate primary sources into your classroom and for what purposes?
- Mira
Posted by Mira Cohen on July 27, 2010, under Document of the Month, Documents, Education, Educators, Workshops.
Tags: conversation, life long learners, presidential timeline, primary sources, textbooks
Comments: 5
Comments
Comment from Eric Adler
Time July 28, 2010 at 11:45 am
Agreed… it’s a powerful idea that appears to be growing rapidly, for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the material in textbooks becomes obsolete at an ever-increasing rate. Secondly, the obvious cost savings when comparing a textbook (use of which is promoted by,, of course, the profiteering publishers) to the much more economical use of singleton documents. Finally, students are much more engaged when using dynamic primary source documents, as opposed to the comparitively dry textbooks.
Comment from John Downey
Time July 28, 2010 at 5:32 pm
I’ve vacillated on the subject of textbooks and their place in my teaching over my decade of teaching. I can remember back to my first years in which I leaned on them heavily, for better and worse. I’ve recently turned my back on them.
Even though I’m not using the text to drive my teaching, it has its place. Texts, in every course I’ve taught, provide an outline for what I’m covering. We don’t look at the text often during class time together but students can use the text as a resource. It provides another voice and a one-stop shop for whatever we’re covering in the classroom.
Comment from Christi
Time July 29, 2010 at 9:57 pm
Interesting topic. In my 11th grade American Literature classroom I found myself rarely using the textbook this year. As a first year teacher, I guess that’s unusual, but in a course that is primarily literature-based, I found that I was rarely tempted to fall back on the text. I’m a proponent of supplementing every lesson with technology, music, video, audio, creative individual and group activities that engage the students. Ironically, our high school was forced to purchase brand new literature textbooks for all grades this year because ours were too old to pass a mandatory audit. Not to my surprise, most of the same texts are in the new books, as they are core material for California students. Perhaps the new textbooks will implement all sorts of “newly discovered” learning tips…complete with pictures of movies from the last decade. I certainly hope so, otherwise I fear we have fallen prey to that infamous “red tape” that seems to eventually ensnare public entities — wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars.
Comment from David Fawcett
Time October 16, 2010 at 9:10 pm
I use online history texts, principally Digital History at the University of Houston (http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/), available anywhere, anytime for free.. The text itself covers the bases, is well written, with links to excellent ancillary materials. The site is updated almost daily. It is the spine of my APUSH course and affords me the time to include in my syllabus generous primary and secondary readings, not to mention classroom activities. Goodbye to multi-pound, poorly bound, $130 text pachyderms.
Comment from Jason Woods
Time July 28, 2010 at 11:44 am
Students need supplemental materials in order for the textbook to come alive. The textbook provides the outline for my class while I use primary documents to fill in the details and examples. If we covered the Colombian Exchange in a lesson, I would follow up with an excerpt from the diary of Christopher Columbus so students could read his own words and develop their own interpretation of his actions and beliefs. Primary sources allow students to develop their own opinion of a subject rather than reciting something they think their teacher wants them to say.