Textbooks

Resource for Students

TEXTBOOK: A COLLECTION OF KNOWLEDGE, CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF A SELECTED TOPIC OR COURSE.

RONIE COLLINS, CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER

Textbooks have served their purpose well. While they

continue to be useful, the degree to which they are

essential has decreased; not because they have become

“less,” but because other instructional resources have

become “more.”

Land-line telephones have decreased in use, not because

their inherent value has changed, but because the advent

of cell phones has filled the need more efficiently and

effectively.

There are many resources which can fill the need that

textbooks are designed to fill; they can do it more efficiently

and more effectively than textbooks.

Textbook Advantages

Textbooks provide organized units of work.

Textbook series provide a balanced, chronological presentation of information.

Textbooks are a detailed sequence of instructional procedures that tell teachers what to do and when to do it.

Good textbooks can be excellent teaching aids. They are a resource for both teachers and students.

Textbooks are helpful for beginning teachers.

Caution on Textbooks

Some textbooks fail to gain student interest. Students may reject

textbooks simply because of what they are – large masses of

data for large masses of children. Students may find it difficult to

understand the relevance of so much data to their personal

lives.

Some teachers reject a textbook approach to learning because

the textbook is outdated or insufficiently covers a topic or

subject.

Textbooks are not written to perfectly match each state’s

standards. If teachers follow a textbook exactly, they are not

teaching to the standards of the state and students will not

perform well on state assessments.

In the 7th grade text currently used by MCSD students, Sudan is still

shown as one country. However, Sudan underwent a split in July,

2011. By utilizing the internet, a much more useful resource for this

task, students can not only get an accurate geographical picture,

but also information regarding the split and the precipitating

reasons with links to more in-depth study. A copy of the internet

map allows the student to take home and review current

information.

Textbook Map

Internet Map

The chart from the current 7th grade text has “dead

data” on the countries listed. Focusing on the United

States alone, you can see that every category contains

inaccurate information. However, the CIA World

Factbook, a public website, has much current data.

Textbook Chart

Textbook UsageWeakness Student Difficulty Ways of Overcoming Problem

Textbook designed as a sole resource Student only sees one perspective on concept/issue

Provide students with variety of resources, trade books, websites, visuals, songs

Textbook is old/outdated Information shared with student may not be current or relevant

Use textbook when relevant or supplement with other resources

Textbook questions tend to be low level thinking or fact-based

Students assume that learning is only a collection of facts and figures

Ask higher-level questions and provide creativethinking and problem-solving activities

Textbook doesn’t take backgroundknowledge into account

Teacher does not differentiate lessons to the specific attributes and interests of the student

Discover what students know about a topic prior to lesson and design based on that information

Reading level of the textbook is not differentiated

Students unable to read or understand important concepts

Use supplemental materials such as audio, visual test, lexile level readers, differentiate reading instruction to improve comprehension

Textbook has all answers to all questions

Students tend to see learning as an accumulation of correct answers

Involve students in problem-solving activities, higher-level thinking questions, extending activities, allow students to struggle and research for answer

Lost and Damaged Fines from

July 1,2014 — April 30,2015

Lost Textbooks Replacement

Value

Lost Fines Assessed Damaged Fines

Assessed

Total

1,754 $86,591.83 $34,795.90 $1,268.36 $36,064.26

Source: Lost Textbooks and Fines Report, MCSD

Destiny, April, 30, 2015

K – 12 Textbooks

All 53 elementary, middle and high schools were surveyed and all students have access to current adoptions of

hard copy textbooks. All schools can request additional textbooks from the K-12 Curriculum and Instruction

Department when needed.

Additional digital content to support instruction for K-5:

Reading Wonders – All student texts, leveled readers, games, and support materials are available online

through McGraw-Hill ConnectED (includes school-to-home connection for parents)

GA TimeLinks Social Studies – All student texts and leveled readers are available online through McGraw-

Hill ConnectED

enVision MATH – All student texts, games, and support materials available online through Pearson

Houghton Mifflin Science – Past the 6 year digital content – based on adoption year the digital content is

no longer in place

Additional digital content to support instruction for 6-12:

Only two high schools have access to digital books (Carver and Jordan); this content was purchased with

netbooks through grants to those schools

Current adoptions for ELA (2004), Social Studies (2005), Science (2009), Mathematics (2008) do not have

student digital content. Supplemental Mathematics (2013) adoption for students and digital resources for

teachers to support CCGPS content

Digital Content in K - 5 Standards-Based Classroom

with Reading Wonders and enVision MATHTeachers

Digital lesson planning

Digital Teacher Editions

SmartBoard mini lessons

Computer Lab lessons

Collaboration with students

Links to graphic organizers

Links to video clips/websites

Students Preview vocabulary

Skills practice

On-Level

resources/support

Collaboration with

teacher

Information read aloud –

content delivered at a

higher Lexile level

Can revisit lessons over

and over

Parents

Access to online

textbooks/all content

area leveled readers

Access to current lessons

School-to-home

communication

Content/skills support

Parent video tutorials

From our schools

Alton White – Principal Jordan High School

Why and when JVHS stopped using textbooks as the primary

resource for Georgia Curriculum

Available Resources – teachers and students

Homework

JVHS Results

So, if not textbooks, then what?

Alternatives to the Textbook Vanessa Ellis, Social Studies Teacher, Fort Service Learning Magnet Academy

Interactive Student Notebooks

Videos and visuals

Technology and research

Songs and raps

Analyzing documents

Learning stations

Task cards (alternative to worksheets)

Teaching through games

1-Videos from Online (more updated/happening now

information, seeing is understanding, and

the information provided can relate directly to the students' life

and what they are capable of connecting to)

2-Games/Centers (it's what teachers are competing with daily -

lessons must be engaging, students thrive on competition and

while doing this they are helping to advance others student

through gaming, games/centers can be modified for child's

interests and level of learning, and students can move at their

own pace therefore allowing some students to advance to a

higher level)

3-Music/skits (students produce their own music, teachers are

able to see the level of content the student knows by the song

they create, songs often help the student recall the information

when needed, and with skits students can become part of the

content and are able to express their personal beliefs)

Sherah Cash – Key Elementary 5th grade

Action Plan

All students to have access to textbooks

All Teachers, Students, Parents, and Administration to communicate effectively to meet the textbook needs of all students through clear procedures

Evaluate current and future textbook needs in regards to full implementation of Digital Textbooks by the year 2020.

High schools can be given access to PDF versions of most textbooks through Office 365. Students can be given access for online use or provided copies on a flash drive.

References

Textbooks: Advantages and Disadvantages. (2005).

TeacherVision. Retrieved April, 2015, from

https://www.teachervision.com/curriculum-

planning/new- teacher/48347.html

Lost Textbooks and Fines Report, MCSD Destiny, April, 30, 2015