Week 7 Textbook Analysis

Looking at textbooks through a critical lens is very important for teachers of a diverse population of   students.  Teachers must ask themselves what the message of the book is.  Who is pictured as inferior/superior?  What will students take away from the book?  Picking a textbook is so much more than just finding something that teaches the language or culture well.  Personally, I know that I don’t want to send the message to my students that American culture is superior or better than their culture.  It is very important to me that my students feel comfortable in their own skin and own who they are and where they come from.  Every student should have that sense of pride.  However, in a country that is so self-absorbed, it can be hard for students to maintain that pride and sense of identity.  It is east for ESL students to get caught up in American culture and want to “fit in” or be accepted by their peers.  So, I know it is part of my job to pay attention to what my textbooks might be telling my students.

I also enjoyed Hinkle’s chapter on interactional competence in another language.  I found this interesting because I can relate it to my learning of Spanish.  One of the practices talked about was “guided discovery”.  I liked this practice because I know it was helpful for me in my acquisition of Spanish.  I think it is important to give students opportunities to discuss something they’re interested in because they will feel motivated and more confident.  In my Spanish class this semester we had a “expert day” assignment.  Each student chose something they felt they were an expert at or about and presented to the class.  We had time to research and learn the vocabulary if we didn’t already know.  I thought it was a very helpful exercise.