Ch. 6 Moving beyond the Traditional Texbook and Transmission Methods

   

     This chapter clearly stated that the textbook should not be the only method to teach and educate our students.  The textbook in the past was geared to drive the curriculum, however; we are living in a technology driven society where various electronic devices are used by adults and children and sometimes the children are better equipped to using technology than we are.  The evolution of the classroom is changing and growing and teachers must accommodate change and sometimes change is uncomfortable, but it is good.  Change is not change unless you change!  I heard that from my pastor.  What a revelation in that simple quote. 

 

     The classroom text should have a multimodal approach incorporating visual, auditory, spoken or nonverbal cues for understanding and learning using technology.  Our classrooms are culturally diverse and books in the classroom and the school’s library should represent and reflect all types of diversity, interests, and customs (multitext).  Classrooms should also be infused with great literature and trade books.  To stimulate students’ interest in class, read alongs and read-alouds should be included.  A read along is an excerpt of a book on content that is being taught.  The read alongs can be with an individual, a small group, or with the teacher.    With a read-aloud, the teacher may read an excerpt to the entire class.  Students really enjoy a read-alouds. 

     This chapter also discussed the importance of readability levels.  You do not want text to be too easy or too difficult for your students.  There were various ways to measure readability levels using different methods and formulas.  I am sure some are better than others.  The one I have seen in most schools are the Lexile Scores.  The information about the readability levels and formulas are not 100 percent accurate, therefore use with caution.  The cloze procedure and the maze are used to see how well students will do with content before it is presented.  Prior knowledge is optimal to have success with both strategies.

     A classroom should have different types of technology, books, and resources to engage all students.  The textbook should not be the only source because it only covers a general amount of information regarding the topic.  The usage of textbooks only are dull and boring to children as well as adults.  We have to have 21^st century classroom to enrich the lives of our students.