ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF USING COURSESBOOKS IN CLASS:

Advantages Disadvantages
Coursebooks... Coursebooks...
provide a sensible progression of tend to concentrate on the
language items; introduction of new language;
provide a systematic approach to downplay the importance of "output"
vocabulary and grammar acquisition; practice;
meet the general requirements of the follow the same format from one unit (
respective level; to another;
provide learners with materials to may create dependency;
study on their own outside the class; are written with a general student
relieve the teacher from the load of audience in mind;
having to think of original materials. lack perfect balance.

In assessing materials, we have to bear in mind some general principles:

accessibility : the level of difficulty is in concordance with the learners' level of proficiency;
flexibility : the coursebook is organised so as to leave room for optional and alternative and
supplementary activities without imposing a linear route through the book;
variety : the coursebook shows a large range of topics and activities which enhance learners' motivation;
appropriacy to the context (here Romanian): the content of the coursebook and the approach take into
account the teaching/learning context and are in tune with the learners' particular needs and interests ;
learner autonomy : the materials facilitate the progression from dependence on the teacher and on the
materials in use, towards developing confidence and independence by training them to develop their learning
strategies according to their individual learning styles ;
gradual progress: the items to be learned are selected, presented and sequenced so as to lead
learners from the familiar to the unfamiliar, from less difficult to more difficult items ;
authenticity: use of materials which were not originally designed for language teaching, but for real
situations (newspapers, brochures, leaflets, instructions, recipes, letters, advertisements, recordings of the
news, announcements, etc.).

Tasks and Text Types for Different Skills

L = Listening W = Writing
R=Reading G = Grammar
S = Speaking V=Vocabulary

Task type Skill Description

1. Multiple choice L/R/G/V Exercises requiring students to select the correct answer
from a number of possible answers

2. T/F
3. Yes/No questions
4. Blank filling
5. Filling in diagrams, tables
6.Ticking sentences
L/R Students are asked to decide whether some statements are
true or false according to the content in the text
L/R/S/W
L/R/G/V/W Students are asked to complete the missing
words/sentences/information
L/R/S/W/V Students are asked to transfer the information from a
text into diagrams/tables
L/R e.g. Tick the sentences that you hear on the cassette
7. Ordering L/R/W/S/G Putting things in the right order, e.g. pictures, sentences,
paragraphs
8. Matching L/R/S/V/G e.g. Match the pictures with the text, words with the
meanings
9. Correcting sentences L/R/W/V/G
10. Prediction L/R/S/V/G/W Predicting what will happen next, meaning of words,
sequence of events in a story, main idea of a text, etc.
11. Flowcharts L/R/V/W Filling in bubbles with connecting ideas

12. Diaries L/S/R/W Keeping a diary, writing entries or using the diaries

13. Identifying sentences, L/R/V Find words that mean the same as those listed below in
information or individual the text
words
14. Filling in speeches bubbles L/S/R/G Filling what characters says in a cartoon/story line

15. Developing W/S/G Give a situation and students write the dialogue
dialogues
16. Physical activities L/S e.g. Doing physical activities following instructions.

17. Creating your own L/R/S/W/V/G You are going to listen to talk on extinction of some
questions species of animals. Write questions for the information
you expect to hear
18. Taking notes L/R Extracting specific information from a text
19. Sentence completion L/R/S/V/G
20. Identifying and practicing L/S
stress, rhythm and intonation
21. Problem solving L/S/W/R/G
22. Discussions, debates, S/G/V Informal and formal discussions on a given topic
presentation
21. Role plays, S Activities in which students play parts and practice language
simulations, plays appropriate to the lifelike situations they are placed in
22. Information gap L/S/R/W Students have different pieces of information and need
to pool their resources to complete the task
23. Interviews L/W/S/R e.g. Listen to the interview and write a report
24. Descriptions W/S/V
25. Storytelling S/L/R/W
26. Working with titles and W/R/G/V e.g. Students are asked to match or predict
headlines
27. Inference R/L/V Working on meaning from context
28. Reference R/L/G/V Referring back to previous sentences by using pronouns
29.Identifying sources R/L Students decide where the article/text comes from
30. Summaries R/W/L/S
31. Crosswords RAV/L/V/G
32. Highlighting R Underlining or extracting information from a written text
33. Jigsaw L/S Unscrambling information to produce an ordered text
34. Labelling L/R/V/G Students are asked to label things
35. Linking W/R Using linkers to join sentences
36. Mazes R/S/L/W An activity that entails decision making at intervals, the
result of which determines the next section of the text to
be read, and so on
37. Vocabulary sorting V Putting mixed lists of words into the same word families
38. Guided interaction Students are given cards with the bulk of an utterance and
s they must provide the missing information and conduct a
dialogue
39. Recognition of a L/S/R/ Students are asked to identify the speakers, situation,
situation/fact/ place, degree of formality etc. of a piece of conversation
function/register / text
40. Dictation L/W/R