Textbooks Do Have Some Good Qualities

Context: On Sunday, August 9th, 2009, an article about the rising use of digital textbooks in K-12 appeared in the front page of theNew York Times.
Elliot: Did you see, did you see… Our friend Sheryl Abshire was quoted on the front page of the New York Times! Yahoooo!
Cathie: Your excitement – in this case – is definitely warranted. We don’t often have the opportunity to tell the world about a positive development in education. And, not surprisingly, Sheryl’s comments were spot on.
Elliot: Sheryl’s observation that “[The students today] don’t engage with textbooks that are finite, linear and rote” is particularly pithy.
Cathie: As K-12 moves away from traditional textbooks, we have to remember that the textbooks do more than just deliver content: they provide teachers with complete and comprehensive lessons that are aligned with the standards; they provide examples with and without answers, overheads for class presentations, and on and on.
Elliot: Yes, articles from the web can indeed provide content, but textbooks are a special kind of book that has evolved to meet the unique needs of K12. The field has invented a name for this special kind of book – a “textbook.”
Cathie: In our rush to save money and support students in their information gathering activities, we had better not inadvertently add more work onto the backs of teachers.
Elliot: Spoken like the classroom teacher of 14 years that you are!  The value of the textbook for teachers is a subtle one and we may be overlooking it in our rush to an all digital world. I can’t believe that I am supporting paper-based textbooks!
Cathie: You tend to want to see issues as black or white, but like most issues, the textbook issue is full of grays. After all, the textbook won’t go away, it will just morph into a new and improved digital edition.  I take your seeing the teacher’s point of view as a small victory; you are not just seeing school through the eyes of a teenage boy – finally.
Elliot: Your harangues over the past 15 years have had an impact.
Cathie: A small…
Elliot: but noticeable impact!

Comments

[Joseph Bellina]

The comment pertains to science education. I have several comments about this conversation, and what it presumes.

First, an etextbook is just a textbook in a different medium. Textbooks, especially in K-8 in science are notoriously bad, and I don't expect them to be any better in an electronic version.

Second, the notion that loss of a textbook leaves the teacher with nothing is not correct. There are other better alternatives to textbooks in K-8. There are a number of student centered, inquiry based instructional materials that include an extensive teacher manual, a box of materials, and good web support. The curriculum design was NSF funded and research based. There is good evidence that students learn science, and reading and writing for that matter much better with this methodology. Google for example, FOSS, STC, or Insights.

[Matt Federoff]

No offense guys...but you missed it entirely. It's not about printed vs digital...it's about the entire metaphor of a "textbook" that's essentially out of gas.

You have to see what comes after...but once you see it...then you'll know why we say that we're "Beyond Textbooks".

Matt Federoff
Chief Information Officer
Vail School District

[Elliot Soloway]

This is one for the Better-Late-Than-Never Department:
Thank you both for your comments. Textbooks have indeed “run out of gas” as Mr. Federoff points out. But it is no mean feat to create a complete and comprehensive lesson that is aligned with the standards and is made up of engaging activities, uses available resources, etc., etc. Textbooks have played an important role in that process. Thus, I hope that the NSF-sponsored science materials that Mr. Bellina mentions do also help the teacher organize his/her lesson. When we go “beyond textbooks,” we need to put in place another mechanism to support teachers in creating effective lessons.