Killing Classroom Energy
Over the last few months I’ve noticed something really interesting in my classes.
1. It’s usually easier to use the coursebook. Why? It does the thinking for you.
2. Using a coursebook is like stepping into, and being swept away by a fast moving river. Once you’re in, it’s really hard to get out.
3. Use a coursebook and you instantly are considered “acceptable” to students and admin. Your class is somehow made kosher and sound.
4. Energy spikes may happen when using the coursebook, but remember - you’ve fallen into a current and it’s hard to break away. That energy spike may have been sparked by the something in the coursebook, but if you are a coursebook purist you will very quickly stomp out the flame in order to move on to the next exercise.
I just read a really interesting article over at the Guardian Unlimited website called Embrace the parsnip. While I found the entire article to be very interesting, this one liner really got to me: “The more you teach without a coursebook, the more aware you will be of the energy drop when you do use it.”
Boy is that true. I’ve really noticed this in my classrooms, where I’ve been going “coursebook free” in one, and strictly following it in another. My coursebookless class is usually harder to prepare for, but energy levels (read: passionate interaction) are usually quite high.
Our discussions are normally around what is interesting to my student like: customer service, advocacy, social software, education, and digital natives vs. digital immigrants. Class time literally blows by us. Time is forgotten.
On the other hand, my coursebook classroom usually runs like clockwork. Everyone arrives, sits down, and opens their book to where we left off from last class. I literally feel the current tugging us along.
I love getting into conversations, on or off topic with my students, but in this classroom - the coursebook classroom - I for some reason feel a burden to return to task, to stomp out the fire before we lose control and slow our “progress” down.
But what is progress in the ESL classroom? Is it about finishing a coursebook in six months? Is it about racing through your class plan?
Or is it, as the article suggests, more in line with the student’s life?
I say it’s the latter. The more I learn how to let go of the “security” of the coursebook, allowing for reality to break into my classroom, the more authentic and real language acquisition will become.
What do you think?
Source:
http://education.guardian.co.uk/tefl/tching/story/0,,1690419,00.html
That’s for sure! Everytime I ask them to pull out their textbooks, I can detect a large sinking feel and a distancing from the students, both toward me and each other.
Comment by Aaron Campbell — February 9, 2006 @ 4:07 pm
In my classes I am required to use a book, but how much I use it or in what manner is usually left to me. I have my students 4 hours per week and “teach” learner autonomy for 1 hour and use the book for the remaining 3 hours. But of those three hours I usually supplement with my own activities about 45-75 minutes worth of material.
I can’t say that I’ve noticed a drop primarily with the textbook or with my materials. But after reading this post, I think I’ll pay attention this coming semester (starts February 27)
Comment by EFL Geek — February 9, 2006 @ 4:53 pm
I like this - I’ll mention the idea in tonight’s LanguageLabUnleashed show. You see this energy drop in Higher Ed, too, where course leaders are TOO comfortable with content.
Comment by Ewan McIntosh — February 9, 2006 @ 5:38 pm
I notice that MY energy level drops too when the coursebook comes out– and it drops a lot.
Comment by AJ Hoge — February 11, 2006 @ 4:55 pm
Chokeing on Textbooks…
I just read a post by Aaron Nelson over at “Teacher in Development” titled “Killing Classroom Energy”
Very interesting… Although I find myself in a different context (he speaks to ESL teaching), it made me stop and ponder.
Nelson speaks…
Trackback by Palimpsest redux — February 14, 2006 @ 1:22 pm
I’m a great believer in injecting energy into a classroom and I believe that a course book puts a damper on that as you so little invested into it. If you like to create your own material then you have a lot more invested in it and even if it it is less than perfect from an academic point of view you’ll make the effort to correct any defects.
Comment by Craig — February 14, 2006 @ 3:00 pm