Unit 4
Introduction
Textbooks are an integral part of the resources for curriculum implementation. In recent times the publications of text books have improved considerably with regard to pupil’s learning and teacher development – texts are now prepared with the teaching activity in mind. Textbooks contain knowledge, explanation and exercises essential to the understanding of each subject.
In Guyana, serious attention has been given to the production and publication of local textbooks. Inputs have come from overseas publishing houses and UNESCO consultancies. Above all, the production of local texts have emphasized the local customs, culture and environment. In addition teachers have been involved in the selection, writing and testing of the material.
In this unit we consider different aspects of the management of textbooks including their selection, distribution and care. Within this framework, the durability and care of textbooks combine to give special importance to a policy of the Ministry of Education. This policy is a commitment to ease the pressure on parents and at the same time to remove some of the social and economic barriers to children’s learning.
Individual study time: 3 hours.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this unit you should be able to:
¨ know how to select appropriate textbooks for pupils within the constraints of finance and governing policies
¨ know how to ensure that the school is properly stocked with appropriate textbooks
¨ create a fair system for the distribution of textbooks to all pupils
¨ establish procedures for the proper care of books.
Principles and constraints of textbook management
In an ideal world, all textbooks would be selected by specialists based on the books’ qualities and its use as a teaching and learning aid. However, in reality, this is not always the case as such resources are often scarce. Furthermore, the choice of textbook by and outside “expert” might limit the creativity of individual teachers. In addition, a number of practical issues will come into play. Some of the basic principles which should guide you in the management of textbooks in your school are likely to include the following:
The topics should be relevant to the curriculum.
Changes of standard textbooks should be restricted and spaced across a number of years.
A textbook should be either robust and have a long life expectancy, or be very cheap and be expected to last only the length of a course.
A workbook in which children write can only be used once and may be considered a luxury when resources are limited.
The choice, type and quantity of textbooks required is determined by the school's annual budget, pupil needs and curriculum requirements.
The value of textbooks must be appreciated by all who handle them.
Constraints
Almost every school faces problems in ensuring the supply of sufficient textbooks of the right quality to all pupils. Some of the reasons why this is so include the following:
1. There are not enough funds to buy the textbooks needed. There is no guarantee that adequate funds will be provided in future years.
2. The chosen textbook is not available at the time and in the numbers required. Replacement copies cannot be easily found or purchased.
3. Within the school there might be insufficient expertise and knowledge to make a meaningful choice of textbook.
4. In some schools there is a lack of secure, weatherproof storage facilities.
5. Teachers are concerned that using books may damage them and they will be held accountable.
Qualities of a textbook
A textbook usually consists of text, index, diagrams, illustrations and exercises. The quality can range from a simple text with line drawings printed on inferior paper to a full colour glossy publication. The cost implications for the latter are considerable. However, we will need to be clear about how the text can support the required learning. Is it better, for example for learning material to be available to all children through a cheaper text than for it to be shared using a more expensive publication? This is partly the rationale behind Guyana’s production and publication of local textbooks.
We need to consider how important such content as diagrams, full colour photographs, illustrations and exercises are to pupils in a Grade One class in Mathematics or a Secondary CSEC class in Biology. Although the nature and level of content in a textbook is important, so is the design, and this must be matched to the level of the pupils, the subject and the teaching /learning style which is being encouraged.
Consider for a moment what you feel are the important features you would look for in a textbook in your own subject for the age range you are currently teaching.
Criteria for selection
If you are ever in the fortunate position of being able to choose a textbook as opposed to using existing ones or having textbooks chosen for you, you should consider some of the criteria you would use in their selection.
Some of the factors which you would probably have included in your selection included might be:
· suitability of the material for the age of pupil
· language level within the pupil's grasp
· good, clear, interesting expression
· cost within the school's budget
· durability
· content at the correct ability level and relevant to the course of study
· diagrams and illustrations appropriate to the pupil's experience
· good, usable index
· plentiful exercises: graded and relevant
· material is related to the cultural contexts of all the pupils and is free of bias.
Given that textbooks are used across international barriers and cover the experiences of a wide range of cultural practice, reflect for a moment on which of these you would consider to be the most important and would influence your choice most.
Practice with regard to the purchase of textbooks varies considerably. For example, subject specialists, after consultation, may compile a list of the required textbooks which each school must order. They may also be provided directly from the Book Distribution Unit (BDU) either on the recommendation of a specialist or as a donation from an NGO or another donor. Funds are made available for this purpose but the school can decide the number of textbooks and the supplier. In Guyana, some publishers are under contract to produce specific textbooks which are then supplied direct to schools. The National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) will also supply texts which are directly linked to the Curriculum Guides or Scope and Sequence Guides which they produce. Perhaps, in an ideal situation, all decisions about the selection of textbooks would be left to school heads and teachers who would understand their own local context and needs. However, for practical reasons and because there is an economy of scale, schools in Guyana are more likely to be provided with books that choose them themselves.
Textbooks may be classified in two types: Pupil books and Class sets.
Pupil textbooks: These are issued to each individual pupil who becomes responsible and accountable for them.
Class sets: These are issued to individual teachers to be given out when the teacher requires them for a specific lesson or part of a lesson, and are then collected in at the end of the lesson. The teacher is therefore responsible for the proper care of these books.
With the increasing cost of textbooks, often because of the quality of their production, the main reason for deciding whether a textbook should be ordered as a pupil book or as a class set is likely to be differences in cost. Hence, the reason why in Guyana, so many texts are directly produced and published by the Ministry of Education.
Cost
Activity 4.1
1. Explain why it may be less expensive for a school to buy class sets than textbooks for individual pupils.
2. Class sets have to be accessible to each pupil when required. Where should they be stored to enable this to be possible?
3. How many books should there be in a class set? Check your answer because it may not be the same number as the number of pupils in the class.
4. Under what circumstances might you have fewer books in a set than number of pupils in the class, and under what circumstances more?
Comments
Using class sets can be cheaper because one set of books can be used several times with different classes. Thus the ratio of pupils to books may be 3:1, instead of 1:1. If the system of class sets of textbooks is used, then the teachers must be trained as to how to operate it effectively as much time and effort may be wasted. The sets must be stored in the classrooms where they are needed. If one book is shared between two pupils then only half sets need be purchased, but if there are several classes and clashes in the timetable then more than one set may be required.
The question of cost may be critical, but it is also important to think about cost effectiveness. If textbooks are only available in class, then how do pupils have time to read them at leisure in order to really get to know a book, or have access to them when they have homework to do? Class sets may reduce immediate costs, but we also need to know what effect this option may have on levels of pupil attainment.
Durability
Think for a moment about how long textbooks used in your school last for. Consider the main factors which determine the life of a textbook.
The life of a textbook varies a lot. One of the key factors is who is looking after a book. A well bound book belonging to a serious pupil is likely to last much longer than a poorly bound book of a careless pupil who feels no responsibility for it, nor is held accountable by the school or by his parents. Other factors are changes that are made in the curriculum or the arrival of a new teacher who has his / her own preferences. When resources are scarce then clear policies are required within each school which are then implemented effectively. A considerable factor in the non-use of textbooks which are available in schools is the concern of the teacher about being held accountable for their safety. This is an anomaly because unless the books are used they cannot be effective as a learning tool. Whereas teachers must be held accountable, they have to be confident enough to realize that they will not be penalized for that which is beyond their control.
This is probably best encapsulate in the following quotation from the Introduction of a series of books produced for the children of the North Rupununi District of Guyana.
“We urge children and teachers to keep them off the shelves and firmly placed in the hands of pupils. Books are not ornaments and these particular books are to be read and re-read, used and re-used and put into practice by all of us who get the chance to read……….”
Vanda Radzik (Community Development Fellow, Iwokrama) referring to the Lolita and Maria series by Liz Schuster.
Local production of textbooks
Activity 4.1
1. What proportion of the textbooks used in your school are locally written and produced?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of locally produced textbooks?
Comments
Locally produced textbooks should be purchased wherever possible. Local authors are most likely to know both the curriculum and the needs of the children, and local publishers may design and print books in the way which is most appropriate for the market. Refer to your Study Guide to see information on book production in Guyana.
Activity 4.2
A teacher has reported to the deputy head that a pupil has not handed in a homework assignment. This is her third offence. On investigating the case the deputy head finds that almost half the class is without textbooks. He then reports this situation to the head.
(1) Who may be responsible for this situation and why? Is it the pupil, the teacher, the head, the parents, the Ministry of Education, nobody or everyone?
(2) What steps could you take to alleviate the situation?
Comments
It may not be appropriate to spend much time blaming people. If we look at the situation more positively as a challenge rather than a problem, then we may see that each of these people may have a contribution to make to alleviate the situation. The lesson of this case should be that the quality of learning by pupils and their levels of achievement is closely related to the quality, availability and use of textbooks, and thus the quality of textbook management by the school head.
Activity 4.3
The annual order of textbooks has just been delivered at your school. You arrange the issue of textbooks to the various subject department heads, who in turn issue them to class teachers who issue them to the pupils.
Check what you and your staff do in each of the following areas.
1. How are the books identified, so that one copy can be distinguished from another?
2. There is another school in the locality. How is it possible to identify to which school the books belong?
3. What steps are taken when a pupil wantonly damages a book? Are the nature and level of action related to the degree of damage?
4. What happens when a pupil loses a book?
5. Whose responsibility is it to check, and how often, on books issued to pupils and teachers?
6. Whose responsibility is it to:
report lost books to the head?
charge for lost books?
store surplus textbooks?
7. What happens to textbooks which are truly surplus, redundant and no longer of value to the school?
8. Design a book issue form for the pupil. Remember to leave space for the pupil's signature.
CommentsYou may have discovered that what would be considered to be good practice may be very different from the actual practice in your school.
All textbooks must be identified by a unique number which is clearly marked on the book and cannot be removed. Often this number will also be represented on a page number. E.g. Book number 20 would be marked on page 20. This is an additional way of ensuring that book numbering is not tampered with. All books should bear the school stamp in a prominent place to identify them from other schools.
Teachers and pupils must be held accountable at all levels and, where they have beem found to be negligent, there must be consequences. Children and their parents must pay for lost or damaged books. It is the responsibility of the teacher who iussues the books to check them on a regular basis and to ensure their safe return.
Reporting and charging for lost books and the storage of surplus books will be a matter for individual schools to decide. However, accountability must be maintained at all levels at all times. When books are no longer of use to the school, they may be written-off with the permission of the Headteacher who will try to find a use for them elsewhere, perhaps in another institution.
The care of textbooks
Case study
The life of any book will be extended if it is properly looked after. Consider this case:
A carton of new books had arrived at the school for the library. The teacher in charge of the library was determined that pupils should be introduced to these books and learn to respect them and treat them properly. She asked permission of the head and then visited each class to give a talk on the books and their contents. In one class she selected a book, and opened it in front of the class, only to find that because the binding was stiff the book would not remain open. She took the book and bent it backwards, there was a loud 'crack' ‑ the spine of the book had broken...
What should the teacher do next?
Report the matter immediately to the head?
Pretend nothing has happened and carry on?
Say she has broken the book deliberately to show the pupils how easy it is to maltreat books?
Explain to the pupils what has happened and why; that this thoughtless action will cost her money because the book must be replaced otherwise the pupils will be deprived?
Comments
Clearly the teacher has to set an example and so the last option is the best. Always remember care reduces costs.
Think for a moment about the best ways of caring for books when they are in storage, when they are being transported and when they are in use.
Do you think pupils should be allowed to write in books, mark pages or underline words?
Summary
The availability, quality and effective use of textbooks are some of the important factors affecting the quality of learning in a school. Textbooks support the curriculum by reinforcing and extending the work of teachers; thus good textbooks can lead to better teaching and effective learning. The growth and development of the publication of textbooks provide for closer relations to curriculum choices and teacher development in the use of subject materials. It must be realised how important it is to have a system of text-book management within your school in order to maximise this important resource and achieve higher levels of pupil attainment.
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