Synopses & Reviews
English language teaching textbooks (or coursebooks, as they are sometimes known) play a central role in the life of a classroom and in many contexts constitute the syllabus the teacher is expected to follow. However, there is a need to extend and strengthen research in this area. Following a substantial state-of-the-art survey of research on ELT textbooks and a discussion of appropriate methods to study them, this volume contains chapters focusing on: 1. analysis of textbook content; 2. how textbooks are used in the English language classroom, and 3. textbook writers' accounts of the materials writing, design, and publishing process.
Written by an international cast of teachers and textbook writers working in the UK, the USA, Japan, Spain, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia, this volume features a balance of theory and practice and refers to both general English and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) textbooks used around the world.
Synopsis
English language teaching textbooks (or coursebooks) play a central role in the life of a classroom. This edited volume contains research-informed chapters focusing on: analysis of textbook content; how textbooks are used in the classroom; and textbook writers' accounts of the materials writing, design, and publishing process.
About the Author
NIGEL HARWOOD is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Language and Linguistics, University of Essex, UK. His research interests include Academic Writing, Writing Pedagogy, EAP, Materials Design and Corpus-Driven Pedagogy. Nigel's previous publications include the edited volume English Language Teaching Materials: Theory and Practice (CUP, 2010).
Table of Contents
1. Content, Consumption, And Production: Three Levels of Textbook Research; Nigel Harwood
PART I: STUDIES OF TEXTBOOK CONTENT
2. All Middle Class Now? Evolving Representations of the Working Class in the Neoliberal Era - The Case of ELT Textbooks; John Gray And David Block
3. Reading Comprehension Questions: The Distribution of Different Types in Global EFL Textbooks; Diana Freeman
4. Teaching English Reading: What's Included in the Textbooks of Pre-Service General Education Teachers?; L. Quentin Dixon, Shuang Wu, Renata Burgess-Brigham, R. Malatesha Joshi, Emily Binks-Cantrell, And Erin Washburn
PART II: STUDIES OF TEXTBOOK CONSUMPTION
5. Teachers' Conceptualization and Use of the Textbook on a Medical English Course; Ahlam Menkabu and Nigel Harwood
6. An Experienced Teacher's Use of the Textbook on an Academic English Course: A Case Study; Fotini Grammatosi and Nigel Harwood
7. Global Textbooks in Local Contexts: An Empirical Investigation of Effectiveness; Gregory Hadley
PART III: STUDIES OF TEXTBOOK PRODUCTION
8. Writing Materials for Publication: Questions Raised and Lessons Learned; Ivor Timmis
9. An Interdisciplinary Textbook Project: Charting The Paths Taken; Fredricka L. Stoller and Marin S. Robinson
10. Tensions Between the Old and the New in EAP Textbook Revision: A Tale Of Two Projects; Christine B. Feak and John M. Swales
11. Chaosmos: Spontaneity and Order in the Materials Design Process; Jill Hadfield