Usually, teachers in Indonesia teach some classes in the same level. All of their students receive similar explanation, thus they can test their students in the
same way. As a result textbook can be a standardize instruction. c.
Textbook provides a variety of learning resource Some textbooks are often companied by work book, CD’s and cassettes,
videos, and CD- ROM’s, etc. By giving rich learning resources, the students will
not feel bored learning English in the class. d.
Textbook is efficient Text
book can save teachers’ time. It is because they do not consume a lot of time to make material. They just need to select what kind of materials and tasks
to teach their students in a certain meeting. It enables teachers to offer time to teach rather than material production.
e. Textbook can train teacher
Inexperienced teachers may always learn textbook before they teach their students. Hence, textbook can help those teachers in training their ability in
teaching.
4
3. Selection of Textbook
Due to the wealth of commercial textbook for English language teaching available on the market, thus teachers have to pay more attention to select
textbook itself. In selecting a textbook for students, teachers need to be careful, because unsuitable textbook could possibly make the class tedious with
uninteresting material. Cunningsworth stated three stages in selecting textbook, the explanation as follows:
a. Identify the aim and objectives of the teaching program.
b. Analyze the teaching situation which the material will be used.
c. Draw up list of potential textbook, it can be done by using information from
publisher, advice from others people and our own previous experience.
5
4
Jack C. Richards, Curriculum Development in Language Teaching, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001, pp. 254
—255.
5
Alan Cunningsworth, Choosing Your Coursebook, London: McMillan Publisher Limited, 1995, p. 5.
Furthermore, Theo Van Els said that it seems useful to distinguish between the following two stages in the selection of a textbook:
a. Global Selection
In the global selection, teachers can choose textbook based on the review of
textbook, users’ judgments and information from authors and publishers. 1
Textbook review is the most general of textbook description. It often consists of summary and surface information.
2 Then, usually some textbook also completed by user’s judgment. It
contents the users’ opinion about textbook based on their experience after using it.
3 The last, information from authors and publishers also can be a
consideration in selecting textbook. It explains the strengths of contents textbook.
b. Analysis of the Textbook
In analyzing textbook, teacher at least can use Checklist and Comparative textbook description. Teachers can check contents of textbook through some
categories below: 1
Objectives and methodology 2
Structure 3
Organization of teaching 4
Texts 5
Exercises 6
Grammar 7
Phonetic 8
Vocabulary 9
Communicative, social, and situational context After checking contents of one textbook, teachers can compare it with
other textbooks. Then, they may decide to choose textbook that more appropriate to teach their students.
6
6
Theo van Esl, et al, op. cit., p. 299 —308
