Textbooks provide a springboard for classroom discussion, and they often contain activities to concretize and expand on the material. They can also be a lifeline for teachers in unfamiliar waters-particularly for those who are called upon to teach a subject with which they are not completely familiar. All of our personal libraries have well-thumbed through textbooks, testaments to our odyssey as evolving learners and teachers, and testaments to the permanent value of books in our learning and our lives. The subject matter was impenetrable, the teacher was less than riveting, the visuals were mediocre, but the textbook was outstanding. However, we must acknowledge that not all textbooks are equally effective, and that textbooks can also be used badly.
Some critics accuse textbooks of being bland.
Others say, although there is research to the contrary, that textbooks limit vocabulary acquisition and lower reading levels. A third group asserts that a truly creative teacher should not need a textbook. A textbook is a tool. As with any tool, the challenge is to use it most effectively. This is sometimes true of the way we use our textbooks as well.