How to Choose a Good TextBook

1)  FIRST IMPRESSIONS

In the first instance the book must be attractive to look at and make the pupil want to pick it up and use it.  The cover should be attractive and indicate clearly the subject and level.  The information on the cover should be concise and offer a clear indication of the content and aims of the book.  The cover should be strong and durable enough for rigorous use.  The inside of the book should be attractive and appealing.  It should make people want to read and use it.

To achieve this:

·      The type size and face and the language level should be appropriate for the age of the reader

·    The design of the page should help to make the content clear and easy to follow.  There should be clear headings and good letter, word and line spacing throughout

·         The book should have a clearly presented contents page, where appropriate, an index

·   The paper should be a quality and weight that doesn’t allow the text and illustrations to show through on the reverse side making it difficult to read

·    Pupils/students book, in particular, should be well illustrated with lively, good quality artwork/photographs/diagrams that stimulate interest in the subject matter

·         The standard of both writing and editing should be high

2)   CONTENT – Text

The content should be organized in a clear and logical way, so pupils can find their way through the material without difficulty.  It should conform to, and cover at least 80% of, the relevant syllabus.  Topics should be covered in adequate detail and, where appropriate, go beyond the requirements of the syllabus.

All information and statistics should be up-to-date and accurate.  There should be a balance between urban and rural references as well as a sensitive approach to gender and culture.

Instructions and rubrics should be clear, and (if they are to be used by the pupils) at an appropriate language level.

New terminology should be explained either where it appears in the text (for example in science and maths books) and/or in a glossy (for example, in some social studies books).

Illustrations

Diagrams should be clear and functional, accurately labeled, and positioned so they are relevant and of maximum support to the text.

Illustrations and paragraphs should be high quality and their content should stimulate and interest the pupils.  They should be culturally, gender sensitive and relevant to the text.  In some subjects, such as science, illustrations can be used to extend understanding and application of the subject matter.  The number of illustrations should be sufficient to adequately support the text.

3)  TEACHING APPROACH

The effect of the course books can be enhanced by child-centred activity learning.  The activities and exercises should be practical, appropriate and interesting for children.  It is important that these books are supported by teacher’s books which give the teacher clear and comprehensive guidance on how to use and obtain the maximum value from them.

Other points to look for in good teacher’s books are:

·     Clear links (headings, page references etc) to the relevant pupils’ book, so that the book is quick and easy to use

·    Guidance on classroom organization for different types of lessons, such as practical activities, discussions etc

·      Suggestions for activities to extend brighter pupils and to give practice and support for those less able

·         Guidance on assessment

·         Suggestions for cross-curricular links

·         The inclusion, where appropriate, of test and examination questions

·        Answers to exercise/appendix/reference material(particularly in science and technology books

  4)  COURSE COMPONENTS AND SUPPORT MATERIALS

Where a book is part of a course it is important that the complete course contains the appropriate number of levels and course components (pupils books, teacher’ guides, workbooks, copybooks, CDs etc) to cover in full the requirements of the syllabus.  A concise outline of components should be given on the back cover of all books relevant to the course.

Non-course materials, such as readers series, should cover a number of levels and have teacher back-up materials.

Make sure that you have available:

·   Example of books to demonstrate each point, For example, books with suitable and unsuitable type size; good page design and bad page design; good covers and bad covers; good illustrations and bad illustrations etc (Use examples of both Moran Publishers and non Moran Publishers books)

·     Books (Moran Publishers!) which show examples of local references, up-to-date statistics, gender sensitivity, cross-curricular links etc

·     Teacher’s guide for a range of subjects available to demonstrate the important features to look for

·         A complete course to show the various components

·    Examples of different levels from series of readers available, together with their teacher support material