Oftentimes, you walk through a book exhibition looking at course books or browse through publisher web pages and need to make a quick decision regarding the selection of a course book and its supplementary components based on first impressions.

A Quick first impression checklist

For this purpose, I would recommend a quick checklist like the one I created on the basis of a simple acronym – in my case FRIEND, because obviously I don’t want the course book to be my enemy but to support me and help me in my lesson preparation.

 The acronym can include whichever 4 or 5 elements YOU think are important – here is mine with some explanatory notes.

© Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens

Notes
F is for Fun & games /laughter  because of their  positive effect on memory and acquisition
R is for Rapport among Teacher, Learner, Materials; because  of its good effect on group dynamics & benefits  to learning
I is for Ideology … The material should have  NO racist or sexist issues; no ethnic or cultural biases; respect for values important to learners
E is for Education principles being followed relating to the learner’s cognitive development, their age, level, and background
N is for Needs of all concerned; the material should cater for cognitive, emotional and communicative needs real or perceived
D is for Design;  colour, images, font size, layout, etc. should create material which is appealing, user friendly, easy to use by child and adult at home                  

Obviously you want most of the ticks to be in the first two columns – wide zig-zags are to be avoided!!!

The Flick Test 

Obviously only possible with print material!  Flick through a course book and check that it contains enough activities from a list you have created and which you consider important.

This is of course not always possible with digital material samples (one unit is not enough for inspection), but if available, it can give you an idea of whether it is worth examining a course further and with more attention to detail?

For a Closer Look at Course materials 

There are excellent course book evaluation checklists in standard texts such as the classic Choosing your Coursebook by A. Cunningsworth, and lots of useful articles you can find through a quick search.

On this blog, I have also included a longer checklist in a blog post with the title Working with Coursebooks: Gathering Intelligence, Making a Choice – published in 2009 but still relevant in many ways.

Below, you can also view an attempt to create a detailed but more concise impression – this could be a useful tool for a team of teachers working in the same school.

              Coursebook Evaluation and Selection

© Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens

And what of Online published courses? 

Newer courses have new supplements and new tools and perhaps, need new evaluation checklists. What questions would you add to existing lists of criteria to accommodate these materials?

I would be happy to read your comments and proposals below.

Bibliography

Cunningsworth, A,, 1995, Choosing your Coursebook by A. Cunningsworth , Heinemman.