The Use of Textbooks in Primary Mathematics
I am often asked my opinion about various textbook/workbook series. I try to avoid promoting one book over another but that does not mean that I am anti textbook. Last century I co-authored a series of textbooks aimed at the lower secondary level. It was a lot of work, and I learned a lot about writing and the thinking that goes behind creating a textbook.
Here are some thought about the use of textbooks that you may wish to consider before purchasing or abandoning a textbook series.
Pros
- Textbooks can reduce teacher workload. I see many teachers downloading all sorts of materials and photocopying sheets and spending a lot of time creating lessons. Textbooks and associated teacher guides can reduce that part of preparation but the do not replace the need to prepare and plan.
- Textbooks provide a coherent approach across a school. Textbook editors try to ensure that terminology used is consistent and the way examples are presented is similar. When random sheets are downloaded from a variety of sources this is not the case.
- Textbooks can support inexperienced teachers or whole schools when a new curriculum is released, so they can come to grips with the new curriculum and any changes that have been made. It is assumed that the authors of the textbook can do a better job interpreting the curriculum document. Be aware that some textbooks are adapted from other curricula, but for the most part maths is maths.
Cons
- Teachers can become slaves to the textbook, letting the book dictate the pace and structure of lessons. Teachers often say they feel pressured to complete the page in the book rather than ‘teach the mathematics behind the page’.
- In fairness to textbook publishers the decision to adopt a book is often made by a few people and sometimes hastily so there is no ‘buy in’. In many schools I visit teacher report not being provided with the associated professional development required to effectively use the book. An example would be learning to use the bar model as featured in some textbook series. If teachers don’t receive the appropriate professional learning then the implementation of the series is likely to fail.
- A textbook is no substitute for quality teaching. Schools need to spend time and money on upskilling teachers to teach mathematics. Sometimes the budget is spent on buying the books which reduces the amount to be spent on manipulatives and professional development.
- Some teachers feel restricted by the approach used in the book.
Some considerations
I have noticed that schools often abandon a textbook after just a few years and then adopt a new one. A lot of effort is required each time this happens, so it is well worth spending the time thinking about the decision.
No matter how good the textbook page is there are certain things you can’t learn from reading and filling out lines on a page. For example, you learn to measure by measuring. Students need to measure with physical tapes, use balance scales to understand equivalence, read scales when cooking and so on.
I will leave the last word to C.M. Fleming (1939) who said:
“No series of books intended for pupils use can take the place of the teacher whose mind is alert to the needs of every pupil. No series of books can crowd between its covers those wider experiences which should be drawn from the pupils’ everyday surroundings to bring added interest and meaning to the arithmetic work.”
I could help but think how similar this is to advice given by Hattie et al.
“We didn’t say throw away textbooks. They are a resource that can be useful. Use them wisely, and make adjustments as you deem necessary to respond to the needs of your students. Remember, it is your students, not the curriculum writers who direct the learning in your room.”
References
Fleming, C.M., 1939, Beacon Arithmetic Teacher’s Manual, Ginn and Co Ltd.
Hattie, J., Fischer, D. and Frey, N., et al. (2017), p.20. Visible Learning for Mathematics: What works best to optimise student learning. Grades k – 12. California: Corwin
