Daniels and Zemelman Chapters 3 and 4

Chapter 3 of Daniels and Zemelman is a continuation of the chapters we read previously. “The textbook used in your classes maybe less of a choice and more of an imposition (Daniels & Zemelman, 2004, pg 36.)” Sometimes teachers are forced to use the textbook by higher authorities. The reasons for not using a textbook can be quite numerous, for instance many students lack the skills to efficiently read textbooks, however it is often easier to simply use the textbook, but doing so can be detrimental to our students’ education. “Perhaps the book has flaws, gaps, and problems that drive you nuts (Daniels & Zemelman, 2004, pg 36.)” In my case the textbooks we do not have enough textbooks for the entire class and therefore are only able to have a class set in the classroom. This can be an obstacle if I want students to read a section and be exposed to some content so we can do an activity the next day. This is not the only problem, recent discoveries have made some of the content in the very old textbooks incorrect and I would rather teach my students about it with new journals than with old incorrect information. I understand that textbooks may not be the best source of information for our students, as they are often outdated and schools simply do not have the money to replace them, but they can be helpful as an additional source of information. I would never use the textbook as the sole source of information to my students but it can act as a side source of information. However, I do need to teach my students the necessary skills to properly read a science textbook in order to make their learning a little more efficient than it may be currently.

Daniels,H., & Zemelman, S. (2004). Subjects Matter: Every Teacher’s Guide to Content-Area Reading. Portsmouth, NHL Heinemann.