Daniels and Zemelman Ch. 3-4

Chapter 3 largely covers reasons for why textbooks are inadequate, burdensome, or overused in classrooms.  Some of the supporting evidence included high cost, excessive breadth of content, lack of detailed content or helpful learning strategies, error ridden, and lack a targeted audience.  The potential solutions were an interesting combination.  The suggestions involved using the textbook more carefully, incorporating different texts that more appropriately reach out to the students, and modifying lessons so that specific skills are the objectives instead of content knowledge.  The material in chapter three was very much in alignment with advice to use text sets as a way of reaching students more effectively.  Although the chapter did a very good job of explaining many of the deficiencies of textbooks, I thought their justification and promotion of their solutions was a bit abbreviated.  I agree with many of their arguments, but I sometimes see a lack of how textbooks and non-textbooks can be used together in a classroom.  For example, if a teacher goes to the effort to create the text set then there will often be no reason to use the text book at all.  The lessons can be taught directly in the classroom with teacher prepared supplemental materials.  The key factor that I believe is important is the use of big ideas and themes in the classroom.  Despite what form of text is selected, the learning activities should have a theme so that a consistent message is built upon throughout the semester.

Chapter 4 is really just an extension of Chapter 3 that further elaborates on the reasons for using a variety of reading materials.  The underlying message of this chapter promotes more motivating reading selections.  All of the suggestions would be found in an education psychology book within the sections dealing with increasing motivation.  The selection of the text would largely dependent on the class type and make-up of students.  The main concern I have about the idea is whether teachers have the time to create such a library and can schools create collections that are available for all teachers instead of each teacher having their own text set.  The emphasis should also be placed on teacher collaborative efforts.