HOW CAN YOU USE A TEXTBOOK AS A COURSE TOOL?

HOW CAN YOU USE A TEXTBOOK AS A COURSE TOOL?

To understand how a textbook is an instrument or a tool, we can compare it to a musical instrument, a piano, for example. The piano provides you with the means for producing music, but it cannot produce music on its own. The music is produced only when you play it. Playing well requires practice and familiarity with the piece. The more skilled you are, the more beautiful the music. Just as a piano does not play music, a textbook does not teach language. The textbook is a stimulus or instrument for teaching and learning. Clearly, the quality of the instrument also affects the quality of the music. However, if it is in tune, even the most humble piano can produce beautiful music in the hands of a skilled musician. The musical instrument analogy falls short because it involves only one performer, while success in teaching with a textbook depends also on the students who use it. Perhaps as teachers, we are called on to be not only musicians, but also piano tuners, composers, and conductors. 

In working with teachers, I frequently come across the attitude that a textbook is sacred and not to be tampered with. In a previous chapter I said that we often give too much power to written documents such as our syllabuses or lesson plans, which in turn may prevent us from paying attention to how the students are using them. This is multiplied 3 hundred fold when it comes to a text- book. Such an attitude is detrimental both to the students and to the teacher because it assumes that the way teachers teach is uniform, and the way learners learn is predictable; that there is a certain way to teach a textbook, and that the results will be the same each rime. Teachers' experiences disprove such assumptions repeatedly. The mental landscape of teaching is dotted with cries of “But it worked so well the last time I taught it.”

A more disturbing aspect of such assumptions is the underlying notion that teaching doesn't involve decision making or skill based on our understandings, beliefs, and experience, which Michael Apple (1986) has called the "deskilling" of teachers. This deskilling is evident in the attitude that it is the textbook that teaches the students, rather than the teacher or the students themselves. One study of commercially prepared reading materials for elementary school students found that reading instruction was understood as students absorbing what was in the book rather than as collaboration among author, teacher, and student. (Shannon 1987, p. 314). To reiterate the analogy with the musical instrument, just as the piano doesn't play the music, the textbook doesn't teach the language, A good textbook-one that meets students' needs, is at the right level, has interesting material, and so on can be a boon to a teacher because it can free him or her to focus on what the students do with it. However, no textbook was written for your actual group of students, and so it will need to be adapted in someway.

There are two facets to understanding how to use a textbook. The first is the textbook itself: "getting inside it" so you can understand how it is constructed and why. The second is everything other than the textbook: the context, the students, and you, the teacher. The second facet is important, because when you evaluate a textbook, you generally use the lenses of your experience and context to evaluate it, and I think it is important to be aware of those lenses. The first facer, getting inside the textbook, is important so that you know what you are adapting supplementing. The second facet helps you to be clear about what you are adapting it to.

The first step in using a textbook as a tool—getting inside it and understanding how it is put together and why—is actually a series of steps that includes three of the elements of designing a course: conceptualizing content, formulating goals and objectives, and organizing the course. In a sense, you retrace with the authors how they conceptualized content, what the organizing principle(s) is, how the text content is sequenced what the objectives of each unit are, and how the units are organized. A good place to start is with the table of contents, since it lays out both what is in the book, how the units are sequenced, and, depending on the text, the content and organization of individual units.

In the following investigations, you will examine the cables of contents of three textbooks. The investigations will use the following framework as the basis for analysis.

Figure 9.1: A Framework for Investigating How a Textbook is Put Together

• How have the authors conceptualized content, i.e. what aspects of language, learning, and social context are being addressed?
• How is the material organized, i.e., what is the organizing principle(s)?
• On what basis are the units sequenced? What is the content of a unit?
• What are the objectives of the unit? In other words what should the students know or be able to do by the end of the unit?
• How does the unit content help to achieve the objectives?

One you have “gotten inside” of the textbook and understand how its content is organized, you can consider how you want to adapt it. You have a range of choices about how much to adapt a textbook. You may stick to the syllabus and make adoptions at the activity level. You may stick to the syllabus and adapt at the unit level by doing the activities in a different order than in the book, chancing, eliminating, or adding activities. You may adapt it at the syllabus and adapt at the unit level by adding new areas to the syllabus or eliminating parts of it. The adaptions are cumulative: adapting at the unit level involves adaption at the activity level; adapting at the syllabus level involves adaption at the unit level. Such choices depend on your experience with the textbook: it is easier to adapt a textbook once you have taught it. Those choices also depend on your context and your students’ needs.

Figure 9.4: A Range o Choices with Respect to Adapting a Textbook

• The activity level: change, supplement, eliminate activities.
• The unit level: change the order of activities and adapt existing activities.
• The book/syllabus level: change, add to or eliminate parts the syllabus

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THE CYCLE OF TEXTBOOK ADAPTION

How is textbook adapted

The plan you have drawn up in the preceding investigation is only the first part in the cycle of adapting a textbook. This follows the same cycle as course development: planning how to teach with the text, reaching, (all the while adjusting as you plan and reach), Replanning based on evaluating the teaching and the text, reteaching with the text.

The work you have done to plan a unit in the investigations above provides a basis for further changes, once you have had a chance to teach with the textbook. In stage two, teaching the book, you may choose to ask your students to express their views of how effective the textbook and your adaptations of it are with respect to their needs and their learning. 

A teacher in Taiwan provided a good example of how the cycle worked for her, She came up to me after a presentation. I had given on using textbooks. She had a copy of one of the books I had co-authored. She riffled through the pages of the book, which were covered with little yellow "post it" notes on which she had written notes to herself. She said "Your book was hard to teach the first time, much easier to teach the second time." She showed me how the notes had helped her to make changes and adaptations; To return to the piano analogy, the first time she played the piece of music, it was new to her and not necessarily easy to play. With practice and familiarity; however, she could play it with more confidence and skill. Each time she went through the cycle of planning, teaching, replanning, and reteaching, she became more comfortable making choices about what to emphasize, what to leave out, and where to supplement and personalize the material. She was using the textbook as a resource for her students' learning. In terms of adapting the textbook to her particular students in her particular context, her yellow post-it notes and what they represented-reflecting and learning how to make the text work for her and her students had allowed her to become, in effect, a co-author of the book. 

Although the textbook was a constraint as far as allowing for student choice (or teacher choice for that matter) on what themes would be addressed in the class, I think that in the end I have been able to look at how to use a text as a sort of skeletal form which provides a certain amount of structure but which also allows for personal adaptation. I am excited to have broken through some of my former feelings of being bound to the textbook in its existing form, and I am looking forward to new opportunities to explore working with other texts.

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Ternyata Makan dan Minum Berdiri dalam Islam Tidak Dilarang

Mungkin selama ini Anda hanya tahu makan dan minum berdiri dalam Islam itu dilarang dan sebisa mungkin menghindarinya. Banyak orang berpegang pada hadits riwayat Muslim no. 2024 yang berisi larangan makan dan minum sambil berdiri dan di hadits selanjutnya di nomor 2026 riwayat Muslim. Dalam hadits tersebut Rasulullah _shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam_ bersabda Janganlah sekali-kali seseorang itu minum sambil berdiri. Apabila dia lupa maka hendaknya dia muntahkan.

Kedua hadits tersebut tidak bisa lagi diperdebatkan karena berasal dari sumber pengumpul hadits yang sudah terpecaya yaitu imam Muslim. Tetapi selain hadits tentang larangan makan dan minum dengan cara berdiri, ternyata ada juga dalil yang memperbolehkan makan dan minum sambil berdiri. Dalil-dalilnya juga sama shahinya dengan dalil yang melarang.

Hadits pertama yaitu berasal dari riwayat Bukhari dan Muslim tentang Nabi Muhammad saw yang minum zam-zam sambil bediri. Dalam haditsnya, dari Ibnu ‘Abbas radhiyallahu anhuma berkata,

سَقَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلمَ مِنْ زَمْزَمَ فَشَرِبَ قَائِمًا

“Aku memberi minum kepada Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam dari air zam-zam, lalu beliau minum sambil berdiri.” (HR. Bukhari no. 1637 dan Muslim no. 2027)

Kemudian ada hadits riwayat Timidzi no, 1883 yang _hasan shahih_. Dalam haditsnya, dari ‘Amr bin Syu’aib, dari ayahnya, dari kakeknya, ia berkata,

رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ –صلى الله عليه وسلم– يَشْرَبُ قَائِمًا وَقَاعِدًا

“Aku pernah melihat Rasulullah –shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam- minum sambil berdiri, begitu pula pernah dalam keadaan duduk.” (HR. Tirmidzi no. 1883)

Selanjutnya ada hadits riwayat Tirmidzi dan Ibnu Majah yang meriwayatkan tentang makan sambil berjalan.

Dari Ibnu ‘Umar radhiyallahu anhuma, ia berkata,

كُنا نَأْكُلُ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللهِ –صلى الله عليه وسلم– وَنَحْنُ نَمْشِى وَنَشْرَبُ وَنَحْنُ قِيَامٌ

“Kami dahulu pernah makan di masa Rasulullah –shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam- sambil berjalan dan kami minum sambil berdiri.” (HR. Tirmidzi no. 1880 dan Ibnu Majah no. 3301. Syaikh Al Albani mengatakan bahwa hadits ini shahih).


Ketiga hadits itu mengatakan bahwa makan dan minum sambil berdiri dideperbolehkan tapi ada juga hadits yang melarang. Tentu saja ada kelonggaran dalam hal tersebut karena Nabi Muhammad saw sendiri mencontohkan itu. Sekarang hanya bagaimana Anda saja ingin mengikuti yang mana. Tidak masalah berdiri atau duduk tapi alangkah baiknya bisa sambil duduk karena itu juga yang lebih sopan dalam budaya Indonesia.

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English Text Mousedeer and Crocodile

Narrative Text: Kancil dan Buaya

Siapa yang tak tahu kisah kancil dan buaya, kisah itu sangat terkenal di Indonesia. Jika dalam sebuah tulisan biasanya kancil dan buasa termasuk di dalam narrative text. Beginilah ceritanya di dalam bahasa Inggris.

Mousedeer and Crocodile

One day Mousedeer saw a lot of fruits on the other side of the river. He wanted to eat them but he could not cross the river. There were many crocodiles there, but there was no bridge across the river. The Mousedeer suddenly had an idea. He stood on the river side and called out.

“Hello. Is anybody there?”

Crocodile heard him, he swam fast to meet Mousedeer, and answered, “Hello, Mouse. How are you? Please come in “He pretended to be friendly. He had a plan. As soon as Mousedeer got near, he would snap him and eat him for breakfast.

But Mousedeer was standing on top of a big stone. In a proud voice he said, “Crocodile, I’m here to do the King’s order. The King will give away free meat to all crocodiles. He has sent me to count the number of all the crocodiles here.”

Crocodile was so happy that he forgot his plan to eat Mousedeer. “Really? How will you count us?”

“Please call all your family, relatives, friends, neighbours. Tell them to line up from here to the other side of the river,” ordered Mousedeer.

Before long, all the crocodiles were in a long line across the river. Then, Mousedeer jumped onto the back of one crocodile to another, counting loudly “One, Two, Three, Four.” When he got to the last crocodile he said “One hundred!” and quickly jumped up to the land.

“How many are we?” asked Crocodile.

“One hundred. Hahaha, I fooled you! Thanks for giving me a bridge to cross the river. Bye!

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Inilah video musik yang berhasil tembus 2 miliar views di YouTube

Video Musik Paling Banyak Ditonton di YouTube

Saat ini siapa yang tidak tahu dengan YouTube. Kepopulerannya telah menyebar ke pelosok dunia. Jutaan video telah diunggah di YouTube, dari sekian banyak video yang telah diunggah, ada deretan video musik yang berhasil mencapai 2 miliar kali dilihat. Penasaran video musik siapa saja yang paling banyak dilihat di YouTube? Inilah daftarnya:

1. PSY - Gangnam Style (2,814,825,712 views)

Gangnam Style adalah judul lagu dari penyayi asal korea selatan--PSY. Video musiknya sendiri sempat menjadi viral di seluruh dunia, dengan goyang ala Gangnam Stylenya. Videonya sendiri diunggah di YouTube lebih dari empat tahun yang lalu yaitu pada 15 Juli 2012 dan pada desember tahun 2012, videonya berhasil mencapai 1 miliar kali dilihat dan di Juni 2014 berhasil meningkat dengan jumlah 2 miliar kali. Kini pada 18 April 2017, jumlahnya telah mencapai 2,814,825,712 kali dilihat. Sungguh angka yang fantastis bukan.

2. Wiz Khalifa - See You Again ft. Charlie Puth (2,630,548,377 views)

See You Again adalah lagu yang dinyanyikan oleh rapper Amerika Serikat bernama Wiz Khalifa bersama Charlie Puth yang dibuat untuk _soundtrack_ film The Fast and The Farious 7. Lagunya sendiri dibuat untuk mendiang Paul Walker yang meninggal pada Nopember 2013. Video musiknya sendiri dirilis pada 6 April 2015 dan pada 18 April 2017, video musiknya telah mencapai 2,630,548,377 kali dilihat.

3. Justin Bieber - Sorry (PURPOSE : The Movement) (2,421,364,067 views)

Siapa anak muda yang tak kenal Justin Bieber saat ini, penyanyi asal Kanada ini menjadi idola anak muda terutama kaum hawa. Semua tentangnya menjadi tenar, termasuk lagunya. Liat saja di YouTube di mana hampir semua video musik Justin Bieber meraup ratusan juta penonton. Dari sekian banyak video musik Justin Bieber, yang paling banyak ditonton ialah Sorry yang dirilis pada 22 Oktober 2015. Kini Pada 18 April 2017 video musik Sorry (PURPOSE : The Movement) telah mencapai 2,421,364,067 kali dilihat, mengantarkannya ke posisi ke-3 video musik paling banyak ditonton di YouTube.

4. Mark Ronson - Uptown Funk ft. Bruno Mars (2,355,767,621 views)

Diposisi ke empat ada Uptown Funk yang dinyanyikan oleh Mark Ronson bersama Bruno Mars. Video musiknya sendiri dirilis di YouTube pada19 Nopember 2014 yang disutradarai oleh Bruno Mars dan Cameron Duddy. Kini video musiknya di YouTube telah dilihat sebanyak 2,355,767,621 kali.

5. Taylor Swift - Shake It Off (2,053,224,714 views)

Diposisi selanjutnya ada musik video dari penyanyi cantik asal Amerika Serikat--Taylor Swift--dengan video musiknya Shake It Off. Videonya sendiri diunggah pada 18 Agustus 2014 dan kini telah dilihat sebanyak 2,053,224,714 kali.

6. Enrique Iglesias - Bailando (Español) ft. Descemer Bueno, Gente De Zona (2,034,472,771 views)

Dari lima besar video musik yang mencapai 2 miliar penonton semuanya lagu yang dirilis dalam bahasa Inggris, tapi  Enrique Iglesias dengan Bailandonya berhasil memuncaki posisi ke-6 dengan lebih dari 2 miliar kali dilihat. Lagunya sendiri dirilis dalam bahasa Spanyol dan video musiknya dirilis pada 11 April 2014 dan kini telah mencapai 2,034,472,771 kali dilihat.

7. Taylor Swift - Blank Space (2,021,857,576 views)

Musik video terakhir yang berhasil mencapai 2 miliar kali dilihat ialah lagu Taylor Swift - Blank Space. Ini bukanlah video musik pertama Taylor Swift yang berhasil mendapatkan 2 miliar kali dilihat, ada Shake It Off yang terlebih dahulu mencapainya. Blank Space dirilis di YouTube pada 10 Nopember 2014 dan kini telah mencapai 2,021,857,576 kali dilihat.

Itulah daftar video musik yang berhasil meraup 2 miliar penonton di YouTube dan jumlahnya akan terus bertambah seiring waktu dan tidak menutup kemungkinan akan ada penyanyi lain yang berhasil mendapatkan 2 miliar views. Kita tunggu saja nanti.

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