Teaching Philosophy Statement

Using a textbook to its best advantage seems to be overlooked when we prepare for teaching. I believe there is a place for textbooks, facts, and even lectures in different subjects or level of students. I have noticed that many really don't know what to do with a textbook. They have learned a great deal about cooperative learning, using technology in the classroom, and designing rubrics. While those are good things to know, some traditional classroom techniques are also important. Selection of a textbook or choosing the right textbooks for students is a serious business. Why? because the best argument against textbooks is that they are often poorly used by classroom teachers. Actually, no student can absorb that much information in a year.

That doesn't mean that they are all the same and it is important to choose a book that fits your needs. Some schools purchase only classroom sets and others purchase a book for each student. Such uses may require different sorts of books. Some very good books have relatively few graphics, others make extensive use of illustrations, graphs, charts, and maps. The book which is best for you depends largely on your teaching style. It may also depend on the curriculum and philosophy of your school. In my state, all schools must have a school improvement plan, which includes reading as a target area for improvement. Since improvement plan includes teaching students specific reading strategies, I look at potential textbooks in terms of how well they lend themselves to teaching those strategies. State standards and district curriculum guides are becoming increasingly important in driving instruction. Many textbook publishers provide a correlations guide to individual state standards. It is not difficult to do this on your own. Simply select a dozen or so of the major standards you are responsible for teaching and read the appropriate section of the books you are