Advantages and Disadvantages of ESL Course Books
Peter Tze-Ming Chou
Wenzao Ursuline College of Languages (Kaohsiung, Taiwan)
This article examines the advantages and disadvantages of ESL course books and what English teachers can do to improve their lessons. The use of course books in the ESL classroom is very common because the course books have the advantages of being visually appealing, easy for the teacher to prepare, and the activities fits well into the timetable. However, from the researcher’s own teaching experience, there are several problems and issues with the course books such as uninteresting topics, repetitive activities, and not enough language exposure. This in terms may affect the student’s learning attitude and motivation. It was suggested that if ESL course books are to be used, it is necessary for the teacher to prepare and develop other activities, especially extensive reading to keep the classroom atmosphere more interesting and the students more interested in what they are learning.