Secondary School Topic: Using the Class Textbook

10-second review: Let individual students choose the chapter they want to read.

Title: “Individualizing the English Curriculum.” C Morrison. English Journal (April 1975), 54. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Summary/Quote: “A good place to start [individualizing] is with the conventional English textbook. Allow the students to choose individually, which chapters of the book, they wish to study. This is much more workable than you might guess. You will find that the students will be anxious to avoid two areas of study: those with which they are already acquainted, and those which are too difficult for them to grasp. The result is that each student is working on material that is meaningful and useful to him. Do not be concerned about the lack of skill sequences. A knowledge gap may necessitate the use of index, table of contents, dictionary and other useful resources, and the learning experience is further enlarged.” p. 54.

Comments: Double the learning by having students teach what they have learned from the chapter to the other students. But teach them how to teach the chapters. Have them develop lesson plans. And encourage them to check out the topic of the chapter on the Internet. They will find a number of useful techniques on the Internet for teaching the topic(s). RayS.