How do we select and use coursebook materials?

Coursebook materials are all the materials in a coursebook package that we use in the classroom to present and practise language, and to develop learners' language skills.

A coursebook package usually includes a student's book, a teacher's book and audio and/or video recordings. The teacher's book often includes the tapescript, audio script or transcript, i.e. the written version of exactly what the learners hear on these recordings. Often there is also a workbook or activity book (a book with extra practice material), and there may also be a CD-ROM, material for use with an interactive whiteboard or extra material on a website.

Teachers often base their selection of teaching materials (coursebook or supplementary materials) on a ‘needs analysis’, i.e. a study of learners' level, language needs and interests, using questionnaires, interviews or diagnostic tests. This information helps to build up a class profile (a description of all the learners in the class) and shows what the learners have in common and how they differ from each other. The teacher's task is then to select the material that best matches this profile.