This document discusses the process of selecting a coursebook for teaching English as a foreign language. It outlines both the pros and cons of using a coursebook. The pros include providing a framework, syllabus, ready-made texts and tasks, being economical and convenient, and offering guidance. The cons include materials being inadequate, irrelevant, limiting, and making learning too homogeneous or easy. It then provides steps to assess a coursebook, such as deciding on criteria from standards, applying the criteria to coursebooks, and summarizing which factors are most important. Specific criteria discussed include coverage, text quality, tasks, task administration, and application.

1. Materials
Ur, P. (1999). A Course in Language Teaching: Trainee
Book. 1st ed. Cambridge University Press (pp. 79-85)

2. Using a Coursebook: Pros
1. Framework.
2. Syllabus
3. Ready-made texts and tasks
4. Economy
5. Convenience
6. Guidance
7. Autonomy

3. Using a Coursebook: Cons
1. Inadequacy
2. Irrelevance, lack of interest
3. Limitation
4. Homogeneity
5. Over-easiness

4. Assessing a Coursebook
 Situation: Suppose that you have to select
a coursebook for your class. As a public
school teacher, you have your say in
selecting the coursebook for your school,
along with your colleagues. What steps
would you take to perform this job?

5. Assessing a Coursebook
1. Deciding on criteria
(e.g. Common Core Standards, CEF
(Common European Framework), Korean
MOE Standard
2. Applying criteria
See page 82 for an example.
3. Summary
On which factor would you put weight?

6. Using a Coursebook
1. Coverage: Are there some that are neglected? Are there
others that it spends too much time or space on in your
opinion?
2. Text: Are the (reading or listening) texts of an appropriate
level? Are they interesting? Varied?
3. Tasks (activities, exercises)
4. Tasks (Activities): Do the tasks provide opportunities for
plenty of use of the target language?
5. Administration: With regard to any specific component of
the coursebook: would this be most effectively administered
through teacher-led question-and-answer?
6. Application

7. Sheldon (1998)
ELT Journal Volume
42/4 October 1988