The process of learning a foreign language is influenced by a complex interplay of factors. In many teaching contexts, time is limited, and classes are large, making lesson planning a demanding task. In such environments, having a ready-made sequence of lessons becomes more than just a convenience – it serves as a valuable scaffold for both teachers and learners. By providing clear structure, accessible content, and a sense of progression, coursebooks help students understand what to expect and allow teachers to concentrate on facilitating learning rather than developing materials from scratch.
However, coursebooks are not without controversy. When treated as rigid tools, they can become pedagogical straightjackets. In such cases, teachers may feel disempowered, and students may disengage, as the learning process becomes mechanical and disconnected from their interests and needs. Therefore, “since textbooks […] are such a key component of language classrooms, their appropriateness and usefulness require our critical attention” (McGrath, 2013). This careful evaluation is essential to determine how well the coursebook aligns with the teaching context and ensure it supports and enhances the teacher’s work.
COURSEBOOKS AS COMPASSES
Coursebooks which are designed to promote flexibility, support personalization, and foster meaningful interaction serve as guiding compasses in the language classroom. Rather than prescribing a fixed path, they equip teachers and students with tools to navigate the learning process together, adapting the experience to their specific needs and contexts. They offer direction, but leave the journey to be charted by the navigator – in this case, the teacher. But what might this look like in practice? Here are some possibilities:
• Offering optional paths
A modular structure – where units are grouped by theme rather than numbered sequentially – can give teachers more autonomy in choosing content. “Notes for Teachers” may also suggest alternative sequences based on students’ age or interests. In addition, “Choose your Focus” pages can encourage students to prioritize grammar, speaking, or project-based work according to their individual goals, inviting them to take on the role of navigators in their own learning journey.
• Supporting differentiation based on learners’ profiles
Graded task options (e.g. Task A for basic comprehension, Task B for deeper analysis) allow teachers to tailor instruction. Cultural variation in texts and visuals, along with reflective prompts and personalization tips, can make content more inclusive and relatable.
• Suggesting extension activities
“Take it Further” sections might propose additional readings or creative outputs. These extensions allow teachers to broaden the learning experience beyond the book and connect with learners’ realities.
• Encouraging the use of authentic and learner-generated content
Prompts like “Bring something related from your community”, suggestions to replace generic dialogues with real-life scenarios, or activities created by students can help integrate their voices into the learning process.
• Fostering teacher-student collaboration
Tools like “Learning Goals Together” pages, mid-unit check-ins, and end-of-unit reflections invite shared decision-making, turning students into co-authors of their own learning.
While such materials are not yet widespread, we share Tomlinson’s vision for the future of coursebooks – one in which greater attention is “paid to how materials are actually used rather than just to how they are developed and published,” and where there is “greater flexibility of materials and the encouragement of creativity in their use” (Tomlinson, 2023, p. 14-15).
COURSEBOOKS AS RAILROADS
Many coursebooks still follow a fixed, linear structure – more like railroads than compasses – which can limit flexibility. However, even when such materials are chosen, teachers can act as navigators, interpreting, adapting, and extending the material to better serve their students’ needs and their own teaching style. As Bell and Gower (1998, p. 118) put it, “coursebooks are tools which only have life and meaning when there is a teacher present.” Instead of moving through the book page by page, they can transform it into a springboard for richer, more meaningful learning experiences.
Here are some ways to actively work with coursebooks that follow a fixed structure:
• Resequencing or skipping content
Changing the order of or omitting content allows teachers to better align lessons with students’ needs, interests, or classroom realities. This flexible approach helps prioritise the most relevant and engaging parts of the material. Reorder units based on relevance, skip overly complex or redundant sections, and focus on what connects best with students.
• Adapting tasks to simplify them
If a text is too difficult, pre-teach key vocabulary or rewrite it at an appropriate level. If a task feels too challenging, adapt it accordingly. For example, instead of having students write a formal letter of complaint using complex language, provide a guided template, with sentence starters such as: I am writing to complain about…, The problem is…
• Making tasks more challenging
Some tasks may not challenge advanced students or fast finishers, so increasing task complexity helps keep all learners engaged and appropriately challenged. For instance, rather than asking A1 students to write a short paragraph about their favourite hobby, have them write a blog post on the topic, including details such as when, where, and why they do it. They can also be encouraged to use the words taught and the sentence starters provided.
• Supplementing the coursebook to enable differentiation
Adapt tasks for different learning styles with extra support materials, optional challenges, or alternative formats (audio, visuals, drama, etc.). For example, if students read a short article about climate change, they can show understanding in different ways. They could act out a news report (drama), record an audio summary (auditory), or make a poster with pictures of causes and effects (visual). By offering a variety of task types, teachers can support all learners and help them feel confident and included.
• Extending activities with authentic or locally relevant conten
Connect themes from the book to students’ communities, interests, or current events, making learning more meaningful and personal. For example,
if the activity involves a dialogue about “shopping for clothes”, students can be asked to create a role-play based on a real local market, using local currency and typical items.
• Replacing uninspiring tasks with communicative alternatives
To promote meaningful interaction and active language use, replace mechanical activities with communicative ones. For example, closed exercises, such as gap fills or multiple-choice questions, can be turned into role-plays, discussions, games or peer-based tasks that activate real communication.
• Involving students in shaping the lesson
Invite students to express preferences, and co-construct goals and outcomes to increase engagement. At the start of a unit, for instance, students can be asked which topics or skills from the coursebook interest them most. Then, the teacher and students decide which activities to focus on, which skills to practice more, or what types of projects to include.
• Building in reflection and flexibility
Create space for critical thinking, creative expression, and student-led activities that invite learners to reflect on their progress and understanding in varied and engaging ways. Set aside five minutes at the end of the lesson for a “reflection circle” where students share challenges and interests. Creative options
like journaling, drawing, or video diaries can also be included.
• Integrating project work
Integrating project work encourages students to apply language skills in real-world contexts, fostering collaboration and deeper learning. For example, students might create a community newsletter using vocabulary and grammar from the unit, combining writing, speaking, and research. It goes without saying that adapting coursebooks presupposes a certain degree of teacher agency, experience, and training. We recognize, however, that not all educators feel confident or supported in moving beyond the book – particularly in standardized or exam-driven educational systems. When having the autonomy, many experienced teachers do naturally modify and supplement course materials. Yet fostering deeper levels of creativity, innovation, and learner-centredness requires more than autonomy; it calls for intentional support and professional development. As McGrath (2013) notes,
"if we wish them [the teachers] to go beyond such low-level adaptation and supplementation to forms of provision which are more demanding in terms of creativity, expertise and potentially time, we may need to [...] help them to develop the necessary confidence and skills" (McGrath, 2013, p. 24).
Teacher education must therefore go beyond technical training to foster confidence, critical thinking, and design skills. Moreover, encouraging teachers to see learners as co-constructors of knowledge challenges traditional classroom dynamics and supports collaborative models of education. Achieving these goals requires ongoing professional development that promotes reflection, collaboration, and a redefined teaching role.
TEACHERS AS NAVIGATORS OF LEARNING
However, liberating or limiting a coursebook might be, at the end of the day, it is how it is approached that determines its role in the classroom. As McGrath (2013) puts it,
[...] it is the teacher and not the coursebook who should control or manage what happens, and one of theways in which that control can manifest itself is through creative use [...] of the coursebook. (2013, p. 23)
When teachers are empowered to adapt, interpret, and supplement coursebooks, even the most rigid materials can be transformed into meaningful, learner-centred experiences. Acting as navigators, teachers guide students not only through the content but also toward ownership, agency, and deeper engagement with language learning. Ultimately, the map may be printed, but the journey is still the teachers’ to chart.
AUTHORS:
| Carla Chaves Carla is a founding partner and Content Manager at Content4u Editorial. She has degrees in Education, English, a Master’s in ICT and Education, and a DOTE. | |
| Márcia Nogueira Márcia is a founding partner and Business Manager at Content4u Editorial. She has a degree in Social Sciences, a DOTE, a Master’s in Language Studies, and an Executive MBA. | |
| Salete Vellasco Salete is a founding partner and Project and Financial Manager at Content4u Editorial. She holds a BA in Languages, a DOTE, and an Executive MBA. |
