So, who wrote this stuff anyway?

“Such dynamic inquiries as I have discussed in this chapter are based on the fact that we learn though our experiences and encounters with strong ideas – real ideas – not through books themselves” (Burke, 2001, p. 58).

In chapter 3 of Burke’s text, “Reading Textbooks” he is discussing how and why we have textbooks and what kinds of problems arise from this situation.  Burke raises an interesting point about how outdated text books are, which most of us are aware – especially in the areas of science and technology where a theory or idea can be obsolete by the time the text goes through the writing, editing, review and publication process. In addition to that, he brings up the fact that textbook writers are individuals somehow selected to be the ones to decide what our children should know, understand, and value about the world that they live in. Think about that…imposed values are coursing through all of the pages of these books, based on the perceptions of people who may or may not look, act, believe, or live the way that your students do.

I was following the textbook revision situation in Texas a few years ago, where history, social studies, and I believe economics textbooks were up for revision. Texas, being the huge textbook publishing state that it is, was putting together books for much of the nation. There was a lot of conflict surrounding the content because it was all just a bit too conservative, and rewrote a narrative of history that many people didn’t agree with. While that was going on, I remember reading another story about the wording of slaves as some type of field workers in a textbook – basically glossing over the horrors of slavery and making it sound like these field workers were enjoying tending to the crops and lived a decent life. Of course with online news access and social media, I was able to follow these stories and their updates until they got enough attention and faded away.

So, Burke’s whole point in chapter 3 is that as teachers we need to come up with alternatives to the traditional use of textbooks. He suggests using the text as a starting point, and challenging some of the ideas, writing guidebooks, and creating projects (pp 55-56) instead. This type of work engages students to think critically about what is in print in front of them, and how they challenge and use that information in a way that makes sense to them. I like this idea. I like being able to answer “yes” to any administrator if they ask if I am using the required text for a class, even though the way I am using it may not be what they are thinking. I am not supporting lies or manipulation. I am supporting critical thinking and engaging students in a way that allows them to think for themselves, and use other sources of information to determine what is lacking or what is present and what is relevant to their lives and their stories.

I never challenged my textbooks when I was in school. I figured someone wrote and published this big heavy book and it is filled with all of the right information. I didn’t even consider where it came from, just that I was to learn from it. Now, when my son brings a textbook home from one of his high school classes my first question is “what are you reading about?” and then I flip through and see if I can find anything that I think he should be challenging. At 15, he kind of thinks I’m overreacting, but I want him to think about the information he’s being given. I want him to challenge sources and people, but I want him to be able to do so with some other concrete facts or some really well-formulated questions in his back pocket. I think that’s the goal of many parents and most teachers.