8.1.4 Uses of Text Book

It is used even by the teachers as well as the students.

• Text books are used as a tool for learning.
• These also explain the specific role of text books as nucleus of all learning activities related to a particular curriculum or syllabus.
• Books are a highly portable form of information and can be accessed when, where, and at whatever rate and level of detail the reader desires.
• In all modern school systems, the text book has long served not only to support instruction, but also to symbolize that instruction, in other words, the text book defines curriculum.
• A text book represents a basic need of instruction, teaching and guiding process. The curriculum is designed into activities and translated into text to draw some desired outcomes the teaching learning process.
• The text book also represents a significant portion of student's academic reading. With increasing sophistication of layouts, designs and illustrations with on incredible range of types of texts, students need guided instructions in how to read them and strategies to help them read text books independently.
• Research indicates that, for many people, visual processing (i.e. reading) is faster than auditory processing (i.e. listening to lectures), making text books a very effective source. Reading can be done slowly, accompanied by extensive note taking, or it can be done rapidly, by skimming and skipping These are advantages to both styles, and one may find it useful to discuss their merits with their students.