Coursebooks are considered a very important element in teaching languages. 'Using coursebooks appropriately is an art which becomes clearer with experience' (Harmer(b) 306).
             Coursebooks play a major role in the classroom. They work as a learning resource as they are usually accompanied by cassettes, videos and teacher's guides (Richards 253). For new or inexperienced teachers, a coursebook works with the teacher's book as a "medium of initial teacher training" (Richards 253). In terms of practicality, it saves time and effort for teachers when planning lessons (Richards 253). Additionally, it provides a focus for the teacher that allows her/him to follow and eventually achieve the aims and objectives of the syllabus. From the students' point of view, they present authentic language models to use in real life situations as well as provide more interesting and motivating materials for them to use and apply (Richards 252&253). They also give students a sense of progression in their learning as most coursebooks are organized in units (Harmer(b) 304). In addition, as suggested by Harmer coursebooks restrictions –if found- can be dealt with by omitting, changing, replacing, re-writing, and re-ordering activities and lessons as needed (Harmer(b) 306) and here is where the teacher's creativity –if found- can be used as it is considered one of the essential teaching skills (Hammer(a) 112)
             Rationale for using a coursebook evaluating checklist, its format and its content
             Evaluating coursebooks formally is a very vital professional trait for language teachers. It's favorable and more effective if coursebooks are evaluated by a team rather than individually. Written evaluation makes the 'thinking' tangible and the decisions review able.
             For my evaluation checklist I adapted Halliwell's format because it's more specific and detailed (Halliwell 114&115). Chec...