Journal of Education & Social Policy

The Anti-Textbook Proposal: Reconceiving History Education without Textbooks
Dr. James Barbre, PhD

Abstract
Textbooks are synonymous with the institution of schooling. Perception for the necessity of textbooks can comprise a slippery slope for educators. While many educators see them as valuable assets in their classrooms, others view them as hindrances to the intentional kinds of learning and engagement that account for engaged learning, critical thinking, and community building necessary for students to become informed thinkers. This paper will suggest that textbooks not be regarded as the sacred cows they have been in the past. The production of texts from various nations are substantial influences on the received knowledge by which people operate and interact with one another and, more importantly, the ways by which they view the others around the world. Alongside social experiences, they function cumulatively to build the general lens through which students view and interpret the world. Textbooks are not needed for this to be a genuine experience.

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