New Perspectives on English Textbooks

07/07/2026

Around 60 teachers, students and other interested parties gathered in Würzburg to discuss decolonial perspectives on English textbooks, digital teaching approaches and approaches to learning.

Peer Exchange at the 11th TEFL Day at the University of Würzburg. From left: Prof. Dr. Maria Eisenmann, Dr. Rebecca Dengler, Dr. Jennifer Meier. (Image: Anna Jachmiczak)

How can English textbooks meet the demands of a diverse, digitally connected world? This was the question addressed at the 11th TEFL Day on 11 June 2026 at the University of Würzburg (JMU). TEFL stands for ‘Teaching English as a Foreign Language’. Organised by the Chair of Foreign Language Education, the conference brought together around 60 teachers, students and other interested parties. The focus was on the latest research developments, dialogue between the university and schools, and practice-oriented workshops.

Textbooks from a decolonial perspective

Following a welcome address by Professor Maria Eisenmann (Chair of Foreign Language Education), Dr Rebecca Dengler (Humboldt University of Berlin) opened the conference with her plenary lecture ‘Critical analysis of teaching materials from a decolonial perspective’. She made it clear that school textbooks convey far more than just linguistic content: “English textbooks are never just English textbooks,” emphasised Dengler. Using selected examples, she demonstrated how textbooks shape social perspectives and, at times, uncritically perpetuate historical power structures. Topics discussed included representations of colonial history, the role of the passive voice in obscuring accountability, and the question of which varieties of English are regarded as the norm in textbooks. Dengler also presented findings from teacher training programmes in which students critically analysed English textbooks – an important step towards the professionalisation of trainee teachers.

The lecture sparked a lively discussion, which continued during the subsequent informal exchange amongst colleagues. Participants found the mix of practising teachers and students particularly enriching, as it facilitated an in-depth dialogue between university-based teacher training and school-based practice. During the breaks, the publishers’ exhibitions provided an opportunity to find out about the latest textbooks and digital teaching materials and to engage in conversation with the publishers’ representatives.

New ideas for teaching

The afternoon focused on practice-oriented workshops. Georg Schlamp (Ernst Klett Verlag) used numerous examples from his own teaching to demonstrate how textbook content can be creatively expanded with the help of digital tools and artificial intelligence – for instance, by creating film trailers or interactive learning formats. Henning Peppel (Cornelsen Verlag) explored the link between movement and learning and presented methods through which lesson content can be consolidated in the long term through physical activity and emotional engagement.

The annual TEFL Day once again highlighted how important the exchange between academia, teacher training and school practice is for the further development of English language teaching. Participants took away inspiration from current research approaches as well as concrete ideas for the classroom.