Keeping up with the text books.

Exciting new books for Leaving Cert. Geography

A relative paucity of high Leaving Cert. grades – particularly in the ‘A’ categories – has been a worry and an annoyance to Geography teachers in recent years.  This challenge is now being met by Changing World - a welcome and exciting new series of textbooks to be launched in April. Changing World, published by Gill and Macmillan, is the work of well-known author Charles Hayes, (who spoke to the Branch in November) and whose Junior Certificate New Complete Geography is among the most successful Irish Geography texts of all times

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The new texts will benefit students of a wide range of abilities and should greatly suit mixed-ability classes. They present comprehensive A1-grade materials in a manner that is accessible to all. Written and laid out in a crystal-clear style, Changing World presents much of its materials in the form of beautiful double-page spreads that are designed make learning a joy rather than a chore.

A welcome feature of Changing World is that it systematically teaches all the skills (and not just those relating to OS maps and aerial photographs) needed for Leaving Cert. ‘Exam practise’ sessions are another unique feature of the new books. They repeatedly use Leaving Cert. questions, marking schemes and sample answers to teach students how to write full-mark answers in the times allocated within the exam. These techniques alone ought to greatly increase our Geography A-grade results at Leaving Cert.

The Changing World core text is shadowed chapter by chapter by a sizeable, full-colour workbook. The workbook uses exam-type questions, ‘exam practise sessions’, crossword puzzles and other devices to help students revise materials, improve geographical skills and hone exam techniques. The workbook also includes a unique ‘advice section’ that gives information and advice on a wide range of practical issues that range from study techniques to the timing of exam questions.

The new series will consist of a core textbook, a workbook and the choice of a Human Geography or an Economic Geography textbook - each of which contains a selection of ‘Options’ as well as a chosen ‘Elective’.  The entire series will be backed up by fully interactive ‘flip books’ and by free, internet ‘etests’ in which students can track and self-examine their progress.