History course

Stabshauptmann

Has the history course changed in the last 3 yrs. Just askin cos I was helpin my little bro and he had never heard of Parnell, when I took out his book I was amazed to see there was absolutly no reference to the Home rule movement before 1900. Is that the same with all yere books??

PurpleFistMixer

Yup, our book doesn't say anything. Our teacher filled us in brielfy but I don't think it's on the course.
Last mention was in 6th class, but you know what primary school is like...

orangerooster

As long as WW1 and 2 are in it then you're history's fine?

Junior Cert history is joketactular-one of my essays focussed on me retelling the story of spartacus from the film-I got an A in jc history at higher level........

Raphael

WW1 is out the window, only discussion is how it affects WW2, ie treaty

Stabshauptmann

yeah thats the way it was in my time too but I dont think the course has changed since my day so I cant see how anyone can do a good exam with a book thats missing vital detail

Raphael

Hey, I managed it.

It's getting really small though, you can easily get by with a bare minimum. Bit of a shame really, if you like history

newgrange

The problem with the History course is it has become too focussed on the exam, and students are not doing their own research and investigation which is what was envisaged in the 'new' Junior Cert. This is why History is out of 180 marks, instead of a much more sensible 300 which would allow a large percentage of marks for project work. That would be enough to weed out the spoofer element.

Another problem History has at Ordinary Level is the large numbers of students taking Ordinary Level who are actually well able for Higher, but lazy. This results in ridiculous figures like 70% getting A or B, and teachers at Leaving Cert. having to cope with 'but I got an A in me Junior' when the huge difference in standard between Ordinary Junior and Leaving Cert. starts to show.

Stabshauptmann

newgrange wrote:

The problem with the History course is it has become too focussed on the exam, and students are not doing their own research and investigation which is what was envisaged in the 'new' Junior Cert. This is why History is out of 180 marks, instead of a much more sensible 300 which would allow a large percentage of marks for project work. That would be enough to weed out the spoofer element.

Another problem History has at Ordinary Level is the large numbers of students taking Ordinary Level who are actually well able for Higher, but lazy. This results in ridiculous figures like 70% getting A or B, and teachers at Leaving Cert. having to cope with 'but I got an A in me Junior' when the huge difference in standard between Ordinary Junior and Leaving Cert. starts to show.

so there is a new course?

newgrange

Apologies for any confusion.
There IS a new History course at Leaving Cert., but not at Junior Cert..
The Junior Cert. is still described by many in the DES as the 'new' Junior Cert. - that is what I meant. I can see how I caused a misunderstanding.

There is of course Environmental and Social Studies, which is an alternative to History and Geography and is a nationally available Junior Cert subject - it requires primary research to be submitted as part of the exam. Unfortunately, schools and teachers are often are slow to change, so only about 10% of schools offer it.

knifey_spoonie

Just looking back at the 6th class book, half of it is about the home rule, parnell, the rising, indepence and 1913

Corruptedmorals

My 1st-3rd year book was Footsteps in Time. It was so big. We learned Parnell, The Rising, Civil War, WW1, WW2, The cold war and all the rest. I never knew the history course changed..I got me an A in HL History. ^_^

orangerooster

Raphael wrote:

WW1 is out the window, only discussion is how it affects WW2, ie treaty

Christ-was that how bad it really was-jc history must be getting really really easy!

Stabshauptmann

i think thats the on i had, did it have a space ship and a picture of newgrange on the front of it?

Stabshauptmann

my historys gone to ****, what happened in 1913 that was real important?

orangerooster

1913 strike/lock out wasnt it-or im hideously wrong-my irish history is in a poor state of repair since the horrors of LC essay learning-all my irish history is distilled into eight a4 refill pad pages.

fozzle

Good Gravy! So the only "history" on the course now is what happend in the last 50 years?! Um, surely there's something wrong there. Mind you, I think the JC history course has always been a bit wacky, when I did it (1997) we were expected to name labled parts of the Wright brothers' plane! :rolleyes: Oh wait, the invention of planes is probably not on the course anymore, it's too long ago. :rolleyes:

PurpleFistMixer

Why thankyou all of you people, for downgrading any importance of the course.
Sure, it's gotten so easy recently, why do we even bother at all?

*bitter and angry*

newgrange

The Junior Cert is, for some students, their Leaving Cert., but regardless of this, it is an important point in anyone's life. It is usually the first thing a young person really does independently of their parents, which is why a poor Junior Cert., or what is perceived as being a poor Junior Cert. can be so damaging to a young person's self-image and self-esteem.

I think the History syllabus could be different - I don't personally subscribe to the 'must learn about everything from pre-history up to yesterday' idea, but with a bit of imagination on the part of the SEC, students could get a chance to study areas that are not technically 'on the course', and get a chance to show what they have done in the exam.

Try your best in your exam - you can't really ask anything more of yourself - and yes, maybe in a few years it will seem like it wasn't such a big deal, but that does not take away from its importance for you now.

Just as an aside - topics such as the Lock-out and both World Wars are covered on the ESS History course, but as I said, that subject is not offered in all schools.

Rozabeez

That's strange I have two seperate books, and in volume 2 parnell is mentioned, picture and all and we ddi a whole section on home rule, problem is....I couldn't actually tell you the name of my book, it's in my locker and I don't know what it's called even though History is one of my best subjects.

PurpleFistMixer

It's kind of worrying that they're leaving bits of the books out. And, to be nerdy, I feel like I'm being robbed of whatever chance I would have to excell...
Actually, that last sentence can pretty much sum up my opinion of the entire education dealy.

Raphael

That attitude to life annoys me greatly. If you have a genuine interest in History, then you will research it in your own time, so it shouldn't mean a loss. Being annoyed at the course being easy as it removes your chance to be better than others pisses me off no end

PurpleFistMixer

Not at the course being easy. By having the books not giving us all the information, or by the teachers skipping bits for some unknown reason.
It's not a deal of doing better than the others. It's a deal of doing the best I can do myself, and if the way it's being taught is putting me at a disadvantage, do I not have right to be annoyed?

Raphael

Ah, my apologies PFM. I misunderstood your attitude. I thought you were one of those people who lives only to be better than those around them.

PurpleFistMixer

I probably come off a bit like that which is rather unfortunate since those people are quite acutely irritating.

missusblagh

What does everyone think are the chances Social History will come up this year in junior cert history? I'm relying on it
Looking over exam papers, i've found it kind of goes in a pattern, or maybe im just paranoid.:rolleyes: I've found it comes up like so: comes up one year, skips a year, comes up two years, skips a year, comes up one year, skips a year, comes up two years, skips a year etc.
And unfortunately if it follows this pattern, it wont be coming up this year. What does everyone think?

qwertplaywert

we never got got past the end of ww2 in our class....teacher was always out,as he is the champgain manager for ff in louth.......thinking back a replacement should have been there

Piste

Social History always comes up in some form or another, it was my favourite question!

zstar43

history is one of the most detailed courses out of the lot there is 72 chapters in my books (footsteps in time v.1 and 2) starting with the stone age and working up to modern life . the history course has loads in it, all the time periods ,detailed study of 1 civilisation, reformations, plantations, revolutions,world war 1 effects, all of world war 2, irelands part in the war, 1916, home rule, sinn fein all that irish history stuff. social change in the twentieth century social developments, etc etc etc etc!!!!!!!!!!wayyyyyyy more that i can't think of

philologos

Kaptain Redeye wrote:

Has the history course changed in the last 3 yrs. Just askin cos I was helpin my little bro and he had never heard of Parnell, when I took out his book I was amazed to see there was absolutly no reference to the Home rule movement before 1900. Is that the same with all yere books??

Thats a huge chunk of the LC History. A whole book is dedicated to Home Rule, Land Acts etc etc.

cork*girl

To be honest I find History hard! Ye are proberly all laughing at that! We have had 3 different teachers. In 1st yr we did loads!! In 2nd yr all we did was the Agricultural Revolution and Industial Revolution. And then this year we did nothing really because we were trying to cram in all of 2nd and 3rd year. We have only done about 3 pages on plantation, nothing on Irish History, A lot on WW2 and Social Change and nothing on all the Korean Wars or anything like that. We have left half the course out, and then we get blamed by the teacher for the D's everyone got in the Pre.

spurious

The History course is one of the longer syllabi on the Junior Cert. curriculum.
It's under review currently in the NCCA, like many other subjects and I would expect a shorter syllabus to appear eventually. It's not like most people leave after Junior Cert. now, so there is no reason why so much needs to be covered for JC.

Just on Social History...it's a question where people think they can waffle and get away with it, but it is a q that few people in the exam actually score well on. If you are answering a social history q., do not make general waffly statements, or if you do, back them up with a fact.

For example:
There used to be less cars back then and most people had to get the bus.
v
In the 40s, the bus services were much more important in an area, as most people did not own their own car. The buses were used for postal deliveries and my granny told me there used to be a bus on Sundays that picked people up at village A and dropped them at village B because so many people were going to Mass.