JC 2013 Environmental and Social Studies Papers - Fri. June 7th, 2013 - all levels

spurious

Environmental and Social Studies OL and HL)
Friday June 7th 2013

All discussion and questions about E.S.S. papers goes here, following the exam.

Please keep off-topic chat elsewhere.

Good luck all.

spurious

My gang seemed happy enough - HL a bit happier than OL.

DublinArnie

Is Enviromental and Social Studies alot like geography only a bit more history?

spurious

It's both together in an integrated way, with social studies and IT too. It grew out of the Humanities programme in the 70s which was aimed at addressing the needs of brighter students who were bored just parrotting stuff back from books in exams and allowed personal research.

There is no text book, so it's taught using active learning. It's quite close to what the so-called 'new' JC will be for History and Geography (or so I hear). When the papers are up this evening you can have a look.

They have to complete two fairly high standard projects too, one Field Study as a group (with an individual report) and one research project individually. They are worth 40% of the overall mark. They can be done in any format and the use of IT is recommended. Most schools use scrapbooks or poly-pockets, but some make videos and webpages.

Cr4pSnip3r

Looks like a cool subject, I like the style. Is this what you teach?

cfc.forever

I wish I could do this subject.. sadly we don't though!

spurious

Yes this is what I teach, along with IT and Voc. Prep. for LCA - that's this year - you never know what you're going to get depending on the cutbacks.

It's a lovely subject to teach. I've been teaching it since it started and Humanities before that. I think it's closest to what the old new JC was supposed to bring in in 1992, but no text books and a lot of freedom is scary for many teachers and some students, so it was far easier just stick to teaching History and Geography out of books.

I wish I could show you some of the projects. Some schools do work way beyond Junior Cert. standard in terms of research - particularly family history research.

Cr4pSnip3r

Doesn't seem to be a huge amount of people doing it on the boards. Thought there might have been one or two. Seemed nice, wish I had done it.

cfc.forever

Had a look on the papers most if its common sense, I would have loved to have done it

spurious

Well, if you took boards as the norm you'd think everyone was doing all HL for Leaving and wanting to do Medicine.

About 700 take it at both levels.

It's difficult to get an A in though, because you need an A in all three parts, the two projects and the paper.

DublinArnie

spurious wrote: »

Well, if you took boards as the norm you'd think everyone was doing all HL for Leaving and wanting to do Medicine.

About 700 take it at both levels.

It's difficult to get an A in though, because you need an A in all three parts, the two projects and the paper.

Interesting, it's like the new JC in 2015 only one subject? 40% pased on project work and 60% on a end of three year written exam? I'd prefer this way but I know people who don't do well in projects and do well in written exams .. I sense problems.

A97

I looked at the paper. It didn't look particularly difficult. Obviously I can't comment on the projects but do people usually do well on the paper? I've technically never done the subject before but I could answer nearly all of the questions.

It looks quite interesting though. I'd only be worried that both History and Geography are compressed together too much. I can't fathom how both could be done in half the time.

spurious

A97 wrote: »

I looked at the paper. It didn't look particularly difficult. Obviously I can't comment on the projects but do people usually do well on the paper? I've technically never done the subject before but I could answer nearly all of the questions.

It looks quite interesting though. I'd only be worried that both History and Geography are compressed together too much. I can't fathom how both could be done in half the time.

For some people the paper drags them down, some it boosts.

They are not the entire JC History and Geography syllabi. There is also extra material in ESS that is not in the other two subjects. I suppose it's like trying to compare Ag. Sc. with Biology at LC. There is some overlap but they are different subjects.

The main difference though is how it is taught - no text book and very skills based. There are historical research techniques and procedures that some ESS children would know and be able to carry out that HL LC History students would not.

I suppose the thinking was so much JC stuff is re-covered at LC, why not do something different at JC and just do the rest at LC.

Lost In Confusion

spurious wrote: »

Well, if you took boards as the norm you'd think everyone was doing all HL for Leaving and wanting to do Medicine.

About 700 take it at both levels.

It's difficult to get an A in though, because you need an A in all three parts, the two projects and the paper.

i wish we did that in our school. I'm really interested in project work research and what you mentioned above