Resources

In this section you will find a list of materials produced for modern studies. If available, you will also find a review of the resources. We would like to include more reviews. If you are interested in producing such a review please send it to the following email address: info@msa-scotland.org.uk

As you may be aware, Jubilee Scotland, in association with the EIS, has produced an education pack on world debt. It is a very useful resource for Modern Studies teachers. Jubilee Scotland also offers a classroom speaker service and other resources for teachers.

It is now possible to order the education pack and other teaching resources from the new Education section of Jubilee Scotland's website: www.jubileescotland.org.uk/education.

The education pack fits with the Modern Studies curriculum at Standard Grade (International Relations, Living in a democracy - Pressure groups), Intermediate (International Issues: Issues in an emerging nation / South Africa) and Higher (South Africa, Global security, Politics of food). Teachers will also find other sections of the Jubilee Scotland website useful.

Social Issues in the UK / International Issues

These texts are designed to support the teaching of Intermediate One and Two Modern Studies. Both texts can be used in conjunction with the material from HSDU and the BBC, thus providing a variety of learning and teaching opportunities for students. The authors have attempted to make clear links between Standard Grade-Intermediate-Higher. This has been done by including investigative exercises as well as extended writing using sources in a build up to a decision making task. Clever use has also been made of websites, with relevant addresses included in the text. Both texts can certainly be used successfully with Intermediate Two but selective use has to be employed with those who attained Foundation in S4.

UK Social Issues

This textbook has been very well organised, with the chapters following a very logical teaching sequence for both social issues topics. The diagrams benefit from prodigious use of colour and are composed of very recent statistics. Some pages are however a little overcrowded which means that some sources (often virtually a lesson in themselves) are reduced too much. The text is detailed and as up-to-date as Modern Studies can get i.e. a section on the Sutherland Report. This would be an excellent resource for more able Higher candidates to use as part of a self-study programme or to supplement the core work covered in class. It simply has too much depth and detail for a 'just pass' candidate.

Both Social Issue study themes are included in the book which also makes it a relative bargain. It provides a lot of useful information for teachers from the 'other topic', in my case Income and Wealth. I have found some of the Income and Wealth statistics very useful for standard grade syllabus area two and some social class related data useful in Study Theme four at higher.

Due to the huge amount of highly relevant information on a variety of topics, I feel that an index would increase the accessability of information but maybe this tricky task would up the price!

It is great to be presented with such a focussed text and I would highly recommend this text for use in class, especially for potential A pupils.

Kath McCrorie