Romanian Review of Geographical Education (Jan 2012)
INNOVATION OF TEXTBOOKS IN THE LIGHT OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL EDUCATIONAL CONCEPT IN THE IB DIPLOMA PROGRAMME
Abstract
The concept of Geography textbooks in the IB Diploma Programme reflects the concept of geographical education in this programme. The choice of textbooks is quite a challenge for teachers, as they have to meet special conditions to reach objectives. Changes in curricula that take place every nine or ten years cause the continuous search for new concepts of textbooks. Numerous changes in subsequent editions of books show this. Their innovation can be assessed from the point of view of the Polish didactic concept as the other reference point makes it easy to draw attention to new, unusual and interesting elements. The main goal of the article is to assess the innovative elements of the textbooks used in the IB Diploma Programme from the points of view of teachers and students taking part in the programme. A reference to the concept of Polish books allows for reflective analysis of textbooks and their role in teaching and learning Geography. The author has carried out the survey and interview among six groups of students of High School No. 3 in Gdansk as well as among teachers in Poland working in the IB Programme. Despite the existence of many innovative elements, it cannot be clearly stated that IB textbooks fulfil all the expectations of their users. Some elements are criticized. It means that there are no ideal textbooks on the market but there are many successful attempts to improve their quality.
