Revision: Economic World

What does the specification say?

Characteristics of farm systems:

• intensive/extensive

• commercial/subsistence

• arable/pastoral

• organic.

The broad physical, economic, political and human factors affecting a farmer’s choices.

students should - Classify farms using the terminology in the content. Explain the factors that influence farmer’s choices.

case study: A study from the EU to consider changes affecting farm systems.

students should - Recall specific information about a study of a farming system in the EU, to include the affect of government policies and scientific advances

case study: Rice farming in the Philippines

students should - Recall specific information about a study of intensive wet rice farming, to include any advances that have taken place.

Population: What does the specification say?

Population:The balance between birth and death rate. Change due to migration.

Students should be able to recognise the global change in population over the past 2000 years and the contribution that birth and death rates make to this change and identify differences between the birth and death rates of MEDCs and LEDCs and the effect of migration.
Check out this website:
Institut national d'études démographiques. The animations and diagrams are excellent.

Geography in Bitesizes!

Set the VCR, DVD or Sky+ box:

Bitesize Revision
BBC TWO
Age 14 - 16
GCSE Bitesize Geography
Global Issues
27 MAR '07 04.00 - 06.00 120 minutes
28 MAR '07 04.00 - 06.00 120 minutes
Human geography
28 MAR '07 02.00 - 04.00 120 minutes
29 MAR '07 02.00 - 04.00 120 minutes
Physical geography
28 MAR '070 4.00 - 06.00 120 minutes
29 MAR '07 4.00 - 06.00 120 minutes

and if you miss them then...

Bitesize Revision
BBC TWO
Age 14 - 16
GCSE Bitesize Geography
Global Issues 26 APR '07 02.00 - 04.00 120 minutes
Human geography 25 APR '07 02.00 - 04.00 120 minutes
Physical geography 25 APR '07 04.00 - 06.00 120 minutes

Change of layout: An explanation!

As we enter the final phase of the course, posts may be getting longer & a wider text box is easier to read. I may tweek it a little over the next few days. Hope you like it!

Programa Favela-Bairro: Urban Improvement in Rio de Janeiro

Between 1994-2000 Programa Favela-Bairro has followed the basic approach of the local authority to increasing access to the legal city offered by urbanising “favelas” and at the same time promoting social health and education programmes. It does not cover the construction of housing units – except in cases of re-settling due to works – and it is focused on the improvement of the place with the final aim of including it socially in the local neighbourhood. It has completed the urbanisation of 119 “favelas” of average size from 1994 to 2000.

An overall evaluation shows that the programme attains many of the objectives it has set, especially those of social-physical integration and the strengthening of citizenship ties and social inclusion. Although it has been successful in improving the image of the favelas, the problems of illegality and irregularity still remain without solution, and they continue to constitute enclaves in the city, dominated by marginal activities. From the point of view of the individual houses, although it has innovated in the acknowledgement of the potential of auto-construction and community initiatives, the programme has failed to provide support for the improvement of the dwelling conditions.

Rio de Janeiro -wish I had found this earlier!

Land use map of Rio



Model of Brazilian cities

The problems of Rio de Janeiro include:

Shanty towns often located on unsuitable & often hazardous sites.
Residents lack tenure of the land they live on – most squatter settlements are built illegally.
High concentrations of the poorest people in society.
High levels of unemployment & very low incomes.
Unsanitary living conditions – no access to clean water supplies of sewage disposal.
Very poor access to medical services & high rates of disease (eg cholera) & high mortality rates.
High endemic levels of crime and violence as a result of poverty & lack of economic opportunities.
Poor locked into a downward spiral of poverty & poor health.
Many different schemes have bee tried to solve the shanty town problem, with varying degrees of success:

Post on schemes to improve conditions in the Favelas will follow soon!

How to revise!

Exams looming? No need to panic, just get organised!

Find somewhere quiet to work, somewhere that you feel comfortable.
Take frequent breaks, work in short bursts. Every 30 minutes or so, change topic or subject.
When you're revising, the trick is to be active.
That means not simply reading your books and hoping that it'll sink in, but
actually doing something with the information.
But what should I actually do?

You may find some of these links useful!
Think carefully about the questions that are asked - How will you manage your time? Where is the best place to revise? What do you need to revise? What are the different techniques that can be used for revision? How can I concentrate when I am revising?

The first link is to the Aston University student support site. Don't be put off by this - the issues are the same for University Students. The second link is to 'Know it all' which is a site that I mentioned for the trial exams.

What are the stages of revising a topic?

Stage 1 - get your material together. Make sure you have all the course handouts and copies of all the key readings, and that you know where the notes you took during the course are
Stage 2 - get a feel for the course. Read over the handouts and your own notes
Stage 3 - look at previous exam papers (see Student information)
Stage 4 - select your topics for revision (see above)
Stage 5 - the solid work


Remember what type of learner you are & work to your strengths.

Use different techniques

Make it stick -go over stuff
Look ,cover, write, check
Fill diagrams in from memory
Use highlighters
Make 'expert cards'
Make jigsaws -separate terms & meanings then match them up
Practice exam questions
Use online revision sites
listen to podcasts (eg on Biitesize), record your own
Teach a topic to someone else

Post other techniques that work as a comment to this blog!
Visit this (and other) Geog Blogs..... Often!