Revolutions in year 12?

[liorabeth]

Hey,

I've heard a lot of people say that Revolutions should be done in year 11 if at all possibly due to the sheer amount of time you have to spend on it in comparison to other subjects (ie. you'd have more time to focus on it in year 11).

Unfortunately, my school didn't have a VCE History teacher this year so I did Psych and Further instead.

Now my question is: Do you really think that the amount of work and dedication needed is so much that I may find myself neglecting my other subjects (English, R&S, Drama)? I don't really think that one subject can be that much more demanding, but some people have really brought to my attention what a massive commitment it is.

I'm probably just being paranoid, but I didn't do the 1/2 so just wanted to get some opinions.

Thanks!

[TrivStar]

I did it this year as a 3/4, and I won't lie: it's a massive workload. There is a lot of content to get your head around and then you've got to be doing constant practice questions. I was a bit lazy in the beginning of the year so even though humanities are my strong suit, and I like to write, I'm probably only looking at a 40-45 rather then 45+ --it's not like other subjects where you can get through on natural talent and just focusing in class :-P I found that when the sacs came around I had to drop everything else completely. Most of the 30 people at my school who did it this year were year 11s and the year 12s admitted that they'd probably have chosen Australian or R&S if they could go back.

However, if you really love history I'd say either consider Australian if your school offers it, or just go for it. Despite the high work load and high content it's a very interesting subject that can be helpful for a lot of other things, and if you have natural writing skills then you'll really enjoy it. If you're prepared to put in the hard work, and if you feel like you're good at balancing a lot of different subjects, then why not.

Oh and there's no Revs 1/2, there's only 20th or People and Power which are very minimal in work load and extremely easy so they aren't really good introductions.

[edwin]

Hi liorabeth,

I did Revs this year as a year 12, with 4 other subjects. Like TrivStar said, it is definitely a very interesting, and rewarding subject. But I won't lie, the two weeks before a SAC was hell! Although if you have a smart strategy for how to approach this subject, then it's not as fiendish as a lot of people make it out to be. Personally, I didn't do much work outside of class until it's SAC time, and I managed to do pretty well.

Feel free to PM me if you want to ask anymore questions

[sjayne]

I did it this year as a year 11 and it's probably one of the best things I've ever done. There is a lot of content and revision but if you are passionate about history then go for it! Just make the most out of your class time.

[jeanweasley]

As much as I echo the sentiments expressed above, Revs is a subject that requires deep interest and passion. If you have none of those then it's very hard for you to survive. I also recommend to read up early on the revolutions you will be learning and draft some notes as when I started Revs, I didn't know I'd be blessed with such an incompetent teacher who wasted 65 minutes of my time every time that I basically was pretty depressed and unmotivated. Rant aside, do it if you love it but be prepared for the workload and research and if you can, try to know who your teacher will be because I hate to admit (excuse my bitterness) but in this subject, a teacher who knows how to teach and guide you in the subject can be the difference between passing and getting a great study score.

[liorabeth]

Thanks for all your replies!

jeanweasley - I'm actually really excited about my teacher as everyone loves him and I've heard that at his last school one of his students received a Premier's Award, so I assume he is competent and that won't be an issue. I am very interested in the subject matter, I just hope that I don't lose the passion due to it being so demanding of work.

Do you guys think it's important to have one-on-one sessions with my teacher or book a tutor (we should only have 8 kids doing Revs so not a massive class), or is it more just a lot you have to do on your own?

[jeanweasley]

Wow, that's really good to hear. I wish you the best and I'm pretty sure it's not that easy to lose passion in it even if there is a demanding workload. You might feel unmotivated at times but motivation will just pick up; don't forget to think about revs as a story unfolding(who are the protagonists and who are the antagonists? Do these change as the balance of power shifts? Why or why not?). It might also be helpful to read books set in that era just to get a personal feel for how much people really suffered during those times. Just like with all types of learning, it's up to you to make it fun. If you find that it's becoming boring or you don't feel as motivated as before, take a bit of time out and then find new ways to incorporate what you've learnt or are learning in to your day to day lives. Try and make stories out of things; use your knowledge from the subject to think from both sides of the coin.  I think you'll find that if you treat this subject as more than a subject that you receive a score in and treat it as something that could change your life and impact your learning, then I think you'll find that you'll love it and that you'll be more than willing to devote your time to study it.

As for your last question, I think that it's important to have one on one sessions with your teacher as he/she normally knows your strengths and weaknesses and working with them can foster a great relationship. It can also boost your learning as they may mark you more favourably (I'm not saying that they're lenient but with all good relationships, sentiments do play a part) and can genuinely help you with your concerns.

Anywho, best of luck. I really hope you enjoy it and remember to stay hungry for knowledge.

[liorabeth]

Thank you so much!

[Cort]

I can only emphasize on having one on one with your teacher, since s/he will, over the course of the year, understand how you function/write/think better. But a tutor for Revolutions is, what I can say, rather...strange. If not, only moderately useful in terms of giving you a structured content that you have to or already know. I'm sure if you ask around this board here next year, there should be a bunch of people willing to help you out, or even buying certain books (HTAV's revolutions) and/or Student Access to History are somewhat swell and will provide the extra information that tutors might not include, but rehash the mainstream events.

But history is worth doing. It's a learning subject which has taught me a hell lot about how I function, in terms of my english/humanities side. Not so much on the maths sector though, heh.

[revsteacher]

liorabeth,

In my view the three most important things for Revs are a healthy interest in history, a willingness to work hard and reasonably good reading and writing skills. If you have those then the rest should fall into place. Don't be too concerned about not having done it in Year 11.

If you do decide to do it in Year 12, my advice is to start reading over the holidays. Start with the Alpha History site (to learn about the course) and then your textbook (for the course content). This will set you up for a productive year. So many students do no preparation then complain about the workload in Revs, when in reality it's often their own fault.

R.

[Art Vandelay]

I never did History 1/2 (and many people don't), and did Revs in Year 12 and it worked out for me. The major issue is creating a concise set of notes from hundreds of pages of textbooks and handouts, that allows you to memorise the dates and events and stuff, so you need that time management and organisation. Your workload shouldn't be that demanding if you're consistent, but scoring mid-high 40s in this subject will require some long reading sessions, so try and get a taste for it before the start of the school year