Will the quality of a teacher influence your study score?

[Rod]

I just got my timetable, for methods and chemistry I got two new teachers so I'm not judging them just yet, but for my other three subjects I got extremely poor teachers. I had this post-apocalyptic scenario imagined before I went to check, and it happened! For physics (one of my favourite subjects) I got this guy who takes 30 minutes to set up, and spends the next hour attempting to do this useless experiments. I didn't even get one good teacher. And what happens if the two new teachers are crap as well? Fml

So my question is, will this affect me? I mean, I didn't even get a single good teacher (if I count the two new ones to be crap as well). VCAA says for each subject they require at least '150 hours of teaching', I won't be receiving this.

Thanks

[Rod]

Can I get a SEAS category for this? LOL

[M_BONG]

Can I get a SEAS category for this? LOL

Nah you can't get SEAS/derived study scores due to teacher problems (clearly stated on the application).

If you are genuinely concerned go talk to your coordinator. Get your parents involved if need be. But if you are only going by reputation/rumours of these 'bad teachers', perhaps give those teachers a shot first... (unless you had them in the past and know for sure that they are bad at teaching).

But to answer your question, for me personally teachers play a large role in my performance, especially in subjects where I lack motivation and having a good teacher is always an advantage..

[lzxnl]

I give my English Language teacher full credit for my English Language study score. For sciences, it's possible to do well without much help from your teacher, but it'll be a lot of work.

[drake]

i agree with lzxnl. humanity subjects, the teacher matters quite a bit (especially subjects like english... they need to mark your millions of essays and show you where you went wrong and how to improve). science/maths subjects you can do on your own. i had a pathetic chemistry teacher, but i pretty much just photocopied ALL the notes from the other, AMAZING, chemistry teacher in our school! that's also something you can do... copy notes from the good teachers and even ask them for help if they allow it.

[Aaron]

Somewhat. But that is no excuse to not do well. Just because a teacher is of bad quality does not mean that you can't look for available resources and explanations from other resources (e.g. online tutorials/explanations, textbooks etc). Essentially a teacher is only part of your learning - true it's their job and their primary responsibility, however it's up to you how you handle your year.

Example: I found one of my teachers to be quite bad for Mathematics, but I did fine using tutorials and resources online and referring to textbooks (YouTube Tutorials work wonders).

[MagicGecko]

lol in terms of science/math subjects the teacher's ability to teach isn't what affects your study score, what does though is your determination.
I had this really really crap chem teacher, she would leave the room to buy coffee from macca's (lol) and change her shoes like every 20 minutes. Just find every possible resource availeble and study from them and you should be fine. I wouldn't be that worried about the new teachers though,they tend to be more 'engaging'.

Can I get a SEAS category for this? LOL

Nearly choked on my food when I read this!

[Rod]

lol in terms of science/math subjects the teacher's ability to teach isn't what affects your study score, what does though is your determination.
I had this really really crap chem teacher, she would leave the room to buy coffee from macca's (lol) and change her shoes like every 20 minutes. Just find every possible resource availeble and study from them and you should be fine. I wouldn't be that worried about the new teachers though,they tend to be more 'engaging'.
Nearly choked on my food when I read this!

Hahaha I was being sarcastic !!

[MM1]

I'm in the same situation...

I believe to an extent...yes. Mainly because you spent a huge portion of your time at school with teachers so having a really good teacher definitely does have an bearing on how well you do.. If a teacher doesn't utilise class time effectively, you can't just leave haha [I wish] so a lot of time that could've been used, has been wasted. Also I find that if teachers are not enthusiastic, that could really bore the students even if the subject is supposed to be enjoyable.

But don't let a 'bad' teacher deter you from achieving a high SS. I know many students who've been successful that have been in the same situation. It also comes down to personal commitment and hard work.

I'd suggest maybe trying to change classes?

If only there was SEAS category for that.

Good-luck.

[chasej]

i agree with lzxnl. humanity subjects, the teacher matters quite a bit (especially subjects like english... they need to mark your millions of essays and show you where you went wrong and how to improve). science/maths subjects you can do on your own. i had a pathetic chemistry teacher, but i pretty much just photocopied ALL the notes from the other, AMAZING, chemistry teacher in our school! that's also something you can do... copy notes from the good teachers and even ask them for help if they allow it.

The asking other teachers thing is a good idea. In my experience it's perfectly acceptable to do this and teachers are fine with students wanting another explanation of something in other words other than their teachers. Keep in mind it's not a right for any extra time with teachers so you should thank them for their time and not go overboard with it. (all my opinion obviously).

[cute]

100x yes.
From personal experience (with Literature really), I had a 1/2 teacher who rarely came to classes and marked maybe one or two essays/SACs throughout the year. This year, however, I have a great teacher. He's already on top of emails and marking my passage analyses, which has already proven to be immensely beneficial. I've been getting an A average in my analyses, compared to the C average I had last year.
If your teacher proves to be holding you back, investing in a private tutor may be one of the smartest ways for you to get around this at 3/4 level.

[walkec]

My coordinator told us during orientation that your SS is 30% your teacher and 70% you. So id definitely say it's possible to do well with a bad teacher

[Rod]

My coordinator told us during orientation that your SS is 30% your teacher and 70% you. So id definitely say it's possible to do well with a bad teacher

thanks

[Yacoubb]

I scored pretty well in Biology and did it at a TAFE, with a teacher that wasn't too great. I think that if you can work around a bad teacher, whether its by asking questions on AN, attending tuition lectures, anything that'll help your overcome the fact that your teacher is crap, will help. For Further Maths, my teacher wasn't particularly good either. Working around these things rather than using it as an excuse to justify bad marks is the best imo.

[HossRyams]

Hate to say it, but yes. And as mentioned above, this is more so the case in Humanities and English subjects where the effort put in by your teacher will determine the resources or advice given, the amount of feedback you get for your practice essays blah blah -> and potentially influence your SS.

While of course it's ultimately up to YOU how well you do, just think about how a shitty teacher might influence your performance:

- How inspired you are to work hard
- How much feedback you get to self-improve (so important in English)
- How long it takes for you to understand something (some teachers are terrible at explaining)
- It may influence how the rest of your students respond to the subject, possibly weakening your cohort (this was a MAJOR case at my school for one of our LOTE subjects)
- How many resources you get  (while it's better to find things yourself and not be spoon-fed, I won't deny that having all these resources around was relieving and it made things slightly easier)

I also agree that you shouldn't use your teacher as a justification for your mark if you score "poorly", I think it really just is tough luck - you'll have to work that bit harder to sustain motivation and level yourself with the state. Try and get personal feedback nonetheless - I remember in Year 10 when I did chemistry (lol) I had a terrible teacher but after talking to her individually, she was crazy helpful. Don't give up yet