How much do teachers matter?

[chrisjb]

I think very little. A teacher should be a guide to tell kids where they're making mistakes, tell them the direction to head, the stuff they need to know and help them if they get stuck along the way. It shouldn't matter if your teacher is 'good' or 'bad' becasue as a student you should be working things out by your own research and study and if you can't do that then you're not a good student.

If I put it as a percentage, I would say the teacher is responsible for 10 or 15 percent of learning whilst the student is responsible for the rest.

I know that this is a radical view and that most people would disagree with me, but how much do you realy think a teacher is worth?

[werdna]

I think the role of a teacher is far more important. Whilst independent and reflective learning should be endorsed (at home), the benefit you get under the guidance of a teacher is second to none, in my opinion. Teachers not only facilitate students' learning, but also act as important role models and motivational leaders. A teacher who doesn't know the content, doesn't know how to communicate (well), doubts students and doesn't actively participate in class, will heavily impact the class's performance I think. I'm saying this because I come from a school where classes have 50 students to 3 teachers... a ratio of 1:17 which was decided on after years of planning on the principal's behalf.. so I do think teachers play a crucial role.

[Bonifacio]

I actually, remarkably, will have to agree with Werdna here...

We had a Science class in year 10 whereby the majority of us took Chemistry in year 11, half went into one class and the other into another, diluted with a few newbies from another feeder campus. One class had virtually every student top 90% on the end of year exam, including two 100%, the other had no one above 85%. That really confirmed to me, teachers do matter.

[kevvy]

i rely on tutors at atarnotes.

[Eriny]

It's hard to say. I think good teachers make getting a high score easier but their lack of presence doesn't make a high score impossible either.

[vea]

I'm not sure about the subjects that you're doing but I find that I need a teacher to teach me the concepts for math and science subject and also the little hints and tricks that help you during the exam. For me, the teacher is responsible for about 50% (in math and science related subjects anyway).

[iNerd]

Dependent on the subject - don't need a teacher for Psych for example.

For Biology? Yes. For Chemistry? Hell yes. Further Maths? No. Methods? Half. Spesh? Yes. Etc...

Teachers also can turn you off a subject. I dropped Physics based on MHS's shit Physics faculty.

[Water]

I like to have enthusiastic and passionate teachers, they motivate me to not stare at the clock every period.

[iamtom]

It's variant on the subject. I like the teachers at MHS, because most of them are very qualified and very passionate.

[pi]

In yr 12, It all depends on the student. Having good/bad teachers shouldn't be an excuse as there are so many resources available. But of course a good teacher would help a fair bit.

[chrisjb]

Yes... All valid points from you all, but if for example I was given a powerpoint about a topic in a subject by a teacher (which seems to be the primary method of teaching at my school). I reckon that sitting at home on a computer going through that powerpoint with the ability to research terms and concepts further by myself would be more benificial than having a teacher go through that powerpoint at the front of the class.

yes, a teacher is still necessary to tell you which direction to head by giving you the nessecary material, and to help you out if you get very stuck on a topic but actualy learning the majority of the concepts and examples and practicing should be the student's responsibility. Learning by yourself and discovering things is also (IMO) far more likely to ensure that they stick in your mind- if you discover it for yourself then you will know it better.

Think about it this way: Do you feel more or less efficient during swot-vacs?

[Russ]

Bad example, swotvac happens after you've already studied the material during semester and you're just revising it.

If you think a teacher is only worth 10-15% of your learning, what do you think would happen if you didn't attend school for the rest of the year? Would your marks drop from 70/80 to 60/80 or would they drop much more than that? Being an independent learner is a good thing but not everyone is/not everyone has to be - teachers are extremely important for the majority of students.

becasue as a student you should be working things out by your own research and study and if you can't do that then you're not a good student.

This is a horrible generalisation

[chrisjb]

Bad example, swotvac happens after you've already studied the material during semester and you're just revising it.

If you think a teacher is only worth 10-15% of your learning, what do you think would happen if you didn't attend school for the rest of the year? Would your marks drop from 70/80 to 60/80 or would they drop much more than that? Being an independent learner is a good thing but not everyone is/not everyone has to be - teachers are extremely important for the majority of students.

becasue as a student you should be working things out by your own research and study and if you can't do that then you're not a good student.

This is a horrible generalisation

Yeah, that's the thing that made me start this topic. I was thinking that I wouldn't be too badly hindered by working from home, and I don't think anyone else would be. As for the whole idea of 'independent learners', I don't relay think that they exist- everyone would be just as independent as everyone else if they just tried to be and I think that the only reason that in this day and age we are still so heavily reliant on having a mentor is that it is the way things have been for a long time and we are used to it.

I can see why people might think the generalisation is harsh, but I had thought about it and it isn't all that harsh at all. Whilst it is true that there are some very small minorites in the population who are inherently incapable of 'working things out for themselves' the vast  majority could do it if they wanted to and perhaps should do it. Any reluctance to do so would make that person just as much as a bad student as a reluctance or refusal to attend school would under the current system.

Anyway, the entire education system is never going to change on my account and I am okay with that.

[Streaker]

In yr 12, It all depends on the student.

Not entirely. I think that one's perception of the usefulness of their teacher is really up to how much the student pays attention in class. Having someone such as a teacher feeding information to your brain every weekday is fairly useful if you want to learn concepts (you learn more effectively via being taught something compared to just reading about it), and you learn even more by doing the work yourself at home, but a teacher still plays the small role of leading you in the right direction. To some students, a teacher may boost their study score from 30 to 35, but that same teacher might boost another student's study score from 45 to 46. Of course, it also depends on what kind of learner you are.

The kind of teacher you get (and their teaching style) is also important to consider. I personally loved teachers that would focus their lessons around what VCAA requires students to do because, after all, those are the people who assess you. Another point - teachers who use the Socratic approach to teaching generally find their students reading up on topics before a lesson begins, just out of the fear that they will be asked a question to which they have no idea how to answer. There are a whole variety of factors to take into account when considering the usefulness of a teacher but it would be reasonable enough to say that they do more good than bad. Plus it's compulsory to go to school, so you might as well have someone teach you stuff while you're there

[Menang]

Personally, I think teachers play a massive role.

I chose Revolutions, Renaissance, Literature and Philosophy (4/6 of all the subjects I did) largely because I was guaranteed a good teacher. I liked the subject as well, of course, but knowing I'd have a good teacher made me choose it over other subjects I would have equally liked.

Teachers inspire you to work hard and cause you to enjoy a subject. A teacher's ability to read an essay and mark it accurately ensures success in VCE. I personally don't think I'd be such a history geek if I didn't have an amazing history teacher through years 9-11.