How to spot a teacher that will give your child a learning edge

How important is a good teacher – and how do you spot one? Education experts weigh in on what qualities make a good teacher, and how they can affect how your child learns.

Every few months, Sunbury College teacher John Lane asks for feedback from his students on how he’s doing in the job.

It’s a brave exercise, exposing himself to scrutiny from a social media generation versed in voicing opinions, but it’s one he believes has paid dividends.

“I send out online surveys that they can do on their phones or tablets, asking what is and isn’t working in the classroom,” he says.

“The questions are pretty specific and strategic, it might be about whether a particular method was effective. It’s about me wanting to be the best teacher I can be. Students have said things like I talk for too long, so I decided to break it up into 5-minute chunks. The kids are generally kind-hearted and want to say nice things.”

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The health and physical education teacher was a finalist in the Outstanding Secondary Teacher Award category of the Victorian Education Excellence Awards this year, acknowledged for his commitment including helping students to “extend their skills and take on new challenges”.

But not every dedicated teacher gets their name up in lights, and parents and students aren’t always equipped to accurately judge the impact of an educator.

So how important is a good teacher – and how do you spot one? And what should you do if they are proving ineffective?

Professor John Hattie. Picture: Supplied

Research by education guru Professor John Hattie, of the University of Melbourne, has found the quality of a teacher is the most important determinant of student outcomes - after the student themselves.

A 2003 study found what teachers “know, do and care about” accounts for 30 per cent of the variance in student achievement, while students make up 50 per cent.

The home environment and school were found to have only a 5-10 per cent influence each on student performance.

He consistently argues the quality of a school’s teachers is far more important than whether students attend a public or private school, are surrounded by beautiful, manicured grounds and swimming pools, or are enrolled in small classes.

He believes the most effective teaching strategies include being passionate about helping students learn, regularly evaluating and improving their teaching methods, developing strong student relationships, using evidence-based teaching strategies and are viewed as credible.

Education expert Dr Shane Duggan says parents can understandably be anxious about the quality of their child’s teacher, and whether they are getting the best out of them.

“Time and time again we hear teacher bashing in the community and media,” says Dr Duggan, a vice-chancellor’s postdoctoral fellow in RMIT’s School of Education.

“For parents, there’s a lot of anxiety about the world that teachers are preparing their child for, and whether that preparation is well-designed, and is working.”

He lists the most important traits for teachers as possessing in-depth knowledge of their disciplinary area, good leadership and relational skills, and the ability to have difficult conversations.

“These are among the hallmarks of great teachers,” he says.

Good leadership and relational skills are critical for great teachers. Picture: generic

“They don’t have to be the best teacher in Australia, but they do need to be a passionate educator who can understand the young people in their classroom.

“The sector is doing many of these things well in terms of training teachers, but I do think we could be teaching leadership better at universities - whether it’s education or other professions.” If a parent or student feels unsupported in their learning, it’s important to raise this early with the teacher, to help develop a more comprehensive plan.

“There’s no such thing as too early, even the first term of Year 11. It needs to happen before it becomes a big problem,” he says.

Associate Professor Larissa McLean Davies, of the University of Melbourne’s Graduate School of Education, says students don’t need to necessarily like a teacher - they just have to respect them.

“Excellent teachers, of which there are many, are required to be experts in their discipline, to be able to do sophisticated work around learning, and connect relationally to students,” says A/Prof McLean Davies, the Associate Dean of Learning and Teaching.
“It doesn’t mean that the student needs to feel their teacher is their best friend, or even like their teacher.

“But they need to be able to communicate effectively so the student has clear expectations of what they need to learn.”

Great teachers devise the right approach to assist students with their learning

She says a good teacher knows where each student is at progress-wise, and be able to devise the right approach to assist them with their learning.

“They need to see a student as an individual, and know what’s needed to get them to the next level,” she says.

But if they do encounter problems with a teacher, she says the stress and disruption involved in removing them from the class or school could largely be avoided by talking to the teacher and the different support staff including department heads.

Parents should avail themselves of every opportunity to attend sessions including VCE information nights and parent teacher interviews, to connect with the school and ask questions.

“No one enters teaching because they don’t want the best for their students,” she says.

“Quite frankly, they go into it because they want to make a difference in the lives of young people. If something is not going as well as it could be, start from that position.”