Lecture Presentations – Important Information
Past Student Complaints
We ask that teachers consider the following list of comments and suggestions from past students, and where possible,
integrate this feedback into your lecture presentation.

The teacher was not very friendly when talking to/asking questions.

The teacher was not enthusiastic or encouraging or engaging.

The teacher did not seem happy about having to be at the lectures.

The teacher tried to put down other teachers.

The teacher wasted time talking about how the ATAR is calculated and the processes involved.

The teacher wasted too much time working through the Syllabus/Study design. (Teachers should NOT spend more than 5
minutes working through the Study Syllabus or Study Design and only in the Head Start Lectures).

The teacher wasted too much time on simple topics and rushed through new materials.

The teacher regularly went off on tangents and lost track of what they were talking about.

The teacher gave too many breaks and learning was not sufficiently in-depth. (Students should only be given a 10 minute
break each hour).

The teacher spent too much time talking and did not interact with students or use visual aids to enhance/break up
presentations.

The teacher spent too much time reviewing basics.

The teacher did not speak clearly or loudly enough.

The teacher did not explain concepts in a clear and simple manner that was easy to understand.

The teacher appeared to be unsure of what they were doing and often fumbled. (Teachers need to read through the lecture
materials before their lecture).

The teacher assumed that students knew everything.

The teacher did not refer to the notes provided.

The teacher was disorganised.

The teacher presented from a PowerPoint and it was hard to relate what was being presented to the issued notes or work
out what needs to be written down.

The teacher did not provide any additional knowledge than what was issued in the notes.

The teacher spoke in a monotone way which made the lecture very boring.

The teacher read from the notes, repeating information & rarely gave useful info. (Teachers are NOT to read large slabs of
information from the notes. Please rephrase materials in your own words).

The teacher did not highlight what was important.

The teacher did not provide enough exam tips.

The teacher did not work through enough examples.

The teacher did not provide students with the opportunity to attempt questions on their own.

The teacher rushed through content and concepts were not adequately explained. (Do not rush through materials in the
Head Start Lectures eg. Summer School. Most of the materials being covered are new, and students need the time and
opportunity to understand and absorb materials).

All the materials in the booklets were not addressed. (This is a common occurrence and can be addressed by informing
students that to assist them in their studies, we have provided them with more notes than what we will be able to cover,
and that we will not be able to complete all the materials in the issued booklets).
Important Points to Integrate into Lectures

At the beginning of each lecture, confirm that the students sitting at the back can hear you clearly, and that they can read
what you projecting on screen. Adjust the volume on the AV computer system and the zoom settings on the computer
accordingly.

Teachers are not allowed to advertise or refer to their own private services or products (e.g. books, study manuals, private
tuition, calculator programs, accessories, lectures or their own personal business/products) during the course of our
lectures. We thank you for your understanding and co-operation in this regard.

Please DO NOT read out large slabs of notes from the printed handouts. In past years, we have received numerous
complaints (and demands for refunds) from those students who have attended lectures where teachers have read
directly from the notes.

It is vital that students are able to see where and how your discussions relate to the notes that they have received. If students
hear/view materials that they cannot see in their handouts, they automatically assume that those materials have not been
provided to them. They then spend their time writing notes rather than listening and absorbing the information being
delivered by the lecturer. These students often miss valuable concepts, and leave the lectures feeling that they did not
derive the full benefits of the program.
Note: The benefits of audio-visual based lectures are dramatically eroded if students are listening only enough to convert
the teacher’s auditory output into notes. In other words, those students who listen and watch the AV display during a lecture
will remember up to 50% of what they hear and see, whilst those students who divide their attention to listening, seeing
and writing notes will only remember in the order of 5% of what was presented!

As you are reading questions, highlight/underline the important components as well as key terms. The highlighting and
underlining process helps students consolidate and process what is being covered, improving their understanding of the
question requirements.

DO NOT work through the actual Study Design (VIC) or Subject Syllabus (NSW).

DO NOT put up pre-prepared solutions to questions. Students have indicated that it is important for them to see
solution processes in real time.

Target problems/questions that are likely to be examined or that have been poorly addressed in past examinations. Include
examination tips and study hints where possible (even throughout the Summer School Head Start programs).

In relation to the head start lectures (e.g. Summer School and Winter School) – do not spend too much time reviewing the
basics from the previous year. Students will receive a comprehensive set of notes reviewing the previous years’ skills, and it
is assumed that they will work through these materials at home. Note: The head-start lectures are primarily designed to
provide students with a solid introduction into the topics they will be exposed to when they return to school.

In relation to the examination preparation lectures – start lectures with the most recent topics covered at school. Most
schools rush through the last topic/s, and these are the areas that students usually require greatest assistance with.

If there is a risk that you will not complete materials in the allocated time, skip the easier topics and advise students
that they have been given a detailed set of notes so that they can review these materials at home. If time permits,
teachers may cover the easier questions/topics at the end of the lecture.

Where appropriate, please include a brief overview of the nature of forthcoming assessments, exam marking schemes and
any changes to the course.

Regularly change the tone of your presentation. Students will tire/become bored if the tone of the presentation is
monotonic.

Incorporate amusing anecdotes or appropriate jokes where possible.

Allow students the opportunity to attempt some questions individually and then discuss the correct answer during the
lecture. Do not spend more than 10 minutes per hour allowing students to work through questions on their own.

Regularly jot down additional notes and examples for students to copy down.

Use the document camera or computer rather than the white board during your presentation.

Ideally, teachers should try to create an interactive and casual environment. Students should feel comfortable to ask
questions and not feel intimidated in the process.

Do not target questions at specific students. Many students feel quite intimidated in lecture situations and may not
appreciate being singled out by the teacher.

Regularly ask students whether:



The pace is too fast, slow or just right.
They have grasped the concepts covered.
They would like to attempt a similar problem or whether they feel confident to move onto the next principle.

A 10 minute break should be allowed per hour. Teachers may schedule longer breaks eg. 15 minutes every hour and a half
instead.

Teachers must address all of the topics/components that were advertised in the literature distributed to schools. It is very
easy to spend too much time on one topic and compromise the quality of the remainder of the presentation.

Lectures must commence on time and NO lecture is to finish before the advertised completion time. If you do finish
the lecture earlier than expected, spend the remainder of the session practising more questions, reviewing materials, or
allow additional time for questions.
Please do not use swear words or make sexually related
comments or inferences throughout your lecture(s).
In addition, please be mindful of racial diversity, religious and political beliefs ,and ensure that any
comments made throughout your presentation do not offend any of the students.
Frequently Asked Questions
Although we have always taken the view that our teachers can best determine how to deliver lectures, many staff members are
unsure as to their expectations and the limits of their authority. The following points summarise some of the questions that have
been bought to our attention, together with some additional scenarios that may arise.
(a)
Are teachers required to cover all the questions/notes in the booklets?
If students appear to grasp a concept, then our advice would be to skip any repeat-style questions in the booklets and assign
them as homework. The booklets are structured in such a way so that students have notes and methodologies to refer to if
they cannot fully grasp concepts in class, or when they are revising for tests and exams. Teachers are not required to cover
these pages line by line, as these can be adequately covered whilst working through questions.
(b)
The pace of the lectures.
We ask that teachers regularly ask students to provide feedback as to the pace of their lectures. Initially, we suggest that
teachers ask their students whether they are proceeding too fast or too slow after each major concept, so that they may
ascertain the academic ability of each group. A number of teachers also regularly ask students whether they would like to
attempt a similar question to one that has been covered; a practice that holds great merit in ensuring that the pace and
standard of each lecture is appropriate. Note: If you require additional time to complete materials, please do not hesitate
to extend your lecture. Please, however, provide students as much warning as possible so that they can contact parents and
alter travel arrangements.
(c)
Disciplinary issues.
As our lectures are quite informal, students do tend to chat amongst themselves, which may sometimes lead to obvious
disruptions and frustrations in the theatre. If students engage in disruptive chatter – a polite request to stop chatting,
indicating that the culprits are wasting their time and money, and that the more they concentrate – the less work they have
to do at home, usually corrects these problems. If students continue to disrupt the lecture, approach them privately whilst
the remainder of the students are completing a question. Indicate that you will have to ask them to leave the theatre if they
continue their disruptive behaviour. If this fails, approach the culprits privately and ask them to leave the room. Please do
not publicly embarrass any student.
(d)
The quality of our programs.
It is difficult to ascertain the requirements of your students in large group scenarios. A system that has worked well and has
gone a long way to ensuring that all students are happy in the lectures is to regularly point out exam tips and traps, possible
sources of error, how well similar questions were addressed in past exams, as well as comments relating to the likelihood of
such questions appearing in future examinations. Please also keep in mind that students absorb more and concentrate
more effectively in an environment that is stimulating and entertaining. In fact, our most successful (not to mention popular)
classes/lectures are those conducted by teachers who:







(e)
Are funny and friendly.
Tell interesting stories and/or anecdotes.
Have a solid understanding of course materials, and importantly, the structure of the assigned booklets.
Enjoy their classes/lectures.
Chat with students during breaks.
Do not read through large slabs of notes.
Do not put up prepared solutions to questions.
Students that are slowing the lecture down.
If a student displays difficulties understanding a concept and requires extensive explanations, ask this student to see you
during the break or after the lecture. In the event that a student asks a question that is not relevant to the course or is
unlikely to be examined, inform the student of this fact, but let them know that you are happy to address their question(s)
during the break or after the lecture.