Students will know if homework is really benefiting them or not so be sure to make it worth their while or they will be less willing to complete assignments in the future. Let’s take a look at the different steps you can take when it comes to using homework appropriately.
Homework should be a review or further practice of something learned in class so ensure that whatever homework you have assigned can be completed by students independently and with ease. To do this, conduct several comprehension tests and practice activities in class so that students feel confident enough with the material to work on their own. . Indicate what pages of the textbook you are using so that students can find key information later on when you are not available to help them.
Think about the before giving it to students to make sure that it will actually benefit them. Also, try to use a variety of exercises rather than the same ones over and over again (see our article ‘ ’). When handing out homework, go over the directions in class to check that students understand what they are expected to do at home. Have students read the instructions aloud and ask them if they have any questions about the exercises. ork as students will not understand it and only become frustrated with the exercises as well as less open to discussing the topic in class. Sometimes you might want to give students the opportunity to think about a topic before you introduce it in class but in this case you should assign something very general for example tell students to try to think of three directions related words for the next class. This is not something you would collect so students do not have to give it a lot of thought or get stressed about it. In this case, you can spend some time at the beginning of the next class about directions. If some of your students find homework assignments too challenging, arrange a tutorial once or twice a week either before or after school so that students can get extra help.
Once students have completed homework, you have to check it. This can be done a number of ways and depends a lot on the type of activity you assigned. You should before asking students to present their work to the class. This will help them practice the right material rather than repeating mistakes. If the worksheet consists of or type questions, check answers as a class before collecting the sheets from your students. This may mean that students who did not complete the homework will fill in the answers as they come up in class but if you notice a student doing this, you can mark him down for not doing the work at home and should take some time to talk to the student individually.
Not all homework has to be graded but this encourages students to actually do the work. Be sure to collect all homework assignments even if all you do is ensure that they have been completed. Other activities, such as the writing exercise mentioned above, you may consider giving grades on. It is up to you how many points the exercise is worth. When grading subjective material try to which you can use to help you grade all the work the same way. Breaking down points into different categories such as spelling, content, and grammar will certainly help you with grading fairly.
When you return the homework assignments to your students give them another opportunity to ask questions about the material and . Students who consistently perform at a low level might need a second opportunity to complete the exercise once they have a better understanding of what you are looking for. This will give them the chance to earn more points towards a higher overall grade. In this situation, it is still better to be proactive and give these students special attention to begin with but a combination of both approaches may be the most successful.
By reserving larger reading and writing assignments for homework assignments, you can maximize your class time by conducting lots of and . Homework also gives you more material to so it is very helpful when used correctly.
If you enjoyed this article, please help spread it by clicking one of those sharing buttons below. And if you are interested in more, you should follow our Facebook page where we share more about creative, non-boring ways to teach English.The goal of Proficiency-Based Learning Simplified is to ensure that students acquire the most essential knowledge and skills they will need to succeed in school, higher education, the modern workplace, and adult life. Therefore, systems of assessment and verifying proficiency should prioritize enduring knowledge and skills—i.e., graduation standards and related performance indicators.
In a proficiency-based system, homework—i.e., assignments completed largely outside of the classroom and without direct support and supervision from teachers—should be instructionally purposeful and connected to clearly defined learning standards. The Great Schools Partnership recommends that teachers consider the following general guidelines when assigning homework in a proficiency-based l earning environment:
← Return to PBL Tool Menu
482 Congress Street, Suite 500 Portland, ME 04101 Phone: (207) 773-0505 Fax: (877) 849-7052
©2024 Great Schools Partnership
While students and their families are coping with so much, teachers should be mindful to assign only homework that’s truly meaningful.
How can homework be reimagined during remote or hybrid learning? Are students already spending too much time on their screen—why assign more screen time? What is the purpose of the assignment?
As a middle school instructional coach, I often work with teachers who are unsure of how much to give and what to give. They’re also inevitably worried about finding the time to grade it. As a parent, I know how stressful it can be to balance your own work while also helping your own children with homework.
Since remote learning began in March, some schools have banned homework or modified homework policies, but if you’re a teacher who’s allowed to assign homework or an administrator who sets homework policy, the following suggestions may help.
1. Off-screen reading: Books, books, books. Whether your students are reading books they chose or assigned novels, quiet reading time (or time listening to audiobooks) is a welcome assignment in most homes—I say this as a mom myself. Students can be held accountable for their reading through Harkness discussions in class or on Zoom, journal entries (written or in Flipgrid-style video), or old-fashioned sticky-note annotations in the book itself.
2. Less is more: Unfortunately, math teachers have the reputation of assigning something like “problems 1 through 45” (OK, maybe I’m exaggerating). Do students need to repeat the same skill over and over? Consider how much time you have in class the next day to actually review several problems. Instead, can you choose four or five rich multistep problems that provide practice and application of the skills? Or, alternatively, offer student choice: “Choose five out of these 10 problems.”
In a humanities or science class, can students answer one extended compare-and-contrast question rather than the chapter review in the textbook?
3. Personalized homework: Many students (and adults alike) love to talk about themselves. If students can make the assignment personal to them, they might feel more motivated to complete it. An example might be to compare the protagonist of the assigned reading with themselves in a Venn diagram. In a language class, they can describe a fictitious superhero using descriptive vocabulary in the language they’re studying. Or assign students to make a Flipgrid-style dance or song describing the scientific method (this example was inspired by TikTok).
4. Family involvement: Use this option carefully, especially now when many parents and guardians are stretched thin. Before making family assignments, be sure to get a feel for your students’ family situations to avoid putting anyone at a disadvantage. Give families a heads-up and plenty of time for such assignments.
If you feel it’s appropriate to proceed, ask students to take a video of themselves teaching a new concept to a family member. To practice operations with fractions, students can bring in a favorite family recipe with the measurements adjusted for fewer servings or multiple servings. Assign a riddle or math puzzle for students to discuss with the family, and ask them to write down the various answers they hear.
Whatever you assign, keep it light, low-stakes, and infrequent.
5. Flipped homework: In my experience, students get tired of watching instructional videos, but a few short, well-planned videos can be useful to assign the night before to spark discussion the next day in class. Follow the video with a short Google Form to ask the student to reflect and/or ask initial questions about what they watched. Use flipped learning sparingly to keep it novel and unique.
What about the grading? With shared docs, older students can easily share their work with their peers for review. Take some time to educate students on how to constructively comment on each other’s work. If a student’s assignment is missing, their partner will let them know, which takes some of the burden off of the teacher. This method should not be used for graded summative assessments and should be monitored by the teacher. Peer review can also serve as a differentiation strategy by grouping students by readiness and ability when applicable.
If your school’s homework policies allow, be creative with your assignments. As you create your assignments, consider the following:
If we reimagine homework, students might actually cheer instead of groan when it’s assigned. OK, that’s wishful thinking, but they should definitely get more out of their assignments.
We have all had time-consuming, monotonous, meaningless homework assigned to us at some point in our life. These assignments often lead to frustration and boredom and students learn virtually nothing from them. Teachers and schools must reevaluate how and why they assign homework to their students. Any assigned homework should have a purpose.
Assigning homework with a purpose means that through completing the assignment, the student will be able to obtain new knowledge, a new skill, or have a new experience that they may not otherwise have. Homework should not consist of a rudimentary task that is being assigned simply for the sake of assigning something. Homework should be meaningful. It should be viewed as an opportunity to allow students to make real-life connections to the content that they are learning in the classroom. It should be given only as an opportunity to help increase their content knowledge in an area.
Furthermore, teachers can utilize homework as an opportunity to differentiate learning for all students. Homework should rarely be given with a blanket "one size fits all" approach. Homework provides teachers with a significant opportunity to meet each student where they are and truly extend learning. A teacher can give their higher-level students more challenging assignments while also filling gaps for those students who may have fallen behind. Teachers who use homework as an opportunity to differentiate we not only see increased growth in their students, but they will also find they have more time in class to dedicate to whole group instruction .
Creating authentic and differentiated homework assignments can take more time for teachers to put together. As often is the case, extra effort is rewarded. Teachers who assign meaningful, differentiated, connected homework assignments not only see student participation increase, they also see an increase in student engagement. These rewards are worth the extra investment in time needed to construct these types of assignments.
Schools must recognize the value in this approach. They should provide their teachers with professional development that gives them the tools to be successful in transitioning to assign homework that is differentiated with meaning and purpose. A school's homework policy should reflect this philosophy; ultimately guiding teachers to give their students reasonable, meaningful, purposeful homework assignments.
Homework is defined as the time students spend outside the classroom in assigned learning activities. Anywhere Schools believes the purpose of homework should be to practice, reinforce, or apply acquired skills and knowledge. We also believe as research supports that moderate assignments completed and done well are more effective than lengthy or difficult ones done poorly.
Homework serves to develop regular study skills and the ability to complete assignments independently. Anywhere Schools further believes completing homework is the responsibility of the student, and as students mature they are more able to work independently. Therefore, parents play a supportive role in monitoring completion of assignments, encouraging students’ efforts and providing a conducive environment for learning.
Homework is an opportunity for teachers to provide individualized instruction geared specifically to an individual student. Anywhere Schools embraces the idea that each student is different and as such, each student has their own individual needs. We see homework as an opportunity to tailor lessons specifically for an individual student meeting them where they are and bringing them to where we want them to be.
Homework contributes toward building responsibility, self-discipline, and lifelong learning habits. It is the intention of the Anywhere School staff to assign relevant, challenging, meaningful, and purposeful homework assignments that reinforce classroom learning objectives. Homework should provide students with the opportunity to apply and extend the information they have learned complete unfinished class assignments, and develop independence.
The actual time required to complete assignments will vary with each student’s study habits, academic skills, and selected course load. If your child is spending an inordinate amount of time doing homework, you should contact your child’s teachers.
COMMENTS
The National PTA and the National Education Association support the " 10-minute homework guideline "—a nightly 10 minutes of homework per grade level. But many teachers and parents are quick to point out that what matters is the quality of the homework assigned and how well it meets students' needs, not the amount of time spent on it.
Do review all homework assignments once students have submitted them. Do not collect any homework you do not intend to check, review or grade. 7. Do encourage parents to support their children's homework effort. Do not assign homework that is so difficult and unfamiliar to students that their parents are tempted to: Do the work for them;
Many districts follow the guideline of 10 minutes per grade level. This is a good rule of thumb and can be modified for specific students or subjects that need more or less time for assignments. This can also be helpful to gauge if you are providing too much (or too little) homework. Consider surveying your students on how much time is needed ...
Optimal time per night spent on homework varies with grade level. For, primary, upper elementary, middle school, and high school grades, the optimal time is about 20, 40, 60, and 90 minutes, respectively. Homework is given often. Reports indicate that students may get as many 400 assignments per year in grades 7-10.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) best practices should be used when assigning homework. Teachers will provide feedback on homework assignments. Students may have more than one teacher. Therefore, teams of teachers will discuss homework activities and projects in order to follow grade level homework duration guidelines.
The National PTA and National Education Association support the " ten minute homework guideline ," which suggests each student should have about ten minutes of homework per grade level. First-grade students should have between ten to twenty minutes of homework, with an additional ten minutes added for each subsequent grade level.
Use homework as a tool for communication. Use homework as a vehicle to foster family-school communication. Families can use homework as an opportunity to open conversations about specific assignments or classes, peer relationships, or even sleep quality that may be impacting student success. For younger students, using a daily or weekly home ...
using academic search engines for recent research on homework in K-12 schools using keywords related to homework such as "assignments," "studying," and "workload." We include studies that are well-designed and implemented, build on prior research concerning homework quantity and quality, utilize datasets that are sufficiently large and
Make homework meaningful to students by ensuring cooperation and communication among the teachers, students and parents or guardians. Grading and Reporting. Completed homework assignments are to be reviewed by the teacher (or a designee) with feedback provided as appropriate. Homework completion will count for 10% of each nine-weeks grade.
The following chart adapted from the National Education Associations recommendations can be used as a resource for teachers in Kindergarten through the 8 th grade. Grade Level. Recommended Amount of Homework Per Night. Kindergarten. 5 - 15 minutes. 1 st Grade. 10 - 20 minutes. 2 nd Grade. 20 - 30 minutes.
Grade 4: 45 - 60 minutes daily: 3 - 4 hours weekly. Grade 5: 45 - 70 minutes daily: 3 - 4 2/3 hours weekly. Daily homework assignments will generally be given Monday through Thursday. Homework will not routinely be assigned on weekends. Occasionally, weekend and vacation assignments may be necessary for continuity of learning.
Thus, simply assigning homework may not produce the desired effect—in fact, ill-structured homework might even have a negative effect on student achievement. Teachers must carefully plan and assign homework in a way that maximizes the potential for student success (see Research-Based Homework Guidelines).
Homework. All assigned homework will be sent home in a take-home folder each night. A list of spelling words will be sent home each Monday and will be tested on Friday. Students will also receive a math, language arts, or other homework sheet each night as well. All homework must be turned in the following day unless stated otherwise.
5 Secrets Of Effective Homework Assignments. 1. Preparing for it. Homework should be a review or further practice of something learned in class so ensure that whatever homework you have assigned can be completed by students independently and with ease. To do this, conduct several comprehension tests and practice activities in class so that ...
The Great Schools Partnership recommends that teachers consider the following general guidelines when assigning homework in a proficiency-based l earning environment: All homework assignments should be relevant, educationally purposeful, and driven by clearly defined learning objectives for a unit or lesson. Students should be given an equal ...
Reinforce and allow students to practice skills learned in the classroom. Help students develop good study habits and routines. Foster positive feelings about school. In grades 6-12, homework should: Reinforce and allow students to practice skills learned in the classroom. Prepare students for engagement and discussion during the next lesson.
Homework assignments should promote learning goals while engaging students. Instead of introducing new material or skills, homework assignments should cover content already ... Consider creating district-wide policies or guidelines on homework loads, such as a "10-minute rule"limiting homework to 10 minutes per night per
Tip 2: Review Project Requirements. Don't have your child dive head-first into his or her homework assignments. Review the expectations of each project with your child and discuss how much time he or she will need to complete them. It would be a shame to waste time redoing a project because your child didn't understand it initially.
1. EFFECTIVE HOMEWORK PRACTICES. This issue of PRIMUS is the second of a two-part special issue on The Creation and Implementation of Effective Homework Assignments. Part 1 of the special issue focused on the creation of effective homework and featured papers that discussed elements of effective homework design and presented innovative homework systems targeting specific learning goals.
This guideline is to be reviewed by the student and parent, signed and returned to the teacher. The teacher's guideline includes, but is not limited to, the following information: • A description of the various types of homework assignments a student might expect during the course. • The teacher will give the date each assignment is due.
5 Keys to Making Homework More Meaningful. 1. Off-screen reading: Books, books, books. Whether your students are reading books they chose or assigned novels, quiet reading time (or time listening to audiobooks) is a welcome assignment in most homes—I say this as a mom myself. Students can be held accountable for their reading through Harkness ...
Homework is defined as the time students spend outside the classroom in assigned learning activities. Anywhere Schools believes the purpose of homework should be to practice, reinforce, or apply acquired skills and knowledge. We also believe as research supports that moderate assignments completed and done well are more effective than lengthy ...
To make sure that homework is appropriate, administrators, teachers, parents and guardians should follow the guidelines below. Assign purposeful homework. Legitimate purposes for homework include introducing new content, practicing a skill or process that students can do independently but not fluently, elaborating on information that has been ...