Harney School Improvement: MMM-Homework

After years in teaching, I continue to have more questions than answers relating to homework, but it is something we, as a team of professional educators, should consider collectively—and continuously.

To review just a bit from a previous MMM on homework, one issue to consider is the purpose of homework. It may be helpful to think of assigning homework for PRP: Practice (the material has already been taught and is being emphasized for fluency), Review (bringing all the facts, details, vocabulary together; applying what they have learned), and to Prepare for future learning (careful, though, on this one; although OK to assign homework that asks students to begin thinking about a topic they will be studying, it can be counterproductive to have them read ahead to learn material that has yet to be taught).

Another issue to consider is time. At times, we might assign something that we think will take only twenty minutes when, in reality, it may take students much longer (we, as teachers, possess the “curse of knowledge”; i.e., we sometimes think something is easy, quick, or obvious to all since it is second nature to us as experts in our subject area). A good idea is to check in periodically with students to see if the time they are spending on homework assignments is commensurate with your expectations. You might even create a homework assignment calendar similar to one suggested by Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock (2001, p. 65) but including a time component:

Subject: ________________________________________________

Due Date: ________________________________________________

What I Have to Do Tonight: ________________________________

Purpose of Assignment: _____________________________________

What I Have to Already Know or be Able to Do in Order to Complete the Assignment: ___________________________________________

Anticipated/Actual Time Needed to Complete: _______ / _______

A final issue to consider is how best to get our students to actually complete all homework assignments. This has been a challenge for every teacher at some point in his or her career, if not every year. Although frustrating, one thing that will not work is punitive measures. The threat of low grades or zeroes only motivates students who are motivated by grades to begin with. This would, therefore, work effectively with our valedictorian, but our valedictorian is unlikely to be blowing off many homework assignments in the first place. There is no easy answer for those students most at risk of not turning in homework, but here are a few ideas I found in researching this topic—these come mainly from Jane Bluestein (2008), Linda Darling-Hammond and Olivia Ifill-Lynch (2006), and just a bit of yours truly:

Assign work that is worthy of the effort: Does it make sense? Is it necessary? Is it useful? Is it authentic and engaging?
Make the work doable: Be sure directions are clear and that students can complete the assignment without help.
Match assignments to student needs: Reach out to students who are not completing homework and brainstorm strategies that work for them. Assign independent work at or near their proficiency level.
Create space and time for completing “home” work at school: Complete at school: before/after lunch, etc. As schools, we must continue to find systematic strategies for dealing with missing assignments.
Make work public: Display exemplars of proficient student work so they know what is expected. Talk students through the evening’s requirements.
Encourage collaboration: Among students (eighth graders helping sixth graders or classmates occasionally working together on an assignment) and among staff (communicating about amounts assignments and supporting each other by sharing ideas and assignments with the highest return rate).
Offer students choices: Find ways, when appropriate, for students to choose how they will extend learning, based on their interest or talent.
Build flexibility into your homework policy: At the outset, plan for the likelihood of some students not completing work and find ways for students to recover, while still holding them accountable for completing the work.
Communicate with parents: Parents need to understand the purposes of homework, the amount of homework that will be assigned, consequences for not completing homework, and a description of the types of parental involvement that are appropriate. Make this explicit up front and reinforce periodically.
Always provide feedback of some sort, but vary your feedback practices to make this viable: Although it is probably not feasible to formally assess every piece of student homework, the more feedback we can provide, the more likely we raise completion rates. Employ strategies that help manage the workload, collaborating with colleagues on best ways to accomplish this.

A survey conducted by Public Agenda (2000), a nonprofit, nonpartisan research group, found that 50% of parents surveyed said they have had a serious argument with their children over homework and 34% said it became a source of struggle and stress for them and their children. By following some or all of the above bullet points (perhaps none more important than communicating at the outset with parents about your expectations and letting them know how they can—and cannot—help their children with homework), we can reduce this level of strife while increasing our students’ homework completion rate.

As a final note, it is important, to revisit our homework practices regularly to ensure that they are producing results which are helping our students learn, grow, and succeed. Thanks for planning and assigning homework that maximizes chances for student success; it is yet another way you can Teach with Passion each day at your school!

Have an Awesome Week!!!

Eric

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