Homework

  As teachers, we are all aware of the debate over homework.  Is it effective?  Is it worth it?  If we give it, what is the best way to do it?  Certainly not like it was when I was in school.  I suspect many of you encountered the same type of assignments.  The page whatever, every 3rd one so you practiced the same type of thing 30 times.

That is not an effective way to assign homework.  So what is the best way to assign homework so it is effective and has real value?

There are several factors to keep in mind when creating homework so it is effective and not a waste of time.  Homework is best used to build and maintain proficiency of skills.

1.  Create smaller assignments which are assigned more often so practice is distributed over time. It is important so students maintain their knowledge and retain the information better.  These smaller practices are also less intimidating than larger ones.

2. Set a purpose for the assignment and share it with students so they have a reason for the homework. 

3.  Make sure the homework does not take very long to do - no more than 30 minutes or so.

4. Provide answers for the homework you have assigned so students know if their answers are correct.  This provides immediate feedback to students so they can rework problems before turning them in.

5. Personalize the assignment so students take ownership of it. 

6.  Make sure they feel they can do the assignment otherwise they may give up before even trying.

Think of homework as part of the learning process in which it provides practice while checking for understanding, or improving their ability to process information.

I do give homework once a week in all my classes.  The homework assignment has 10 problems which cover the material already taught, even from the beginning of the year.  I provide answers either in the QR code attached to a corner or I place the answers in the back of the room.  When I put the answers on the wall, I show how each and every problem is worked so they can check it out if they get stuck.

The homework problems are only for review and I do not expect them to apply the material to new situations  without actually talking about it and showing a couple examples first. Students need these examples to check as they do the assignment.  The homework is only worth about 10% of the grade so if they do not turn it in, their over all grade does not go down too much. 

I'd be interested in hearing what you all think about assigning homework.

Additional uses of QR codes

I was sitting here thinking about how I could use QR codes a bit more effectively in class while giving them breaks here and there and not have to repeat myself over and over.  Right now, I use them for warm-ups and sometimes for sending them to web pages.  It just struck me that I could put QR codes with instructions for the next step in the class work, or what paper they need to collect from me.  Students, even high school students, need to get up once in a while and move to help them so they don't get restless.  Since I have my students sit and work in groups, I can have one person from each group go up to the QR code, read it and take back the information to their seat mates or follow the directions and collect worksheets from me.  Then for the next activity, have another student get up so there is not a mass clog at the QR code location. 
I can also use the QR codes as a ending class activity so they place the answer inside a QR code with their QR code maker app and I scan it as they clean up and put the iPads away.  It is a simple for me to scan their answers and check them.  I am planning to start sending homework home soon with a QR code embedded on the sheet with the answers.  They will still have to work the problems so I can see the process but they will know what the answer is supposed to be.  If you know where you are heading, it makes it easier to do the math problem. 
I know there are lots of places out there that discuss using the QR codes in the classroom but each class is different and your choice of how you use the codes will vary.

More thoughts on QR codes

It looks like I'll get the iPads for my classroom within the next day or two.  The tech dept wants my list of apps for the classroom set and I decided to have a QR reader and a QR creator app installed.  I am also thinking of requesting students make sure they have installed a QR reader on their personal devices because the iPads are shared.  The reason for this is simply I am tired of repeating the assignment or pointing to where I have the assignment posted on the board.  I am hoping that by making using QR codes, the students will learn to keep the assignment on their devices or the classroom iPads so they can refer to the information each day.  Maybe they'll check as frequently as they check their phones for text's from their loved ones......LOL
On the topic of QR codes, I found a wonderful collection of suggestions for using QR codes in Education that I plan to explore this weekend.  It is nice having so many items in one place instead of trying to search the web.  Three headings that have gotten my interest are:
1. Implementation of QR codes in the classroom.
2. Using QR codes in student projects.
3. Using QR codes in homework.

I've used QR codes before to send students to specific websites that have work or a reading for them and to list an order of activities I want them to do in class.  So this is a way of learning more ways to use QR codes.  I do not have to reinvent the wheel.