Homework - Good or Bad?

Several educators I follow on Twitter are arguing against the use of homework, especially assigning 25 math problems ever night.

I took one class where they recommended assigning homework so students practice what they've already learned.

This is not an easy question to answer but what is clear is homework in early elementary school is not advised because there is no real evidence it helps the brain.
By middle school homework should take no more than an hour and a half and in high school, no more than 2 hours. 

It appears teachers are assigning more homework in early elementary because of the pressure students are under to read by grade three.  In high school homework has increased so students have a better chance of being accepted into the college of their choice.

What I can say with absolute certainty is there is very little concrete evidence regarding homework and what little there is?  Well, it doesn't say is where the evidence comes from.  Many sites listed the reasons homework is good but the reasons are for learning life skills such as time management and seldom was learning the material given.  The reasons for not assigning homework include allowing more time for students to relax at night and go to bed earlier so they are not as tired in the morning.  

Two things continually came up in regard to homework.  If you give it, it should be designed with the development of the brain and how it works.  Second, one should get a bit more creative when designing it such as assigning an online game to help develop a foundation of knowledge for the new topic.  It has also been suggested students be given a choice of several things they can do for homework.
 
In addition, the homework task, even as a game, should not take more than 15 minutes to complete or it may no longer be effective.  If the assignment is too long, it can interfere with home life.  One clear facet of well designed homework is students need to know the reason for the assignments and it has to be authentic.

Homework should never be busy work or students may never get around to completing it.  Still, I see no clear cut answer on homework - yes or no?  But I've found a few things that make an assignment more effective.  In the meantime, I have a book to read on the topic and I will get back to you on that.

Let me know what you think.  Have a great day.

Homework?

When I went through my teacher training, it was at a time when you were told to assign a bunch of problems so students gained more practice.  Since then research has emerged indicating homework is not that effective.

One training session I took indicated you should assign homework but not many problems and you should include the answer so students know where they are heading.

I also tend to choose problems covering material students have already had time to master.  I seldom assign homework based on what they learned that day because most students need time to master the material.

Its also said that students need immediate feedback but when correcting homework, it usually takes the teacher time to check how the student got to the answer.  I seldom check only the answer because I gave it to them.  I've found students will write something down and then put the correct answer down.

 I've also heard the teacher should show all the work on an answer sheet so students can copy it down or check their work if they want to.  Either way they get the correct answer but I'm not sure that is the most effective way.

I just read something that makes sense.  For homework give "suggested problems" but rather than checking to see if the work was done, the teacher gave a homework quiz with only one or two problems from the suggested problems.

To help students before the quiz, it is suggested the teacher answer questions related to the suggested homework problems to clarify understanding.  Then give the quiz.    It has also been suggested the quiz be composed of questions similar to the homework rather than the actual homework questions themselves.  In the same article, the teacher used a rubric for the quiz rather than actually grading it.

Recently, people have developed apps which solve problems step by step.  Students can use these apps to solve the problems without ever learning the material.  To counter this perhaps some of the homework problems should require students to explain what happened at each step.  Or maybe there should be a combination where students solve some problems while explaining other problems.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the topic of homework.  Please let me know what you think.

Should Students Assign Their Own Homework?

  I am aware there is a raging debate out there on whether homework is effective.  I've been in classes where they've said yes it is if you only assign 10 problems and supply the answers. Other teachers are saying it should never be assigned but I stumbled across this article asking "Should students assign their own homework?"

In the past I have assigned only 10 problems based on previously taught material.  I posted the worked out problems so students could copy is they desired.  I've never been one to assign 27 of the same problem.

This article presents the idea of helping students become active in their pursuit of learning.  Taking a step further in understanding that learning is not restricted only to the classroom.  The idea is that students learn they need to make a personal commitment to learn both in school and at home. 

Homework for a student should be designed to help clarify areas they do not understand or is an area they are interested in. If they assign themselves the homework, they practicing self-motivation, preparation, and persistence while evaluating personal growth.

We know you cannot just tell students to assign themselves homework.  They have to be taught how to determine what problems to assign.  In addition, students must see learning as active. So here are some ways to accomplish it.

1. Sprinkle questions throughout the lesson designed to encourage reflection and determine points of learning.

2. Ask questions which can slow down the learning process long enough for students to reflect.

3. Talk to parents to get them on board with the idea.

I think I might take this a step further and use journaling as a way to help identify areas where students still have confusion or have an area they want to explore further.  Once this is done, students then look for problems that cover these areas for the assignment. 

However, before doing this, I think it would be worth taking time to explain why certain problems are chosen as homework problems.  Take time to discuss the best way to choose problems that help clarify.  Perhaps even allow students to use an app or program which shows the steps and have them explain what is going on for deeper understanding.

Is it possible to have students assign their own homework?  It might be but it takes teaching them how to do this so they can make good choices for homework.

Let me know what you think of this?  I'm curious because my first instinct is a resounding no but its so radical, I really don't know.

Talk about a learning experience

I put a problem on the board for most of my classes to do and was shocked at the results.  I put 2(x+3)-3(x-2)=18 up and many of my upper level students had trouble doing this problem.  Only one student in the Algebra I class could do it.  I discovered this using the favorite bad assessment I talk about in yesterday's post.  It is a great assessment that takes all of 5 min and gives a good view of the topic.
Yesterday, I had students work on standardized problems alone on their iPads using gloss.  Over all it went pretty well but I think I'll have them help each other so each group gets all the correct answers.  If a student asked what perimeter is, I told them to look it up.  I think by helping each other, they will actually learn it better and it involves peer tutoring. 
Instead of giving finals, I am assigning projects to three  of my 5 classes using Haiku Deck.  I said they had to use their own words, make their own diagrams and they had to use complete sentences.  One of the students objected that this is a math class not an English class.  I laughed and told them there is English in Math.....LOL.
Next step is to figure out what type of flipping I can do with the limited or no internet my students have on their mobile devices.  Actually, I should think of homework assignments they can do using their mobile devices or assignments my traveling students can use mobile devices on.

Increasing QR code use

This week I have added QR code use in the classroom. First, I added a QR code to their homework which has the answers.  They still have to show their work but they have a way of checking their work. Second, I am using the QR code as their exit ticket. Today I am asking them to find their grade and create a QR code with that grade. This helps them become more familiar with making QR codes and it eliminates the 'I didn't know what my grade was!"  I plan to make the QR codes as exit tickets a regular event in my classroom.  Some of my students do not have a QR scanner on their mobile devices so they used the iPads to scan the QR code, find the answers to their homework and hand write the answers on their homework sheet.  I am happy they are taking some responsibility for making sure they get their homework right.
The next step is to get them to regularly look at what is due so tomorrow's exit ticket will be for them to look at the assignments list and write down what is due this week.  I am hoping by doing this on a regular basis, they will learn to be more aware of deadlines.