The Great Debate

1
The Great Debate

• On
• Homework in Schools

2
Some Basic Beliefs to Address

• The role of the school is to extend learning
  beyond the classroom.
• Intellectual activity is intrinsically more
  valuable than non-intellectual activity
• Homework teaches responsibility
• Lots of homework is a sign of a rigorous
  curriculum
• Good teachers give homework good students do
  their homework

3
3 Views on Homework

• Moralistic View Who we believe students are
• This theory suggests students are basically lazy
  and irresponsible and they have to be coerced
  into learning.
• So we must teach responsibility

4
Puritan Work Ethic

• Hard work is good for you regardless of the
  pointlessness of the task
• Hard work builds character
• Hard work is painful suffering is virtuousand
  we all like suffering

5
Behaviorism

• How we think we can control students
• Behavior can be controlled by rewards and
  punishment
• The most imbedded practice in schools today
• When punishment doesnt work, increase the
  punishment

6
Six Steps to Effective Homework

• Designing quality tasks
• Differentiating homework tasks
• Moving from grading to checking-focusing in on
  feedback
• Decriminalizing grading
• Using completion strategies
• Establishing support programs

7
Quality Homework Tasks

• Have a clear academic purpose (not busy work)
• Are customized to promote ownership (personal)
• Instill a sense of competence (doable)
• Are aesthetically pleasing (well organized,
  easy to understand, pleasant)

8
Quality Homework Tasks

• Homework should NOT be used for new learning
• Homework that cannot be done without help is not
  good homework!
• Purpose of homework Practice, checking for
  understanding, pre-learning, or processing

9
Quality Homework Tasks promote ownership when
they

• Allow for choices
• Offer students an opportunity to personalize
  their work
• Allow students to share information about
  themselves or their lives
• Tap emotions, feelings, or opinions about a
  subject
• Allow students to create products or
  presentations
• I never heard of a child not doing his work. Its
  our work hes not doing.

10
General Findings of the Research on Homework

• The amount of time spent doing homework is
  positively correlated with achievement
• Homework appears to be more effective for older
  students than younger students
• As more variables are controlled for, the
  correlation between homework and achievement
  diminishes
• At each grade level there appears to be an
  optimum amount of homework

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Research

• What we want is to develop and refine
  intellectual skillsbut when students dont do
  homework, they may not perfect math skills, may
  not read as well, or may lack depth of knowledge
  for future learning

12
Continued

• What we want is to develop independent
  learnersbut when students dont do homework,
  they may fail to develp strategies for
  independent work and may miss the sense of
  efficacy that comes from completing tasks
  independently

13
Continued

• What we want is to nurture within students the
  identity of a successful learnerbut when
  students dont do homework, they may have trouble
  keeping up in class, may receive failing grades,
  and may lose confidence in their ability to learn

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Assumptions on Homework

• Do not assume the child has a quiet place to do
  homework
• Do not assume the child has a parent home in the
  evening
• Do not assume the childs parents speak and read
  English
• Do not assume the family has money for school
  supplies
• Do not assume the child has access to materials
  such as paper, pencil, etc
• Do not assume the child has access to a computer
  and the internet

15
Renegotiating the Parent-School Relationship

• Get Real!
• Resist the temptation to judge
• Revise expectations of parental support
• Suggest (Do not mandate) guidelines for the
  parents role in homework

16
Differentiating Homework Tasks

• The 10 minute rule
• Maximum of 10 minutes per grade level per night
  (6th grade 60 minutes)
• How much is too much? Depends on the student
• The 10 minute rule is recommended by the PTA,
  NEA, and consistent with research on homework.

17
Common Sense

• If we know students differ in readiness, why
  would we give everyone the same assignment?
• If we know students differ in working speed, why
  would we expect slower students to spend more
  time instead of giving them less work?
• If we know students have responsibilities and
  activities after school, why would we give
  students an assignment at 3 pm and expect it back
  at 8 am the next day?

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A Bill of Rights for Homework

• Children shall not be required to work more than
  40 hours a week, when class time is added to
  homework time
• Children shall have the right to homework they
  can complete without help. If they cannot
  complete homework without help, children shall be
  entitled to reteaching or modified assignments

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Bill of Rights

• A childs academic grade shall not be put in
  jeopardy because of incomplete homework. Children
  shall be entitled to an in-school or after school
  homework support program if they are unwilling or
  unable to complete homework at home

20
Bill of Rights

• A childs right to playtime, downtime, and
  adequate sleep shall not be infringed upon by
  homework
• Parents shall be entitled to excuse their child
  from homework that the child does not understand
  or is too tired to finish
• Families shall be entitled to weekends and
  holidays free from homework

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Principles of Differentiating Homework

• Diagnosing readinesswhat level of work can they
  do?
• Standards basedwhich concepts do they need to
  work on?
• Fewer concepts for struggling learnershow can we
  show them they can be successful with independent
  work?
• Prioritizing of subjects for some studentswhat
  are the most critical subjects for future success?

22
Ways to Differentiate

• Difficulty/amount of work
• Amount of structure/scaffolding
• Learning style/Interest
• Many teachers have discovered that the homework
  completion rate skyrockets when they simply give
  less work!

23
Moving from grading to checking-focusing in on
feedback

• Checking is diagnosticteacher is an advocate
• Grading is evaluative-teacher is judge!
• Grades are not necessary for learning, but
  feedback is!
• Everything does not need a number!
• Formative feedback, summative grading

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Designing Quality Homework Tasks

• Academic Purpose
• Competence
• Ownership
• Aesthetics

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Quality Feedback is

• Formativeassessment for learning takes place
  during learning.
• Correctiveprovides specific information to the
  student about how to reach the learning target.
• Interactiverequires dialogue between teacher and
  student (written or verbal) or student and
  student
• Not part of the gradeWe dont keep score during
  practice

26
Differentiation

• If I dont grade it, they wont do it Because
  we allow them not to do it. This is learned
  behavior and can be unlearned. This is a teacher
  expectation issue.
• The attitudinal change is that homework is for
  feedback about their understanding, not gotcha,
  not grading.
• Should all homework be graded? No. Should all
  homework receive feedback? Yes. Is the teacher
  the only one who can give feedback? No.

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Decriminalizing GradingThings to think about

• Work ethic behaviorism using grades to reward
  virtue and punish vice (often to the detriment of
  learning and motivation)
• Giving a zero for incomplete work is not holding
  them accountable. Accountability is making them
  finish the work.
• We think were teaching them responsibility, but
  are we teaching them math?
• What if grades reflected what students really
  learned, not which work they chose or were able
  to complete?
• If poor children are disproportionately failing
  due to homework, are they being punished for
  their home environment?

28
Grading

• Grades should reflect learning.
• Psychological effects of grading on motivation.
• The homework trapincomplete workpoor
  gradespoor attitudepredictable
  avoidanceresentment

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Late policies and GradingIs the climate one of
learning or compliance

• We are faced with the irony that a policy that
  may be grounded in the belief of holding students
  accountable (giving zeros) actually allows some
  students to escape accountability for learning
• The learning goal for homework is to GET IT DONE,
  better late than never.

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Five Reasons why Homework is not getting done

• Academic-work is too hard or too lengthy for the
  students working speed
• Organizational-getting it home/getting it
  done/getting it back
• Motivational-burnout, overload, too much failure,
  frustration with tasks
• Situational-unable to work at home, too many
  other activities
• Personal-depression, anxiety, family problems, etc

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Home Study plan

• My favorite position to do homework is?
• It is easiest for me to pay attention to homework
  (where)?
• When I am working on homework?
• When I have more than one thing to do?
• After I start working, I like to do?
• WHEN is it easiest for me to do homework?
• WHERE will I do homework?

32
Suggestions

• Limit homework to one assignment or one subject
  per night
• Take time to discuss the homework assignment and
  possibly give students a few minutes to begin the
  assignment in class. This way, students can be
  sue they understand what they are supposed to do

33
Suggestions

• Avoid giving homework assignments at the end of
  the hour when students are packing up and
  focused on leaving
• Set a maximum amount of time that the student
  should work on each assignment
• Give assignments further in advance of the due
  date, or give students more than one day to do
  assignments

34
Suggestions

• Provide a course syllabus at the beginning of
  the semester, unit, chapter
• Make sure all students have the necessary
  materials at home to complete specific assignments

35
Homework

• Homework that cannot be done without help is not
  good homework!
• We know that practice helps perfect skills--time
  on task matters--some children take longer to
  learn--children differ in the type of tasks that
  help them learn--differ in motivation,
  persistence, and organizationfrustration is
  detrimental to motivation and the desire to
  learn--whatever its value, if homework is not
  done, it doesnt help anything.