To answer this question I think you have to define what you call homework. Homework can be the physical kind on paper or out of the book. It can also be the mental application of having students read and analyze on their own, discuss issues about chapter content, etc. I think a good classroom will encompass both. The physical homework is needed to grade the understanding and comprehension level of students over the material discussed. Also the mental homework can be used to further the understanding of the students and in many cases to further their interest in what is being discussed. I also feel that homework helps to train students, not only in learning the material, but in academic methods that will help them to study and learn material on their own. I believe the traditional method works best because it gets the most out of the students and holds them responsible for their learning. No student really wants to do homework, like no adult really wants to pay their bills or taxes. It's a necessary evil.
As I stated, I don't give homework in my classroom subject, but in music I believe practicing beyond the school day is extremely important. As you said working through material on their own is valuable. This gives the student the opportunity to slow down and process what they are learning and hopefully develop the tenacity to follow through. This can be frustrating and stressful, and we have to weigh the pros vs the cons when it comes to Billy, but I will say in the music world, it is rare indeed for a musician to be any more that just average if the only time they play is at school.
Excellent point about physical/traditional homework vs. mental application. If you give homework, maybe it doesn't have to be traditional. This is one I am really on the fence about and want to continue researching.
I agree Amanda. I would like to explore more this topic more. I agree that adding more stress by sending home practice that the student cannot do is not going to increase achievement. However, some practice to highlight misconceptions for further instruction could be beneficial. I need to use more non traditional approaches to homework. During the pandemic, I have had to rely heavily on technology. I sent out a video of a problem and asked students to send me a video back of them solving it. I would like to use this more. It would not take long and I would gain great insight from hearing their thoughts while they work the problem.
Personally, I feel that some subjects may need more daily practice than other subjects. Math comes to mind for me - maybe because I always had math homework in school. It seems that students learn a new or additional skill each day in math and to learn this, extra practice may be needed. Personally, I try to limit the homework I give students mainly because I learned years ago most students don't do it. I felt like I was fighting a losing battle. I also wonder who actually did the homework - the child? the parent? another student they copied from in the gym? I am very much in favor of a parent helping a child, but I cannot quite wrap my head around the concept of "the parent can do it for them." I have to admit in the past I was not pleased to see a student turn in work that was obviously written and completed by the parent. I try to limit grades I take to the work completed in class even if I have to collect it and pass it out the following day to be completed. At least I know the work is the student's work. In grading work, I am trying to assess the student's understanding, not someone else's understanding. As I mentioned before, I feel some subjects may need to assign more work outside of class, so this is another reason I try not to send too much work home. Kids need down time too.
I think it depends on the person. As a student, I liked being able to practice and apply what was taught if I needed the work. I could do math and science homework all day. Reading and language arts in the other hand...lol. Being a science teacher, I see opportunities where home work can benefit my students if there are a lot of facts to learn. However, over the years, I have reduced the amount of work required to do out of class to the point where if they don’t finish their assignment in class, it becomes homework. It’s hard to get students to do their work outside of our supervision. There are a lot more distractions today and not enough adult supervision at home to make them accountable.
I think the idea of practice is the point homework is trying to achieve. In my class the more the students hear the material and talk or read about it, the more they pick it up and understand. I agree with you over the outside homework. Most kids won't or aren't capable of doing it with help, so I've pretty much altered all of my assignments to be in class so I can assure the students are completing the work and I can help if needed.
Just like any other component of education, homework has its place. I believe that sometimes it is necessary for practice and repetition in order to master, however I do not feel that it is always used the way it should be. Homework should not take the student more than the time that they have in the classroom. If math class is an hour long, than it shouldn't take a student more than an hour to do the homework. I feel the older you get sometimes the homework is meant to take the place of teaching and that isn't supposed to be the purpose of homework. I feel as though homework should be differentiated just as classwork is. I have always tried to modified my SpEd students homework when possible. I think a student can show mastery with five problems or questions on a standard vs 20. Homework can serve a positive purpose, but I feel its sometimes used as a negative situation and thats why it is seen in a negative light.
I agree Jessica and I guess this is why I straddle the fence so much when it comes to homework. Homework can definitely be beneficial when it is used for mastery purposes. It can also have a negative impact on students when it is overly assigned and taking students hours to complete.
I believe some students benefit from homework and some don't! In Math they can see that the extra practice helped them. Others learn from mistakes or learn they need more instruction. The group that chooses not to do it, some are smart enough they don't need it. There is also the group that won't try it. As far as enforcing it, I try about half of year to convince them to do the work for them. NOT ME! After the first semester, I leave them alone.
This is one debate I am straddling the fence with. On one side I do see the benefits of homework because I believe this teaches students HOW to study which is important especially for the students who decide to continue their education after high school. My daughter and I butted heads a lot when it came homework time in my household, but I believe this is one of the things that helped her be as successful as she has been at Bethel because she knows HOW to study. On the other side of this homework debate I also know the frustration it can cause students, especially when they have extra curricular activities after school. Therefore, I do not believe homework is always a bad thing as long as it is not being overly assigned.
Homework is a never ending debate in education. I worked for a principal who didn't allow homework but had show work. The teachers could give a few questions to send him to show parents what they learned that day but could not send pages of it. The best I can remember it worked but it was very difficult for several teachers who could not always get their work done. I feel like homework is a good thing so they know it is important outside of the school walls. Sometimes teachers do tend to give too much busy work and as a parent this is very frustrating when you have a child who does not "love" school. Teachers should do what is best for his/her classroom remembering children do need free time after school.
For several years now, my homework policy has predominately been one of no homework unless the student needs to finish an assignment or do make-up work. I think students need time to be kids. They need free time after school to play, do extracurricular activities, and be with their families. I still see the value in extra practice, especially in math and reading of any kind, but the return is not worth the stress it causes both teachers and some students and their families.
I agree with this. I think homework can have value and some students need the extra practice, but I would rather not send it home when school can be overwhelming anyway. Some kids need the break and do not need the extra stress that homework can bring. especially if they do not have support at home.
I gave daily homework my first year teaching. You learn SO MUCH your first year and homework was one of them. I moved to Knoxville right after my first year and had wonderful mentorship. After several discussions with administration and math department, I decided homework did NOT need to be a part of my class. Since then, I have rarely given homework and it works for me. I realize this is a hot topic and I understand all the reasons homework is beneficial. However, those reasons were not enough for me. Here are a few of my personal reasons for no homework: 1. Many of our kids go home to take care of younger kids. 2. Most of our parents cannot give assistance when the students have questions. 3. I would rather give them some time to work problems during class so I can observe and assess how they are doing. At this time, I can catch common misconceptions and address everyone at once. I can also give them the motivation they need to continue working. 4. 8th graders tend to convince someone to allow them to copy. 5. It is extremely frustrating to work a bunch of problems when you aren't sure what you are doing. 6. So many kids just won't do the work - no matter what you try. On the flip side, I do believe it is part of my job to teach them HOW TO STUDY for a math test - which does requiring practicing at home.
Rachel I really like your reasoning for not giving homework even though I just answered on #5 that I thought homework might be necessary for math. I think you just changed my mind.
I personally haven't done homework in years. I used to get frustrated when students wouldn't complete the homework that I rarely assigned. I finally decided it wasn't worth the fight so I stopped assigning it all together. I do completely get however that it is much easier to not assign homework because of my subject. Social studies isn't a skill that needs to be practiced. If I taught a different subject I might have a different opinion. So- my policy about work is if we don't finish something in class we will finish it tomorrow. It does not bother me to take 10 minutes the next day to allow my kids to finish what they were working on the day before.
I saw that many parents just completed the assignment for the child...(no benefit to them). I also feel the family breakdown has simply changed. I may be old school,but when I was growing up, the very first thing I had to do was homework. I am seeing that, that simply is not the same today.
I have mixed feelings when it comes to homework. I feel that, in many cases, homework is not necessary for my specific subject and I do not really assign much homework. In my experiences the students that needed the practice were not completing the homework and this causes frustration for myself as well as the student. Students have many responsibilities, some we are aware of and some we are not, and we have to understand that some of these responsibilities will supersede the homework they've been given. I do think that if you are going to give homework you should be giving a grade or at least checking over the assignment so that the students feel what they are doing at home is something of importance that would need going over or grading.
When I was in the classroom 10 years, I did give homework. It was mostly to practice the skill that I taught that day. I tried to give short assignments, and I would try to give my students the last 5 minutes or so to work on their homework.
When I was teaching 7th ELA, I tried not to give too much homework, because I knew that our students had extra curricular activities. When I did assign homework, depending on the assignment, I might give them 2 days to complete. There are so many skills to cover in ELA and I am sure that most ELA teachers give homework.
I really liked the quote in the book about how no homework assignment should ever be worth sacrificing a child's self worth. I agree with this. If a child is going to go home and become angry and frustrated over homework assignments, I feel like it is just causing more harm. I know some children have no family support, so if they need help, they may not be able to get it or it can cause fights within the household. I also think that some students need a break from school when they get home. However, I can also see where homework is necessary for certain subjects and times.
I agree! Once they become frustrated with the assignment at home, you have already lost them when they come back to you the next day. Homework shouldn't cause frustration, but a chance to grow or form questions not cause harm.
I believe that some homework is necessary. However, it shouldn't be something that takes hours for them after school. Many students play sports, and while this is extra, they need a mental break from school. They shouldn't go from school to homework to bed to school. Yes, homework has its place and is necessary at times but not every night in the world we live in today.
To answer this question I think you have to define what you call homework. Homework can be the physical kind on paper or out of the book. It can also be the mental application of having students read and analyze on their own, discuss issues about chapter content, etc. I think a good classroom will encompass both. The physical homework is needed to grade the understanding and comprehension level of students over the material discussed. Also the mental homework can be used to further the understanding of the students and in many cases to further their interest in what is being discussed. I also feel that homework helps to train students, not only in learning the material, but in academic methods that will help them to study and learn material on their own. I believe the traditional method works best because it gets the most out of the students and holds them responsible for their learning. No student really wants to do homework, like no adult really wants to pay their bills or taxes. It's a necessary evil.
ReplyDeleteAs I stated, I don't give homework in my classroom subject, but in music I believe practicing beyond the school day is extremely important. As you said working through material on their own is valuable. This gives the student the opportunity to slow down and process what they are learning and hopefully develop the tenacity to follow through. This can be frustrating and stressful, and we have to weigh the pros vs the cons when it comes to Billy, but I will say in the music world, it is rare indeed for a musician to be any more that just average if the only time they play is at school.
DeleteExcellent point about physical/traditional homework vs. mental application. If you give homework, maybe it doesn't have to be traditional. This is one I am really on the fence about and want to continue researching.
ReplyDeleteI agree Amanda. I would like to explore more this topic more. I agree that adding more stress by sending home practice that the student cannot do is not going to increase achievement. However, some practice to highlight misconceptions for further instruction could be beneficial. I need to use more non traditional approaches to homework. During the pandemic, I have had to rely heavily on technology. I sent out a video of a problem and asked students to send me a video back of them solving it. I would like to use this more. It would not take long and I would gain great insight from hearing their thoughts while they work the problem.
DeletePersonally, I feel that some subjects may need more daily practice than other subjects. Math comes to mind for me - maybe because I always had math homework in school. It seems that students learn a new or additional skill each day in math and to learn this, extra practice may be needed. Personally, I try to limit the homework I give students mainly because I learned years ago most students don't do it. I felt like I was fighting a losing battle. I also wonder who actually did the homework - the child? the parent? another student they copied from in the gym? I am very much in favor of a parent helping a child, but I cannot quite wrap my head around the concept of "the parent can do it for them." I have to admit in the past I was not pleased to see a student turn in work that was obviously written and completed by the parent.
ReplyDeleteI try to limit grades I take to the work completed in class even if I have to collect it and pass it out the following day to be completed. At least I know the work is the student's work. In grading work, I am trying to assess the student's understanding, not someone else's understanding.
As I mentioned before, I feel some subjects may need to assign more work outside of class, so this is another reason I try not to send too much work home. Kids need down time too.
I think it depends on the person. As a student, I liked being able to practice and apply what was taught if I needed the work. I could do math and science homework all day. Reading and language arts in the other hand...lol. Being a science teacher, I see opportunities where home work can benefit my students if there are a lot of facts to learn. However, over the years, I have reduced the amount of work required to do out of class to the point where if they don’t finish their assignment in class, it becomes homework. It’s hard to get students to do their work outside of our supervision. There are a lot more distractions today and not enough adult supervision at home to make them accountable.
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of practice is the point homework is trying to achieve. In my class the more the students hear the material and talk or read about it, the more they pick it up and understand. I agree with you over the outside homework. Most kids won't or aren't capable of doing it with help, so I've pretty much altered all of my assignments to be in class so I can assure the students are completing the work and I can help if needed.
DeleteJust like any other component of education, homework has its place. I believe that sometimes it is necessary for practice and repetition in order to master, however I do not feel that it is always used the way it should be. Homework should not take the student more than the time that they have in the classroom. If math class is an hour long, than it shouldn't take a student more than an hour to do the homework. I feel the older you get sometimes the homework is meant to take the place of teaching and that isn't supposed to be the purpose of homework. I feel as though homework should be differentiated just as classwork is. I have always tried to modified my SpEd students homework when possible. I think a student can show mastery with five problems or questions on a standard vs 20. Homework can serve a positive purpose, but I feel its sometimes used as a negative situation and thats why it is seen in a negative light.
ReplyDeleteI agree Jessica and I guess this is why I straddle the fence so much when it comes to homework. Homework can definitely be beneficial when it is used for mastery purposes. It can also have a negative impact on students when it is overly assigned and taking students hours to complete.
DeleteI believe some students benefit from homework and some don't! In Math they can see that the extra practice helped them. Others learn from mistakes or learn they need more instruction. The group that chooses not to do it, some are smart enough they don't need it. There is also the group that won't try it.
ReplyDeleteAs far as enforcing it, I try about half of year to convince them to do the work for them. NOT ME! After the first semester, I leave them alone.
This is one debate I am straddling the fence with. On one side I do see the benefits of homework because I believe this teaches students HOW to study which is important especially for the students who decide to continue their education after high school. My daughter and I butted heads a lot when it came homework time in my household, but I believe this is one of the things that helped her be as successful as she has been at Bethel because she knows HOW to study. On the other side of this homework debate I also know the frustration it can cause students, especially when they have extra curricular activities after school. Therefore, I do not believe homework is always a bad thing as long as it is not being overly assigned.
ReplyDeleteHomework is a never ending debate in education. I worked for a principal who didn't allow homework but had show work. The teachers could give a few questions to send him to show parents what they learned that day but could not send pages of it. The best I can remember it worked but it was very difficult for several teachers who could not always get their work done. I feel like homework is a good thing so they know it is important outside of the school walls. Sometimes teachers do tend to give too much busy work and as a parent this is very frustrating when you have a child who does not "love" school. Teachers should do what is best for his/her classroom remembering children do need free time after school.
ReplyDeleteFor several years now, my homework policy has predominately been one of no homework unless the student needs to finish an assignment or do make-up work. I think students need time to be kids. They need free time after school to play, do extracurricular activities, and be with their families. I still see the value in extra practice, especially in math and reading of any kind, but the return is not worth the stress it causes both teachers and some students and their families.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this. I think homework can have value and some students need the extra practice, but I would rather not send it home when school can be overwhelming anyway. Some kids need the break and do not need the extra stress that homework can bring. especially if they do not have support at home.
DeleteI gave daily homework my first year teaching. You learn SO MUCH your first year and homework was one of them. I moved to Knoxville right after my first year and had wonderful mentorship. After several discussions with administration and math department, I decided homework did NOT need to be a part of my class. Since then, I have rarely given homework and it works for me. I realize this is a hot topic and I understand all the reasons homework is beneficial. However, those reasons were not enough for me.
ReplyDeleteHere are a few of my personal reasons for no homework:
1. Many of our kids go home to take care of younger kids.
2. Most of our parents cannot give assistance when the students have questions.
3. I would rather give them some time to work problems during class so I can observe and assess how they are doing. At this time, I can catch common misconceptions and address everyone at once. I can also give them the motivation they need to continue working.
4. 8th graders tend to convince someone to allow them to copy.
5. It is extremely frustrating to work a bunch of problems when you aren't sure what you are doing.
6. So many kids just won't do the work - no matter what you try.
On the flip side, I do believe it is part of my job to teach them HOW TO STUDY for a math test - which does requiring practicing at home.
Rachel I really like your reasoning for not giving homework even though I just answered on #5 that I thought homework might be necessary for math. I think you just changed my mind.
DeleteI personally haven't done homework in years. I used to get frustrated when students wouldn't complete the homework that I rarely assigned. I finally decided it wasn't worth the fight so I stopped assigning it all together. I do completely get however that it is much easier to not assign homework because of my subject. Social studies isn't a skill that needs to be practiced. If I taught a different subject I might have a different opinion. So- my policy about work is if we don't finish something in class we will finish it tomorrow. It does not bother me to take 10 minutes the next day to allow my kids to finish what they were working on the day before.
ReplyDeleteI saw that many parents just completed the assignment for the child...(no benefit to them). I also feel the family breakdown has simply changed. I may be old school,but when I was growing up, the very first thing I had to do was homework. I am seeing that, that simply is not the same today.
Delete
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings when it comes to homework. I feel that, in many cases, homework is not necessary for my specific subject and I do not really assign much homework. In my experiences the students that needed the practice were not completing the homework and this causes frustration for myself as well as the student. Students have many responsibilities, some we are aware of and some we are not, and we have to understand that some of these responsibilities will supersede the homework they've been given. I do think that if you are going to give homework you should be giving a grade or at least checking over the assignment so that the students feel what they are doing at home is something of importance that would need going over or grading.
When I was in the classroom 10 years, I did give homework. It was mostly to practice the skill that I taught that day. I tried to give short assignments, and I would try to give my students the last 5 minutes or so to work on their homework.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was teaching 7th ELA, I tried not to give too much homework, because I knew that our students had extra curricular activities. When I did assign homework, depending on the assignment, I might give them 2 days to complete. There are so many skills to cover in ELA and I am sure that most ELA teachers give homework.
I really liked the quote in the book about how no homework assignment should ever be worth sacrificing a child's self worth. I agree with this. If a child is going to go home and become angry and frustrated over homework assignments, I feel like it is just causing more harm. I know some children have no family support, so if they need help, they may not be able to get it or it can cause fights within the household. I also think that some students need a break from school when they get home. However, I can also see where homework is necessary for certain subjects and times.
ReplyDeleteI agree! Once they become frustrated with the assignment at home, you have already lost them when they come back to you the next day. Homework shouldn't cause frustration, but a chance to grow or form questions not cause harm.
DeleteI believe that some homework is necessary. However, it shouldn't be something that takes hours for them after school. Many students play sports, and while this is extra, they need a mental break from school. They shouldn't go from school to homework to bed to school. Yes, homework has its place and is necessary at times but not every night in the world we live in today.
ReplyDelete