Common Conversation: Homework and Practice

Teacher assigns homework.

Student A whizzes through it.

Student B struggles for an extended period of time.

Student C doesn't turn in any homework assignments.

Student A's parents ask for more work for their child to practice with.

Student B's parents complain that homework is taking too long and their child cannot even explain how to complete it.

Student C's parents work late and share that their child always says they have no homework, or it's completed.

Does this sound familiar?? Is homework a battle that you are always struggling with?

For years, I couldn't get a handle on this. I've read educational articles, blogs, etc. on ideas. But just like with all other topics in education, homework practices are ever changing. I recently read an article on Edutopia titled "Homework, Sleep, and the Student Brain" written by Glenn Whitman
Director, The Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning, about assigning manageable homework. Below are a couple of interesting statements from the article.

-"For too many students, homework is too often about compliance and "not losing points" rather than about learning."

-"Homework can be a powerful learning tool -- if designed and assigned correctly."

-"It should be challenging and engaging enough to allow for deliberate practice of essential content and skills, but not so hard that parents are asked to recall what they learned in high school. All that usually leads to is family stress."

Here is the link to the article if you'd like to read more: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/homework-sleep-and-student-brain-glenn-whitman

We will continue to discuss strategies to assign homework and practice with our teams, especially taking a look at the amount of time being spent between both reading and math homework based on our school's homework policy. Here are a few things to consider in the meantime:

1. Do all students have an opportunity to be successful with the assignment independently?

2. How long will the assignment take a struggling student, an on level student, a high achieving student?

3. Does the assignment directly correlate to the students' current learning in class?

4. What is the purpose of the assignment?

(Found on Pinterest Pin)