Homework: To Assign or Not To Assign

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Homework To Assign or Not To Assign?

• Presented by Denise M. Fries
• Last updated 5 November 2004
• C I 402, fall, 2004

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Introduction

• This presentation came about in an effort to
  determine the effectiveness of the homework I
  assign. I had three main questions regarding
  homework that I hoped to find conclusive answers
  to in my research. This Power Point presentation
  is an attempt to share the answers I have found.

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The Big Three Questions

• Is it fair to grade students on homework? Isnt
  homework their practice? Were we graded as
  children as we learned how to ride a bicycle or
  tie our shoes?
• Is it fair to penalize students for late
  assignments?
• Do I even need to assign homework at all?

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Why Teachers Should Assign Homework-the Benefits

• Homework can
• Provide additional practice.
• Provide teachers a way to monitor student
  progress.
• Provide teachers a way to diagnose student
  learning problems.
• Increase student responsibility and
  accountability.

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Benefits, Continued

• Facilitate more rapid movement through the
  curriculum.
• Allow for increased communication between school
  and home.
• Lead to students and parents understanding that
  the school has high expectations for students.

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Benefits, Continued

• To further clarify the first benefit
  listed-Provide additional practice I have
  listed the following
• Homework
• Gives students a chance to review.
• Allows students to prepare for the next days
  lesson.

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(Additional Practice, Continued)

• Provides opportunities for students to learn to
  use other resources, i.e. the library, the
  Internet, reference books, and community
  resources.
• Allows for a more in-depth exploration of topics
  than is possible during class time.
• Helps students develop time management, study
  organizational skills.

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Why Teachers Shouldnt Assign Homework

• Homework can
• Contribute significantly to students negative
  attitudes toward schoolthis is particularly true
  if homework is a source of conflict between
  students and parents at home.
• Create negative feelings if linked to punishment.

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Negative Aspects of Homework, cont.

• Stress students if the students do not have a
  supportive homelife which allows quiet time to
  complete assignments.
• Physicians are concerned that excessive homework
  is contributing to students being significantly
  sleep-deprived.
• Reinforce skills learned incorrectly if not
  corrected immediately.

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Negative Aspects, Continued

• Be brutal to the lives of teachers.
• Rob children of time that could be spent doing
  other things that might have more influence on
  character. Children are not miniature adults and
  have different needs than adults.

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What Homework Should Beby the Experts.

• The School Board and Administrators should
  develop a schoolwide or districtwide homework
  policy.
• Classroom Teachers should
• -never give homework as a punishment or use no
  homework as a reward
• -vary homework assignment types

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Homework by the Experts

• -not give daily assignments that are too long
• -give classroom assignments built on homework to
  reinforce the value of homework
• -give importance to homework through oral
  comments and scoring papers regularly

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Homework by the Experts

• -apply effective instructional practice to
  homework
• -assure that students have concepts and skills
  necessary to do the assignment
• -review the assignment before giving it to
  students and anticipate difficulties
• -teach students the skills they need to study

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Homework by the Experts

• -give clear instructions
• -correct homework
• -give feedback
• -involve parents
• -challenge students at their learning level by
  recognizing each students unique needs and
  circumstances

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Homework by the Experts

• -review homework policies and guidelines on a
  regular basis.

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How Much Homework Is Enough?

• A guide for teachers sponsored by the Office of
  Educational Research and Improvement in the U.S.
  Department of Education establishes the following
  guidelines for how long students should spend on
  homework each night
• -Grades 1-3 no more than 20 minutes per night.

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How Much Is Enough Homework?

• -Grades 4-6 20 to 40 minutes per night for all
  subjects.
• -Grades 7-9 no more than 2 hours per night for
  all subjects.
• -Grades 10-12 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours per night for
  all subjects.

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What Homework Should Be---by Our Administration

• Our administration at Thomas Metcalf Laboratory
  School at ISU believes that homework can be a
  positive experience in the life of a child. They
  further assert that schools need to be set up in
  a way that allows for teachers to collaborate and
  communicate on homework by cultivating
  sensitivity to student overload and seeking to
  meet the needs of the individual learner when
  applicable. It is their opinion that by
  communicating homework to parents through

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Homework by the Administration

• Newsletters and web-sites and by offering help
  sessions after school, parents and teachers can
  have a team effort in supporting students. It is
  the belief of our administrative team that the
  nature of the homework should be purposeful and
  directly apply to concepts being explored in
  class.

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What Homework Should Be---my Opinions.

• The debate has been on for years and will
  continue to rage on over the issue of homework.
  I see both positive and negative aspects of
  homework. If homework is implemented properly,
  there are many significant advantages for the
  students. On the other hand, if homework is used
  incorrectly, any gain that the students could
  have earned from the assignment will be lost. As
  a teacher with multiple preps and large amounts
  of students, the task of grading and providing
  positive feedback on each students assignments
  is daunting. Coupled with the charge of
  returning the homework quickly so that students
  have immediate feedback on how they are doing,
  homework can become

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Homework, My Opinions

• overwhelming to teachers. As a parent, I readily
  admit a frustration at the amount of time my
  girls spend on homework and the juggling acts
  needed to provide time for an extra-curricular or
  tow, family time, sleeping, etc.
• With that said, I still strongly believe that
  homework is more benefit than not. In my subject
  matter of foreign language, if students do not
  practice the skills outside of class, their level
  of expertise will not grow. I have looked
  closely at my own homework policies and believe
  that I have developed a positive plan. What
  follows is that ACTION PLAN for my courses.

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Spanish Homework Action Plan

• Spanish homework should be
• purposeful
• -provide further practice/reinforcement of
• skills introduced in class
• -provide opportunities for extension and
• enrichment
• -individualized as necessary to accommodate
• students needs

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Action Plan, Continued

• -a means to complete work begun in class
• -preparation for new classroom instruction.
• Reasonable in length (no more than 10-20 minutes
  a night)
• Be given oral and/or written feedback so that
  students see that homework is valued
• Be structured so that students have the skills
  and concepts necessary to complete the activity
  without frustration.

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Action Plan, Continued

• Varied by the type of activity the students are
  asked to complete.
• Have clear and precise instructions with time in
  class for students to ask questions.
• Involve the parents by having the homework and
  other class news posted on the Metcalf Homework
  Page, notices through the school newsletter and
  the electronic Spanish newsletter, and HELP
  sessions daily after school.

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Action Plan, Continued

• Homework policies and guidelines will be reviewed
  on a regular basis.

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Spanish Homework-additional Teacher
Responsibilites

• Provide daily updates to the Metcalf Homework
  Page.
• Encouraging students to attend the HELP sessions
  in place for 4th-8th grades and assisting in the
  running of the program.
• Provide daily homework notices to the 4th and 5th
  grade homerooms.
• Provide in-class time to record assignments in
  assignment notebooks and begin assignments.

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Additional Teacher responsiblities, Continued

• Teacher will provide feedback for all homework
  assignments, either oral, written or both.
• Some homework assignments will be graded for
  completion only and others will be graded for
  accuracy as well.

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Spanish Homework-parent Responsibilities

• Parents should try to
• Set a regular study time each day that is not
  interrupted. This should have definite beginning
  and ending times.
• Establish a study area away from distractions.
• Make sure students have the materials they need
  to do assignments and a place to store them.
• Have the students organize school materials.

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Parent Responsibilities, Continued

• Have the student make a daily list of homework
  assignments so parent and student con both
  monitor progress on work.
• Help the student work to find the answer rather
  than doing th work just to get it done.
• Be supportive and give assistance when students
  get frustrated or discouraged with particularly
  difficult assignments.

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Parent Responsibilities, Continued

• Contact the teacher to clear up any
  misunderstandings, troubleshoot problems and be
  better informed about the students learning
  progress.

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Spanish Homework-student Responsibilities

• Students should
• Write down assignments.
• Be sure all assignments are clear dont be
  afraid to ask questions if necessary.
• Set aside a regular time for studying. Try to
  find at least 10 minutes a day to review current
  vocabulary and grammar at a minimum-even when
  there isnt written homework.
• Find a quiet, well-lit place to study.

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(Student Responsibilities, Continued)

• Utilize the HELP program after school.
• Be responsible in checking the Homework Page and
  checking with the teacher in case of absences.

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Spanish Grade Level Specifics

• Fourth grade
• -Assignments will be marked late after being late
  for more than four class days.
• - Points will be deducted for late assignments
  after that time.
• -The only assignment which will be recorded as a
  zero will the assignment not turned in by the end
  of a grading period.

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Spanish Grade Level Specifics

• Fifth Grade
• -Assignments will be marked late after being late
  for three class days or more.
• -Points will be deducted based on how many days
  late the assignment is.
• -Once an assignment is more than 12 class days
  late, it will be corrected and noted as
  completed, but a zero will be assigned as the
  grade.

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Spanish Grade Level Specifics

• Sixth-Eighth grades
• -There will be 20 deducted from an assignment
  which is completed during class (the day that it
  is due,) turned in at the end of the school day
  or turned in one day late.
• -For assignments two or three days late, 30 will
  be deducted from the score earned.
• -If an assignment is four or five days late, 50
  of the score earned will be deducted.

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(Spanish Grade Level Specifics, Continued)

• For an assignment six or seven days late, a
  student may earn up to 25 of the earned score.
• After an assignment is eight days or more late,
  the work will be corrected and noted as
  completed, but a score of a zero will be
  recorded.
• There will continue to be one free late
  assignment each quarter. This will allow a
  student to turn in an assignment one day late and
  still receive credit for all the points earned.

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Spanish Grade Level Specifics

• There are always extraordinary circumstances
  when exceptions need to be made. This has always
  been my personal policy and will continue to be
  so.

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Brief Answers to the Three Big Questions

• As I look back at my original questions, I
  believe I do have answers. To the question, Is
  it fair to grade homework? I can say, yes. My
  plan is to grade homework in a variety of ways.
  I will have homework checks where the grade
  will be given based on whether the homework is
  completed or not. In addition, I will collect
  some homework that will be graded and corrected.
  The grade of these assignments will be basically
  based on completion and effort. The third type
  of homework will be collected and graded for
  accuracy. The research shows that homework that
  is not given

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Answers, Continued

• feedback will send students the message that
  homework is not valued and not worthy of being
  completed. The students also need for the
  feedback to be given quickly after completion of
  the assignment. This is so that if students have
  learned a skill/concept incorrectly, they can
  immediately re-learn it properly. The longer a
  student knows misinformation, the harder it is to
  correct it.
• In answer to the second question, Is it fair to
  penalize students for late assignments?, my
  answer is yes. Students need to learn to be
  responsible and accountable for their work. This
  does not mean that

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Answers, Continued

• work cannot be accepted late. I have decided
  that I will continue to deduct points for late
  assignments, but I have restructured my late
  policy. The research indicates that homework
  late policies need to be clearly stated and
  explained so that students and parents understand
  the consequences of late work. It is my
  intention to summarize my Action Plan and go over
  it with my students in class. Not only will they
  be given a written copy for their notebooks, but
  a copy will be sent home to the parents as well.
  Also, by not deducting points from late
  assignments, I believe that I am sending the

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Answers, Continued

• message that homework is not important and can be
  done if and when a student feels so inclined.
  Furthermore, it is unfair to the students who
  complete assignments on time if a student can
  turn in work late and still earn the same score.
  Our students have the HELP (homework assistance)
  program after school beginning with fourth grade,
  study halls, and time to complete assignments in
  class.
• The third question was, Do I even need to assign
  homework at all? Although I acknowledge that
  there are drawbacks to homework, it is my opinion
  that homework when properly administered is an
  important

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Answers, Continued

• component of all students education. I am
  going to continue to revise the amount of
  homework that I assign and will also continue to
  work with the other members of our teaching team
  to assure that students have a reasonable amount
  of homework each night.

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Works Cited

• Anderman, Eric M., Ph.D. Stressing Competition
  May Drive Adolescents to Cheat in School. APA
  ONLINE. 26 Feb. 1998. 1 Sept. 2004
  lthttp//www.apa.org/releases/homework.html.
• Butler, Jocelyn A. Homework. NW Regional
  Educational Laboratory. 31 Aug. 01. 1 Sept.
  2004 lthttp//www.nwrel.org/scpd/sirs/1/cu1.html.
• Checkley, K.. HomeworkA New Look at an Age-Old
  Practice. Education Update, 39 (7). 1997. 1
  Sept. 2004 lthttp//www.fekids.com/article/print/0,
  1303,3-9181,00.html?obj_gra.
• Cooper, Harris Ph.D. Yes Johnny Doing Your
  Homework Is Important. 26 Feb. 1998. 1 Sept.
  2004 lthttp//www.apa.org/releases/homework.html.

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Works Cited, Continued

• Fritson Coffman, Amy. Interview. 21 Oct. 2004.
• Getting the Most Out of Homework. NW Regional
  Educational Laboratory. Oct. 2000. 7 Oct. 2004
  lthttp//www.nwrel.org/request/oct00/most.html.
• Heller, Dr. Viewing Homework as an Educational
  Liability. Parenting Marriage Articles. 7
  Oct. 2004 lthttp//www.drheller.com/viewing_homewor
  k.html.
• Marzano, Robert J., Debra J. Pickering, and Jane
  E. Pollock. Classroom Instruction that
  Works-Research-Based Strategies for Increasing
  Student Achievement. Alexandria, VA
  Association for Supervision and Curriculum
  Development, 2001.

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Works Cited, Continued

• Marzano, Robert J., Debra J. Pickering, and Jane
  E. Pollock. A Handbook for Classroom Instruction
  that Works. Alexandria, VA Association for
  Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2001.
• Walker, Tony. Is Homework Worth the Hassle?
  American Association of Christian Schools. 3
  Sept. 2004. 7 Sept. 2004 lthttp//aacs.org/pubs/Vi
  ewPArticle.aspx?ArticleID260.
• Yeow, Elizabeth. Homework To do or not to
  do? Cultural Inquiry Process Guidebook.
  2002. 1 Sept. 2004 lthttp//classweb.gmu.edu/cip/g
  /gc/gc-c015.htm.