Melinda's Homework Philosophy and Structure
The following is a detailed summary of my personal philosophy regarding the role of homework in the advancement of student academic skills and success in the classroom for both native and second language English speakers.
Homework Rationale/Purpose:
· Homework Objectives--My personal homework objectives include providing students with the opportunities to practice, review, and apply the knowledge they have learned in the classroom (Hill, 2006). In addition, it is critical to include parents/families in the homework process. This means providing adults with an understanding of the concepts, goals, and purposes of their student completing assigned homework (Bailey, 2004);
· What Constitutes Meaningful Homework--As I mentioned above, meaningful homework includes providing students with multiple opportunities to practice, review, and apply the knowledge they have begun in the classroom (Bailey, 2004). For instance, asking elementary students to read 20 to 30 minutes each night to extend their guided reading group instruction at home. Also, the extent of homework assigned should be appropriately leveled with the age/grade of the student. For example, time spent on homework should be less for a first grader than for a fifth grader (Hill, 2006). It is important as well to keep parental involvement in homework at a minimum to ensure students are doing the work instead of parents (Hill, 2006). I have seen this mistake made numerous times in the lower elementary grades when teachers assign huge projects which adults themselves end up completing. An example of this would be detailed native American dioramas assigned in the first grade. Children whose parents may both work full-time may not have the time and energy to devote to doing a project for their children. Enough said!;
· Meaningful Feedback--As a teacher, I would keep a clipboard with students' names listed as well as daily homework assignments. At the beginning of class, I would call up five students at a time to turn in their homework. As each student presents their assignments to me, I would then do a quick overview of their work, make a brief comment, and check off his/her work as completed. Those students who do not have their homework completed would be given a "blue slip" indicating such to their parents and asked to complete the assignment for the next day. This may sound a bit time consuming, but it can go fast with routine practice and students each would receive instant feedback from me. I have done this in only one other teacher's classroom that I substitute in and it is fantastic! I would, of course, provide more detailed feedback to students after having the opportunity to review student work in greater detail. I feel it is very important to provide feedback in a timely manner; so, I would like to provide students with my assessment of their work the following morning. If not that, no more than two days later. Now, in regards to feedback from parents/adults, I would also like to develop a short half-length form to provide adults/parents with the opportunity to give me feedback as to their observations of the effectiveness of assigned homework, the length of time it is taking their student to finish homework assignments, etc. Lastly, I believe that peer feedback is important, too. This can be done in the classroom as a group by exchanging papers, meeting in cooperative groups, etc. (Hill, 2006). This type of feedback would be especially helpful to
ELL's in developing both their verbal conversational as well as academic
language skills;
· Use of Technology in the Homework Process--It is my experience that most students are avid about technology; however, there are always a few that will avoid it--but, only a few. To use technology effectively, you must be very specific about your expectations as a teacher (i.e. "This paper must be word processed," or "Your assigned readings are available online at our school web page," etc.). Always take a few minutes to inform your class about homework expectations and any special instructions required involving technology to be certain there are no misunderstandings. This technology "training" may take a couple years; but, students will get the hang of incorporating it into their homework assignments. Now that we have the basics down, the following are some suggestions for encouraging students to use technology keeping in my the age/level of students when using any one of them in your classroom: require students to use email, use email to send students individual assignments, require students to get assignments online, use electronic devices/web pages for students to read, require students to research the Internet, require that some/all papers be written using word processing software, require that students use presentation software (i.e. PowerPoint, etc.), require students to create their own Web pages, assign students homework which includes finding associated articles/research materials, and require students to join an Internet mailing list (Harris, 1997). These are just a few ways to enhance students classroom learning experience.
Homework Structure:
Attached is one of my favorite form of structured homework assignment entitled the "By the Minute Reading Log--Shake, Rattle, and Read." I like the fact that it provides students with a clear indication on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis of just how they are doing in regards to their overall reading requirement. Also, this is a structure that can be used along with any subject based on daily homework assignments, it is also a structure which is clear and supports both homework and
grading, the structure provides crystal clear feedback to students, and it is also has a clearly defined timeline and students/adults understand the benefits
of completing the reading assignments in order to improve literacy proficiency and academic skills.
In closing, I believe that in order for homework to truly benefit our students as well as our current/future instruction within the classroom, it must have clearly stated objectives, be meaningful in its content, provide meaningful feedback for teachers/students, as well as encourage students to enhance their use of technology in the academic realm, too. Homework must also be diversified to meet the needs of both ELL's and native English speakers. And, don't forget, it is OK to repeat and review classroom learning to ensure student understanding and academic success. After all, student achievement is our ultimate goal.
References
Bailey, L. B. (2004). Designing Family-Friendly Interactive Homework. Retrieved on February 22, 2010,
from the Questia Website: http://www.questia.com
Harris, R. (1997). Encouraging Students to Use Technology. Retrieved on February 23, 2010, from
the Virtual Salt Website: http://www.virtualsalt.com
Hill, J. D. and Flynn, K. M. (2006). Classroom Instruction That Works With English Language
Learners. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
I like that you said technology will take a couple of years to get down. When using technology for parents, many still do not know how to use email or attach a document. This is a learning process for parents, students and teachers. I feel many teachers feel that their students should already know this information because we are in the technology age, but in reality there are a very large group of people that still need A LOT of training and practice.
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