Homework. Homefun. Practice. Whatever you want to call it, I have been struggling with how much is too much, how to grade it (does it need to be graded?), and what should it count in their grade? Our math department began looking at homework and the role it plays last year. We did a book study, Rethinking Homework, and it really started a dialogue about what our philosophies are.My philosophy has sure changed in the past 20+ years of teaching (yes, I am OLD). I used to weight homework more than tests...until I passed a student that had not passed an assessment all year. I then went down with the weighting (and it has went down each year I think) and now it is around 20% in my classes. Plus, having my own son in tears over 3 hours of long division homework one night made me REALLY change my beliefs. That was a post I wrote a couple years ago on Mathicide! There are so many issues I struggle with - here are just a few:
1. What if a student can get an A on every test and has not done any homework? Does he/she deserve an A? (interesting I used the word deserve and not earn or receive-was going to change that but it was my first instinct to type it)
2. Why do I give all students the same assignment when I know their speed at it, mastery of it, and resources for help at home are all different? What is enough? 10? 20? 50?
3. How do I know they are even doing it themselves? And what does it represent even if they are? I don't expect them to be perfect at it - if they were, there would be no need to do it.
4. What are we teaching students about self-discipline if I don't count it? Will this affect their ability to conquer more difficult material later if they don't get practice and deepen their understanding?
Ok...those are the big 4 but I really have lots more! Here are my thoughts on the homework issue today. I use "today" because my thoughts are evolving as I read more and experiment with it all the time. I believe every teacher should actually do the homework themselves and find out how long it really is taking. My rule of thumb is to triple or quadruple my time and that is what it takes a student. This year I have been experimenting in one class with the no homework rule as much as possible. I expect them to work hard in class, but what we get done in class is what we get done. We do group work and I monitor/adjust the assignment as the hour goes by making sure they do a few examples of each type of problem and then when the bell rings, they are done. This has worked really well for most students. I may try not counting homework next year - but instead give a grade at the end of the hour on work ethic. Wouldn't that be more equitable in terms of what homework is really evaluating?
I used to coach and think of myself as a math coach most days. I preached constantly - you practice like you play in a game. If that is true, shouldn't they need to practice? a lot? on their own? This is a tough one for me. I did expect my players to practice on their own outside of the gym but it was only after I gave much guided instruction based on what their individual needs and skills were. I need to do that more in my class. Maybe Ben needs to work on solving systems by elimination, whereas Kate dominated elimination but needs to practice graphing. Ahh...differentiated instruction! However, there are 140 of them and only one of me. So I am playing the "I don't have enough time" card on that one. Cop out? Maybe.
This post could get really long with my questions/thoughts/philosophies of homework!! So I am quitting here - maybe I will revisit it after reading your comments. I would love hearing what the opinions are on the topic of homework from various groups - parents, students, and educators.
Want to listen to a 7 minute, thought-provoking video on homework? Go to Rick Wormeli's video by clicking here.
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I have been wanting to visit with you about this video link you sent out on homework. I love things like these that make us think about our very own practices. The one thing I do totally agree on is that we should call assignments practice and not homework. This will be a difficult transition for me since homework has been hammered in me since I was 6. Mr. Wormeli makes some great points about "practice". He ends the video talking about how even though you shouldn't count "practice" in the final grade, you should still hold the students accountable. But he gives no suggestions on how to hold them accountable. You could write another post on grades and what do they really mean? Does an A in my class mean the same as an A in your class? I would say we are closer since going to Professional Learning Communities and using common assessments, but there are other factors that affect final grades like partial credit, test corrections, etc. Mr. Wormeli mentions how grades should be only measured against the standards. If that is the case, shouldn't all assessments be standardized so an A in my class means an A in John Doe's class in North Carolina? Keep these posts coming. This is good stuff.
ReplyDeleteHey Mrs. Couchman! I was reading through this post and thought I should comment. From my perspective, there are a lot of things we learn that I don't need to even look at the homework and ace the test/quiz and then there are a few things that I epically fail at if I don't look over it before a test/quiz. Of course I do the assignments but do I always need to? No. Hope this helps! :)
ReplyDeleteBrittany~
ReplyDeleteSo what if I didn't grade or collect homework? Would you be self-disciplined enough to do the problems you know you need to work on? or would you just quit doing homework?
This post comes via email from Courtney. I wish my boys could have had her for a teacher.
ReplyDeleteI know I am not a high school teacher, but I am a 6th grade teacher The only homework I mention to my kids is to read. Based on my clientele, giving homework isn't really an option. The students that need it are the ones that have parents that can't do it as well. They are the ones that are taking care of their families at night;have so much going on in their life as an 11 year old that the added stress of homework makes their life more complicated. A couple thoughts I had to your questions.
1. What if a student can get an A on every test and has not done any homework? Does he/she deserve an A?
If a student can get an A and did it by not doing homework, I think that is perfectly fine. They are showing you that they know the material through their assessment. Would you want to spend time at home doing something you already knew. (That's where your differentiated instruction topic comes more into play like you had said...) Can you honestly say that they did the homework on their own? Or that they didn't change their answer when you were checking it? (I'm not sure of your grading methods for homework, but just throwing that out there) I know as a high schooler - getting away with some things are pretty easy.
2. Why do I give all students the same assignment when I know their speed at it, mastery of it, and resources for help at home are all different?
Good point - and many of their lives change on a day to day basis. We never know all of the factors that are going on in their life at that particular time/day.
3. How do I know they are even doing it themselves? And what does it represent even if they are?
And... do you let them correct their work? I have my students do their assignment, I pass them back, do some reteaching and if they can show me that they know how to do it (with their work shown) I give them credit for it (full credit). If they took the time to correct it and show me they know it - then they should be able to get those points. Isn't that what we want? For them to master it? If I have a student really struggling with long division or converting decimals to percents - then can do it a month later - they just needed more time, then I am thrilled. It makes that moment that they DO get it, even better. For example, I was teaching solving algebraic equations with fractions today. One student really struggles with fractions. I just stood at his desk and only told him to take it one step at a time. He did it all on his own and we both felt so good. Even though it was a couple months later than everyone else. I know I kind of went off your question here - but yes, how do you know that they are doing it - and do you let kids work together on their homework? It represents that they took time out of their night to practice something you taught them - whether they practice it right or wrong. What if they practice it all night on their homework and come to find out, they were doing it wrong the whole time?
4. What are we teaching students about self-discipline if I don't count it? Will this affect their ability to conquer more difficult material later if they don't get practice and deepen their understanding?
This question makes me want to throw out more.....What is the purpose of homework? Do you want it to take a grade on it? Do you feel like you need to? If you were to review the work you assigned outside of school, those that didn't do it - they are still hearing the review of it, even if they didn't do it. I think you are talking about two different things though - or two different battles - homework vs. self-discipline. What about the kids that don't have time for homework - they HAVE to get a job, or want to be involved in sports?
I pretty much did the bare minimum in high school. Now, I did math work - because I liked it. But reading the stories in literature, never did. Hated them.Each kid is different.