Homework amount? The real question is its value.

I have read many articles lately on the amount of homework students are getting today, is it more or less, etc.  Are students over-worked, under-worked?  I don't know the answer to the questions of amount - whether it is more or less, or if it is too much, but the question of the value of homework keeps popping up in my head.

A lot of what I am reading is connecting rigor and homework amount together, more homework is more rigor.  And the question I have is this: does homework make better learners, better students who are more prepared for college and career?  This is the question that I try and remember to ask with each assignment I give.

Is the homework creating a student more prepared for the future, not for the next big power test, but does it support my vision of a person who can problem solve, learn and understand/deal with situations.

I feel like when I started teaching my first instinct was to assign homework because that is what you did, how else can students learn.  But the longer I teach the less homework I assign and it is simply because now I ask myself - how does work make the student stronger, better.

Assigning the homework to be "forward-moving" for the student, making him/her more ready for the next step beyond high school is my only goal.  For me that means a blend of practice, problem solving and justifying - perhaps not every assign gets all three of those things, but when I think about what I assign over the course of month or quarter I think I am getting a decent blend of the three.

In the end - I do my best not to assign busy work, I try real hard to assign work of value.  And my plan is not to stop asking "Is this of value?" when making homework assignments.

Homework, less is more.....

So we have finished the first week of school (ok - Tue thru Fri - but close enough) and the new policy of assigning very little homework and not collecting homework or grading it seems to be working.  I have simply been checking at their desks while they work on warm up problems from the board.  This has allowed me to spend more time tutoring and planning versus shuffling papers (and grading).   Also since I give answers for all problems it allows me to spend less time reviewing homework and more time doing concept teaching and in-class practicing.

I also have adjusted my homework assignments to no more than 8 problems (usually 6) --- even if the problems are "easy."  Coupled with that change I have discussed at length, repeated times that the expectation is for the students to gauge their need for additional practice and make sure to understand the work versus simply completing (or copying).  And so far it is working great, students are practicing extras as needed in their notebooks.  I have engagement on the topics and the rumor "in the hall" is there is less copying...

The funny thing is talking with students one-on-one they tell me they are spending the same time usually on the 6 problems as they did on 20....    I am guessing because they did not focus on any before -- 20 with a lot of work and you had to "get it done."  But 6 allows them to work thru it, the students are not worried about the length and (so far) are buying into the idea of understanding.

I believe this is going to work, homework only counts for about 2% of their grade (on a 70% and up scale) - and projects, tests and quizzes make up the rest.  We start quizzes this coming week to make sure understanding is there and I am anxious to see how the quizzes show (or don't show) mastery/understanding.  At the same time I am interested how the students will react to missing concepts and how they use their time.

This is a cultural change that I am shooting for, I know there will be bums but so far -- without a doubt --- with regards to homework, less is more.