Although your course packet asks you to post to blog for parts A, B, C, and D…we are asking that you only post part Dto the blog. We’re trying to make the blog more user-friendly and easier to read. Thanks!
A. Self Assessment of Current Beliefs and Practices: This component asks you to reflect on how and why you currently use the instructional strategies of Homework and Practice in your classroom. The intent of this is to activate your prior knowledge of your strategy use so that you can make comparisons as you read the chapter. Below are the questions to help you complete your self-assessment.
• Think about the kinds of homework you assign to your students and what some of the purposes of those assignments might be.
• Do you have questions about using homework?
• How do you decide which skills students need to practice a great deal and which skills they can just have a basic proficiency in?
• What makes skill practice effective?
B. Read & Reflect “Research & Theory”: This portion of the assignment asks you to read chapter 5 and reflect briefly on your thinking after reading the “Research and Theory” section for both homework and practice. You may want to think about the bulleted thoughts below.
• Reviewing the research on homework emphasizes the importance of commenting on students' homework assignments. What strategies would your recommend to a teacher who wants to assign homework but claims that it is logistically impossible to comment on students' work?
• The research described in this chapter suggests that, especially for older students, homework seems to be positively correlated with student achievement. Even when some parents who are opposed to homework become aware of this research, they express strong negative feelings about homework. What do you think are some of the reasons for these feelings?
C. Practice: Choose one of the specific “classroom practice” strategies or techniques shared in this chapter to teach to your students (If you are not currently teaching, you may reflect on how you would use this strategy in your classroom.)
D. Final Strategy Reflection: Use the following sequence of questions/promps to reflect on what you’ve learned about both the strategies presented in the chapter and what you’ve learned about yourself as both a teacher and a learner. Please post your brief reflection to the posting labeled Week Five: Homework and Practice by clicking on the “comment” link below.
How has the information you read in this chapter on homework and practice effected your thinking about teaching and learning? What have you learned about yourself as a teacher and learner? Use the following questions to assist you in writing a brief strategy reflection:
• How might I change how use both homework and practice in my classroom?
• What is something you now understand better about homework or practice?
• Do you have questions about using homework?
• How do you decide which skills students need to practice a great deal and which skills they can just have a basic proficiency in?
• What makes skill practice effective?
B. Read & Reflect “Research & Theory”: This portion of the assignment asks you to read chapter 5 and reflect briefly on your thinking after reading the “Research and Theory” section for both homework and practice. You may want to think about the bulleted thoughts below.
• Reviewing the research on homework emphasizes the importance of commenting on students' homework assignments. What strategies would your recommend to a teacher who wants to assign homework but claims that it is logistically impossible to comment on students' work?
• The research described in this chapter suggests that, especially for older students, homework seems to be positively correlated with student achievement. Even when some parents who are opposed to homework become aware of this research, they express strong negative feelings about homework. What do you think are some of the reasons for these feelings?
C. Practice: Choose one of the specific “classroom practice” strategies or techniques shared in this chapter to teach to your students (If you are not currently teaching, you may reflect on how you would use this strategy in your classroom.)
D. Final Strategy Reflection: Use the following sequence of questions/promps to reflect on what you’ve learned about both the strategies presented in the chapter and what you’ve learned about yourself as both a teacher and a learner. Please post your brief reflection to the posting labeled Week Five: Homework and Practice by clicking on the “comment” link below.
How has the information you read in this chapter on homework and practice effected your thinking about teaching and learning? What have you learned about yourself as a teacher and learner? Use the following questions to assist you in writing a brief strategy reflection:
• How might I change how use both homework and practice in my classroom?
• What is something you now understand better about homework or practice?
13 comments:
This chapter was very timely reading for me, because I am having some conflicts with my team about my current homework practices. The reason this conversation surfaced was because another of my teammates has been receiving pressure from one her parents that she wants her child to have more focused weekly homework. I was shocked to recently learn that another of the teachers on my team assigns a lot of weekly homework in a packet form for students to complete from Monday-Friday. I feel very strongly that this is way too much to expect from a second grader.
I have been really happy with my homework practice this year and have had really good feedback from parents thus far. My homework is two pages of math practice, nightly reading for 20 minutes, and one reading response to be completed about one of the books they have read during the week. I am very opposed to loading second graders with too much homework. I make this clear at my back to school night. I tell my parents that I believe in time spent with family, time spent in enrichment activities outside of school, and that the homework I give is to help them develop study habits, and not meant to become a burden for parent or child.
One aspect of the chapter gave me a pause for concern. I do not vary the way that I offer feedback on my students’ homework. I currently correct the math practice and write responses on their reading responses. I am puzzled with what other methods I could use for this. I am not sure how to offer students any other feedback when it comes to this style of homework.
I was very pleased that much of the research in this chapter helped to confirm my homework program choices and that I am not hurting my students by giving them less homework then my other teammates. I actually am now even a little worried about the amount I am giving, because of the chapter showing that students in the second grade should be doing only 20 minutes a night. My homework requires them to spend a little more than that to complete the homework for the week. I think I will wait for the homework conversation to surface again with my team and then I will bring out this research. I am also glad to have read this chapter so that if any parent concerns arise, I can present these researched based ideas to them as well. I have always felt good about my homework program, but now I feel even better knowing that research backs my decisions.
This is my first year not assigning homework to my class. When I taught kindergarten 6 years ago I used to send homework packets home each week. The problem was the only students that did the packets were the ones that really didn’t need the practice. I was frustrated by the amount of time and resources spent on such a seemingly small return. Once I became a first grade teacher I decided I would have students complete a reading log each week. I introduced the reading logs to parents at Back to School Night and would let students share their favorite book on their reading log with the class. They would also get a sticker and a few brief words of encouragement from me. I grew tired of the reading logs because once again the students that returned their reading logs were the students that would read at home anyway, and it just seemed like one more thing to keep track of. This year I have encouraged parents to read with their children for 20 minutes each night. If I notice that a student is falling behind in a skill, I contact the parent and send home materials that will help the student so they get extra practice at home. For example, I have a little boy in my room who struggles to write numbers. I made copies of tons of hundreds charts where some of the numbers are filled-in and others are blank. He has been practicing this skill at home so he is able to be more successful in school. I think next year I will be more clear with parents about homework by writing a homework policy. I will have students read to themselves or with their parents for 10 minutes each night and explain in my policy what the purpose is, and what this looks like. I will explain that it is very important for students to understand that learning doesn’t just happen in school. This will also foster good study habits from a young age. I think parents would appreciate knowing what the purpose of reading for 10 minutes each night and how they can support their child.
Hi Hope,
I completely agree with you that neither students nor parents should be burdened with lots of homework. Especially in the second grade! I feel like my first graders need lots of time to develop the imaginations, spend quality time with family, and participate in enrichment activities. I think school is already so structured and the demands on students are so great that 20 minutes a night for a second grader is plenty. Good for you for making your homework assignments reasonable and thoughtful.
Week 5
I don’t give much homework because my class is mostly hands on, but I do give some including checking for info on there own cars and practicing some skills that they can do on there or parents Rigs. I have them either do a report on what went on at home or we talk about it in the class together, this can open up discussion about the skill that I won’t them to be able to do with confidence and skill. I try to integrate my experience in these tasks to spark an interest and encourage their own related stories and how they solved the issues they had.
Homework is an interesting topic. Randy having the assignments be purposeful and related to their interests is likely to result in more effort and completion by the students.
Ladies,
As a classroom teacher of grades 1 through 4 and a parent of a K and a first grader I have to say I'm with you. I think the kids who can do the usually assigned assignment don't need them and the ones who need them often don't have the support to get them done. THEN they get reprimanded and punished at school for not having the work completed.
In my own family I would much rather the boys played blocks, legos, went outside, read or talked with us instead of doing worksheets. I do understand the value of purposeful homework, but since life seems to have changed so much in the last 25 years or so, with either one parent families or two working parents and the schedule of extra curricular activities, I think asking students and families to read and talk and have children play are a less stressful way of fostering a love of reading and school.
My sons' PTO is about to discuss next month an optional homework policy. I'm sure it will be an interesting conversation. One parent shared an article to get people thinking about the topic. Here it is if you are interested:
http://stophomework.com/wyoming-elementary-school-eliminates-most-homework/164
Basically it's a letter a princial sent to parents asking that instead of doing worksheets that children should play for an hour, read, eat as a family, go to bed early and limit screen time.
One other point to consider that was touched upon in your posts is that schools often have a time limit set in the districts homework policy that teachers often exceed. It might be helpful to check out what your district says on the matter if you aren't sure.
Hey Everyone,
Thanks for all the great comments and ideas supporting my philosophy of homework. I love the idea of checking my district’s homework policy and I am glad to know that I am not alone in my decision to let kids have time to be kids.
My current policy is very aligned with the text from this chapter. I do not hand out much homework for my Kindergartners, although I do hand out one weekly assignment. I think it is important for the children to practice what they have learned from the week. The weekly assignment is to be a letter detective and draw, write, or find words that begin with the letter of the week. This way they get to practice many of the skills they have learned throughout the week all in one assignment- handwriting, reading, writing, etc. It can also meet any child’s level.
I think I give the least amount of required homework of any of the Kindergarten teachers on my team. I believe that children need to be kids and that play is a huge part of learning at this age. I encourage it! However, I do provide parents with suggested practice opportunities. I encourage daily reading and review of the Read Well materials. I also send home a math packet with extra practice pages after each unit we complete. I also send home weekly handwriting practice pages that include the tricky word wall word from the week for extra practice. In addition, I send home a monthly calendar that has short, 5-10 minute, age appropriate activities for parents to do with their children. On the back of the calendar is a reflection page for both the parent and child to complete. None of these assignments have to be returned. They are simply options and ways to extend what we have been working on beyond the classroom. Is this chapter saying that I should not give these options?
As before, the area I would change regarding homework is in my communication to parents and students about the purpose behind doing homework and extra practice pages. It is important that they understand how it can benefit them.
The one concept that stood out to me was charting for accuracy and speed. I understand how this could be a huge motivator for older students. Many skills at this age need to be mastered and practiced repetitively. I’m just not exactly sure how to bring this charting down to a Kindergarten level. Does anyone have any suggestions?
No Raquel, I would def. keep doing what you are. The authors state that homework extends learning opportunities beyond the confines of the school day. Sending the extra review sheets and extensions is exactly what you should be doing. For students who want the extra work and have support at home it’s beneficial. As you said, the one area that you could improve upon is the communication with your parents to the purpose of the extra sheets and extensions. This way when students want to and are able to they have the option to work on them without the pressure of getting it done in time to turn it in. What you wrote in your post looks good to me to send home to your parents explaining your thoughts.
Off the top of my head I can think of many areas where you could chart for accuracy and speed in a Kindergarten room. (My sons’ are in K and First grade so I am in their classrooms each week. :D) You could at first do a whole class chart to model and then bring the students into helping you fill it out. (Have it posted on chart paper in the room in clear view for the students.) Some whole class activities might be: coming to carpet and showing that they are ready, cleaning up centers, lining up for lunch with lunch bags and coats. For individual charting: how quickly they count from 1-20 or to 100 by 2’s, 5’s and 10’s, write their first and last name, say the letters of the alphabet, go through flashcards of site words, etc… You could have a form with a graph for each child that they could color in, which would also be working on graphing skills.
If anyone has other ideas, please feel free to share!
• How might I change how use both homework and practice in my classroom?
I actually read this chapter on homework and practice a couple of years ago when I was finishing up my course work for my masters degree because I was struggling with the idea of “homework” and what it meant, what it’s purpose was, and how to implement it the most effectively within my classroom.
So, over the past couple of years I have really changed the way I use the strategy “homework and practice” within my classroom. I now view homework as an extension of practice time to strengthen the skills my students need to be more successful. I do this through a “homework menu.” I ask my students to do 60 minutes of “homework” each night. 20 minutes spent on writing, 20 minutes spent on math, and 20 minutes spent on reading. They have choices of a variety of activities they can do within those subjects. This gives the students and the parents the freedom to concentrate on the areas they feel the student really needs to work. I offer suggestions to help guide their choices, but ultimately it’s up to the parent and student.
Also, after reading Marzano’s chapter on Homework and Practice I have really grasped this idea that students need ample “practice” time with learning objectives before they are truly able to master them. So, I have built into my schedule and instructional habits specific times to give students opportunities to “practice.” This translates into 20 minutes of independent reading per day, 30 minutes of math practice using the Accelerated Math practice program, and 20 minutes of writing practice per day.
• What is something you now understand better about homework or practice?
What I better understand now is that there are different ways to view homework. In the past, before I was introduced to Marzano, I viewed homework as chore students must do if they did not finish their “assignments” in class. Now I view it much differently. I view it as practice skills taught, reinforcement of learning, or preparation of learning to come that every student should engage in no matter their skill level. Also, I better understand that choice in homework is more effective, and the time spent on homework is crucial, too much is not necessarily better.
Here’s how I want to get better. I want to start using homework as a preparation for learning that will happen the next day. This takes a little more thought and organization to do. I want students to be able to take a small task I give them and to be able to do it independently without much help from their parents. And through the completion of this task they will be better situated to receive the instruction I will give them the next day.
“Homework and practice are ways of extending the school day and providing students with opportunities to refine and extend their knowledge. Teachers can use both of these practices as powerful instructional tools.” Unfortunately, many teachers are missing the boat on the homework piece. Generally speaking, I see kids taking homework that just wasn’t completed in class with little regard for the possible reasons it wasn’t completed. Perhaps the student is misunderstanding something about the work or perhaps they were just slow in getting it finished; the teacher may not know. The concern is that, if the work is not something that can be done independently, the student may go home and practice the wrong way therefore creating poor habits and creating a situation where they’ll have to unlearn something in order to re-learn it appropriately. I strongly believe that homework should provide practice for a skill that has already been learned. I also believe that homework does not have to be the same for all students. The homework debate is such a polarizing conversation! I would like to take some of this research to our staff and propose that we come to some common agreements in regards to homework and, perhaps, even develop a policy. The research on this issue is powerful, and we’re doing a disservice by ignoring it. Because I work as a specialist, I’m not in the position of assigning homework, but a large part of my time with students is spent practicing newly learned skills. With my struggling kindergarten students, I spend a lot of time teaching them alphabetic and phonemic awareness so they can move forth in becoming successful readers. We practice in a variety of ways, but I only formally assess them about once every 2 weeks. After reading the text, I think I should focus more on communicating students’ speed and accuracy to them. Recently, I have worked hard with some of my most struggling students to identify very specific skills or concepts that seem to be stumbling blocks for them and then design practice activities that target those specific areas. This seems like such a simple idea, but it takes a thoughtful teacher to design individualized, meaningful practice for all students.
Jackie/Mary,
I like your ideas on how to chart for accuracy and speed. The children have been timed for a few things, but often hate the pressure of being timed. I do think that utilizing this practice would yield better results in certain areas. I think I will start by trying it in math. We count by ones, twos, fives, and tens in English and Spanish. My goal if for each child to go to 100. I think that once a child is able to go to 100, that I can implement the charts. I can think of two competitive boys that would love an extra challenge.Thanks for the suggestions!
Brad,
The struggle continues for many teachers around homework: what is means, what the purpose is and how to implement it effectively.
Giving students a choice in the way they complete the homework is a great idea.
While I was reading your post, the idea came to me that it might be helpful for teachers to note in their plans and on assignments the purpose of the homework. As a parent, I know I would find this useful. Perhaps having a header on the assignment like this:
Purpose of Homework: PRACTICE PREPARATION EXTEND INTEGRATE OTHER: complete work not finished in class * research/investigate* study skills/organization/responsibility/pacing of project* group work/collaboration skills*
It may be helpful to elaborate on the topics above early in the year. Explaining to parents that extension of assignments allows students to transfer previously learned skills to new situations and that integration assignments allow students to apply separately learned skill to produce a single product. (Like a book report or science project.)
Homework also can serve as a communication tool between child and parent and parents and the classroom. I also think it can’t hurt to remind parents (AND students) that homework is not punitive.
Sarah,
You raise valid points regarding the home lives of our students. The fact is that many students do not have support at home to complete assignments, which can arise from a variety of reasons. Teachers should know why they are assigning homework and be sure that it can be completed independently. Good luck with bringing this conversation to your staff. I can be upsetting as teachers often take things personally and may feel that they are being singled out or targeted. With careful consideration, the time spent discussing this topic can reap great rewards.
It does take a thoughtful teacher to design meaningful individualized assignments for students.
Hi Raquel,
Glad you found the idea useful! It is important to know your class and what will work for them vs. what might upset them. Each class is different from year to year.
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