Homework — A New Look at an Age-Old Practice

Author: Checkley, K.
Publisher: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
Publication Date: 1997, Nov.
Journal: Education Update
Journal Volume: 39(7)
Pages: 1,5-6,8
Full text available online at: http://www.ascd.org/publications/newsletters/education_update/nov97/vol39/num07/Homework%e2%80%94A_New_Look_at_an_Age-Old_Practice.aspx

Abstract (written by WestEd)

Homework gives students practice in persevering, accomplishing goals, and taking responsibility for their learning. Schools must make homework relevant to students' lives and show parents how to reinforce at home what students learn in the classroom. Teachers cannot give students homework assignments they cannot do ”either because adequate learning did not take place in the classroom or students do not have adequate supplies at home” and then punish them when they don't do it. Repetition can help build fluency and automaticity but "mindless, brainless stuff not related to a child's world" is discouraging, says Checkley. If the student has mastered the math skill in five problems, why require the student to repeat the skill for pages of problems? Relate math skills to shopping in the grocery store, using recipes, or calculating batting averages for a Little League team. Apply literacy skills to reading about a place before going there on a trip and then writing about the experience after returning home. Let students know what and why they are learning in homework assignments.

Interactive assignments can get students engaged with community members, other siblings, and their parents. One school calls homework "homelinks." Planners that go home with students tell parents what to expect regarding homework, while regular assignments such as reading and writing on Monday, math on Tuesday, etc., help parents to supervise their children's education.