Philosophy of Homework
Homework Practice and Policy
In Classroom Instruction that Works, the authors state that “It’s not until students practice upwards of about 24 times that they reach an 80-percent competency level” (Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock, 2001). How in the average school day are students supposed to be able to practice each skill over 20 times and only encounter an 80% level of mastery if they are able to do so? Even if class times were an hour and a half long each day, in the very best case scenario, there is not enough time for teachers to present and teach a topic and then have sufficient time for student to practice the newly acquired skill this many times. Where do these extra practicing sessions for students need to come from? One answer and solution to this question is homework.
Homework is a valuable tool that enables teachers to provide students the opportunity to practice skills and knowledge gained in class. This allows the students to reach a higher proficiency level through this practice as confirmed by the authors of Classroom Instruction that Works. However, the way teachers employ homework is critical to the success of this method of practice. Thus, homework can be used as a beneficial tool for student learning as long as it is implemented correctly and appropriately.
To begin, homework is a necessary policy to implement into a curriculum as it provides a means to practice the material being presented and grasped. As described earlier, as the number of times students practice a skill increases, the proficiency does also. This especially applies to my teaching fields, math, physics, and chemistry. These topics need to be performed repetitively to be able to fully understand and comprehend the material. Time and time again, I have heard the saying, “you become good at math by doing math.” As simplistic as this statement is, the complexity of what it is actually being said is extremely true. There is not a way to truly learn mathematics by just discussing the theorems or thinking about the concepts. One must actually perform the mathematics. This additionally holds true for physics and chemistry as these fields of study are just scientific subsets of mathematics. Hence, homework can be used as a practice tool for students to explore and investigate mathematical and scientific concepts and patterns.
The question then becomes, how does one implement homework so that it is actually a successful practice tool for students to develop a higher proficiency in a subject matter? One important aspect to consider is the grade level and cognitive level of the students. That is, homework must be grade level determinate. Depending on the grade and age of my students, I plan on having the students engage in a different amount of homework with the lower the grade level having a lower amount of homework. Additionally, collaboration between teachers on the amount of studying outside of school they are requiring is critical. If all teachers are assigning homework as if their class is the only class students are assumed to be participating in, the opposite of productivity could occur. This would be due to the how unreasonable amounts of homework can be overwhelming for students and can cause stress that will not necessarily aid in overall achievement. Hence, it is reasonable to alter requirements due to other classes as the educator must take into account the whole education picture.
Furthermore, using homework as only a practice or reviewing tool would be the most beneficial as students should not be required to struggle through an assignment without the necessary resources available. The one exception to this would be when homework is used as an investigative, discovery tool. This assignment would look like an investigation that is not necessary something the students have to learn, but more explore. Therefore, homework would sometimes be used as a completion grade and sometimes be used as an assessment grade. Personally, in my own classroom, I would accept late work, but there would be a percentage penalty per day. This is due to how I believe it is still useful to practice the skill, even if it is late. Since students are practicing skills to become more proficient, the last important aspect would be that student work is commented upon with written remarks by the teacher and promptly returned to ensure that students are receiving feedback on their performance of the homework tasks. All of these aspects are critical to the success and usefulness of the implementation of homework. Thus, homework should be used as a tool to review and practice what has already been learned in class.
The final question to discuss is what role parents have in the homework process? Certain circumstances for parents, such as obligations and socioeconomic realities, do not make it reasonable to expect parents to be a part of the content aspect of homework. They cannot be expected to be able to help their children understand the material or help with the content of the subject matter their son or daughter is working on. Instead, parents should take on the role of a motivator and help students stay focused and on task. Also, parents can help students’ understanding by having their child communicate a summary of the work and concepts they are completing. To accomplish this, communication of the student expectations between the teacher and the parents is vital. Again, this solidifies the fact that homework needs to be used as a practice tool for content already learned or a review of previous subject matter.
Even though there have been multiple studies that have found negative conclusion in regards to the use of homework, if implemented correctly, these statistics are actually found to be the converse of unsuccessful. Instead, when teachers use homework as a practice tool or an investigative resource then positive outcomes can occur. The utilization of homework in my own classroom will provide a method for student to become more proficient in math and science concepts and problems.
Teaching Metaphor
Philosophy of Education
Classroom Management Philosophy
Homework Practice and Policy
In Classroom Instruction that Works, the authors state that “It’s not until students practice upwards of about 24 times that they reach an 80-percent competency level” (Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock, 2001). How in the average school day are students supposed to be able to practice each skill over 20 times and only encounter an 80% level of mastery if they are able to do so? Even if class times were an hour and a half long each day, in the very best case scenario, there is not enough time for teachers to present and teach a topic and then have sufficient time for student to practice the newly acquired skill this many times. Where do these extra practicing sessions for students need to come from? One answer and solution to this question is homework.
Homework is a valuable tool that enables teachers to provide students the opportunity to practice skills and knowledge gained in class. This allows the students to reach a higher proficiency level through this practice as confirmed by the authors of Classroom Instruction that Works. However, the way teachers employ homework is critical to the success of this method of practice. Thus, homework can be used as a beneficial tool for student learning as long as it is implemented correctly and appropriately.
To begin, homework is a necessary policy to implement into a curriculum as it provides a means to practice the material being presented and grasped. As described earlier, as the number of times students practice a skill increases, the proficiency does also. This especially applies to my teaching fields, math, physics, and chemistry. These topics need to be performed repetitively to be able to fully understand and comprehend the material. Time and time again, I have heard the saying, “you become good at math by doing math.” As simplistic as this statement is, the complexity of what it is actually being said is extremely true. There is not a way to truly learn mathematics by just discussing the theorems or thinking about the concepts. One must actually perform the mathematics. This additionally holds true for physics and chemistry as these fields of study are just scientific subsets of mathematics. Hence, homework can be used as a practice tool for students to explore and investigate mathematical and scientific concepts and patterns.
The question then becomes, how does one implement homework so that it is actually a successful practice tool for students to develop a higher proficiency in a subject matter? One important aspect to consider is the grade level and cognitive level of the students. That is, homework must be grade level determinate. Depending on the grade and age of my students, I plan on having the students engage in a different amount of homework with the lower the grade level having a lower amount of homework. Additionally, collaboration between teachers on the amount of studying outside of school they are requiring is critical. If all teachers are assigning homework as if their class is the only class students are assumed to be participating in, the opposite of productivity could occur. This would be due to the how unreasonable amounts of homework can be overwhelming for students and can cause stress that will not necessarily aid in overall achievement. Hence, it is reasonable to alter requirements due to other classes as the educator must take into account the whole education picture.
Furthermore, using homework as only a practice or reviewing tool would be the most beneficial as students should not be required to struggle through an assignment without the necessary resources available. The one exception to this would be when homework is used as an investigative, discovery tool. This assignment would look like an investigation that is not necessary something the students have to learn, but more explore. Therefore, homework would sometimes be used as a completion grade and sometimes be used as an assessment grade. Personally, in my own classroom, I would accept late work, but there would be a percentage penalty per day. This is due to how I believe it is still useful to practice the skill, even if it is late. Since students are practicing skills to become more proficient, the last important aspect would be that student work is commented upon with written remarks by the teacher and promptly returned to ensure that students are receiving feedback on their performance of the homework tasks. All of these aspects are critical to the success and usefulness of the implementation of homework. Thus, homework should be used as a tool to review and practice what has already been learned in class.
The final question to discuss is what role parents have in the homework process? Certain circumstances for parents, such as obligations and socioeconomic realities, do not make it reasonable to expect parents to be a part of the content aspect of homework. They cannot be expected to be able to help their children understand the material or help with the content of the subject matter their son or daughter is working on. Instead, parents should take on the role of a motivator and help students stay focused and on task. Also, parents can help students’ understanding by having their child communicate a summary of the work and concepts they are completing. To accomplish this, communication of the student expectations between the teacher and the parents is vital. Again, this solidifies the fact that homework needs to be used as a practice tool for content already learned or a review of previous subject matter.
Even though there have been multiple studies that have found negative conclusion in regards to the use of homework, if implemented correctly, these statistics are actually found to be the converse of unsuccessful. Instead, when teachers use homework as a practice tool or an investigative resource then positive outcomes can occur. The utilization of homework in my own classroom will provide a method for student to become more proficient in math and science concepts and problems.
Teaching Metaphor
Philosophy of Education
Classroom Management Philosophy