When I was in high school homework was a regular occurrence, but more and more homework seems to be becoming obsolete and somewhat frowned upon. I came across this article with 5 questions a teacher should ask before assigning homework. They are: 1. How long will it take to complete? - There must be a balance between efficiency and effectiveness of an assignment and it needs to lead to better learning outcomes 2. Have all learners been considered? - We cannot base an assignment on the average learner, the needs of all learners must be considered 3. Will an assignment encourage future success? - Assignments must be meaningful, work that builds confidence and leads the student to have future success |
4. Will an assignment place the material in a context the classroom can not?
- Some assignments are more effective outside the walls of the classroom, if learning is applicable to everyday life, it becomes more meaningful and worth the time it may take to complete
5. Does an assignment offer support when a teacher is not there?
- Flipped classrooms can sometimes help with this but in traditional models, students are doing their work away from the teacher and therefore need to be provided with resources such as online tutorials to offer support and instruction when they may be stuck
- Some assignments are more effective outside the walls of the classroom, if learning is applicable to everyday life, it becomes more meaningful and worth the time it may take to complete
5. Does an assignment offer support when a teacher is not there?
- Flipped classrooms can sometimes help with this but in traditional models, students are doing their work away from the teacher and therefore need to be provided with resources such as online tutorials to offer support and instruction when they may be stuck