It's 2017... maybe it's time to rethink some of the things we have been doing for the past 40 years?
This is the way we have always done it, just doesn't work anymore. When I was in school and doing homework, mobile phones didn't exist. The internet didn't exist. We had less than 20 channels on the television and cartoons were not available on demand. So much has changed... why are we still assigning the same homework? If we applied the "This is the way we have always done it" philosophy to children outside of the classroom, my kids would be playing "Pong" on their Atari, watching "Land of the Lost" between 3:00-3:30, and they'd have to actually answer the phone to know who was calling. If I tried to force this nostalgia on my children there would surely be a revolt in this house. Why do we employ forced nostalgia in education?
Rethinking requires questioning:
Rethinking requires questioning:
- What is the purpose of homework?
- Is the learning goal accomplished through this teaching method?
- Is this true of all students, or just those that have a home life that supports academic success?
- Would the students with the home life advantage be successful in their learning without the homework?
- What other unintended goals might you be accomplishing through the assigning of homework?
- Decreased family time?
- Frustration on the part of the student that damages their self confidence or alters their feelings about academics?
- If homework is required and calculated into a course grade, are students failing your class because of their socio-economic status?
- Damage to the parent/teacher relationship over the frustration of their inability to support their child when they don't understand "these new common core worksheets", which leads to social media rants that can have an impact on how non-educators view the standard of education in general?
- Do parents like homework? If so, what is it they like about it?
- Do you like giving homework?
For me the goal of "Homework" is to create opportunities that motivate students to create, explore, and discuss topics related to our learning after they leave the room. It is a challenge to compete with their gaming systems, social media, sports, friends and family- but I like a challenge. I decided that the first step was to meet them where they are, so I started "assigning homework" on social media. I surveyed my students to find out what their go-to social media tool was and decided that Instagram was where I would connect with them. I'm still challenged by how to get them engaged in more than just liking my posts.
Initially I was discouraged because students weren't really commenting or engaging in the posts, but I began to realize that they were bringing things up that were related to things I had posted on Instagram. So they weren't posting very much, but they were talking about it. It was getting them thinking and it was generating interest and excitement about what we were doing in class. I'm not sure a homework packet ever generated any interest or excitement related to what we were doing in class, so I'm going to call this a win (sort of-it's a work in progress really) and share some of my "homework packets" with you.
Initially I was discouraged because students weren't really commenting or engaging in the posts, but I began to realize that they were bringing things up that were related to things I had posted on Instagram. So they weren't posting very much, but they were talking about it. It was getting them thinking and it was generating interest and excitement about what we were doing in class. I'm not sure a homework packet ever generated any interest or excitement related to what we were doing in class, so I'm going to call this a win (sort of-it's a work in progress really) and share some of my "homework packets" with you.
Writing: The Micro-Version not the 5 Paragraph essay
It is with words as with sunbeams. The more they are condensed, the deeper they burn."
~Robert Southey
Microfiction, Flash Fiction, 6 Word Stories, and Twitterature are all types of super short fiction. If you have ever tried your hand at any of these forms of short writing, you will agree that it takes quite a bit of thought-the constraint of character or word limits requires creative thinking.
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| "Assigned" when we were learning how to write engaging leads:  "Assigned" over the winter holiday, prior to New Year's Eve:   | "Assigned" when we were reading "Peter Pan" and studying the coming of age genre:   There are lots of really interesting picture writing prompts to be found on Pinterest. I'd much rather peruse Pinterest over a morning cup of coffee than stand over the copy machine making homework packets during my prep period. I also have some fun dice games for writing that I can take a picture of and post. One thing I really like about micro-fiction is that it is short enough to be shared on social media. Once shared, other students can add to the story through comments or @ replies to create a collaborative story. In my experience, students are more engaged in writing activities when they are writing for an audience of their peers. I feel like a great deal of my students care more about getting "likes" than grades on homework. |
Writing contests are another great idea for "homework". Check your Scholastic book catalog inserts for contests. Your local librarian and county office of education are also good resources for writing contests. I feel like the chance at prizes or having your work published can be really motivating for students. I have had students win local contests and the excitement spread to the whole class once they saw that it was possible to win.
Vocabulary: It's All About the Word Play
| "Assigned" after a lesson in Media Literacy class. Click HERE to view the lesson.   | "Assigned" prior to a Valentine's Day lesson on figurative language. Click HERE to view the lesson.  The image of "eyes in the back of my head" came from worth1000.com which used to be a really cool website for examples of visual idioms to show students. The website has changed to Design Crowd and it's new layout and search feature make it really difficult to find the old images that I liked before the change in web page. I'd suggest having students create and share their own visual images of idioms. There are countless tools for photo editing and it's likely that your students will be the experts in this area. I often find that when it comes to tools, I am the student and they are the teacher. I love learning new things from my students. |
I've noticed that student engagement (likes, comments, reposts) is much higher when the posts include pictures/videos of them or work that they have done. So sometimes "homework" is simply, "Hey, take a look at this." I like highlighting their vocabulary drawings because it turns a paper submitted to me into a learning opportunity for the class. If I am looking through their vocabulary and am struck by someone's unique take on the concept I want to share it. The vocabulary drawing lesson can be found HERE.
Reading: Varied Responses to Varied Texts
The types of texts students are reading has evolved, but the accountability measures in the classroom aren't that different. Novels are my "go to", but my students are different. They like Manga, Graphic Novels, World Records, and internet folly. I try to interest them in branching out from their "go to" genre while also offering them variety in the accountability methods that go along with reading.
 When it comes to homework, what I'd love more than anything is if my students spent time reading. I have done a lot of thinking about what reading homework should look like. The most read/shared blog post I've written was "Ten Ways to Ditch That Reading Log", so I don't think I'm the only teacher that feels like traditional reading homework isn't really working. I've recently began to explore sharing books on Snap Chat and am hoping that this medium will catch on with my Snap Chat using readers. To read more about #BookSnaps, check out Tara Martin's blog post. |   |
For a while AR (Accelerated Reader) was the new reading log, but I began to rethink that as well. If you are unfamiliar, it is a site that students visit to take quizzes on books that they read. My preference is for students to create something, to share their learning, to inspire others to read... a good book can change your thinking about the universals of life and this can not be measured through multiple choice. Multiple choice doesn't tell me what they thought about the book, or how the experience changed them. A quiz grade doesn't inspire a friend to pick up a book. When was the last time you told a friend, "I got a 90% on this book, you should read it," and it was followed up with a thoughtful discussion about a life lesson? I haven't written it off completely, it is a single tool in a whole box of tools. The tool you chose depends on the job-you wouldn't use a blow torch to put a nail in a wall. Why not allow students to choose the tool that they want to use?
Feel free to take a look in my toolbox, it's a work in progress so there are a few options that aren't yet linked. This menu of reading tasks was inspired by the observation that my students really enjoy using technology to create something more inspiring than a shoe box of a scene from a book.
Feel free to take a look in my toolbox, it's a work in progress so there are a few options that aren't yet linked. This menu of reading tasks was inspired by the observation that my students really enjoy using technology to create something more inspiring than a shoe box of a scene from a book.
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Another traditional idea about reading that I have had to reconsider is that reading isn't limited to novels, and some kids prefer non-fiction reading. I created a "homework" document for those readers. But again, I don't require it and it isn't graded. I'm not really sure how many are using it, but my goal is to offer choices and options that students are interested in and want to do. Click HERE to get the document.
Hyperdocs: Opportunities for Extending the Learning
Many of the lessons that we do in class are designed using the Hyperdocs model. Within the lessons that I create for the class are embedded opportunities for "Extending the Learning". I try to entice students who are interested in the work we are doing to continue the learning beyond class and create something connected both to their own lives and to real world topics that are connected to our learning. I don't consider these extensions to be homework because they are not required, nor are they graded. My challenge is to present them with opportunities that they will want to pursue; motivated by interest in the topic or task, not grades. The examples below are from a novel unit for the book "Pax" by Sarah Pennypacker.
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Gaming: If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join "Em
When homework is optional and students can choose between homework and video games, most likely video games will prevail. Bringing student interests into the classroom not only increases their engagement, but it also helps students to see you as someone that they can connect with. The same applies to homework. I strive for a balance of exposing my students to new things to be interested in, while gaining their trust as someone who also values their interests, giving both equal time.
Read this: Ten Ways to Power Up Your Curriculum with Pokemon Go to get some great ideas for using Pokemon Go as "homework".
Mindfulness: Can Breathing Be Considered Homework?
I have experienced the benefits of mindfulness personally, professionally, and have seen a change in my classroom climate which I feel is a direct result of our daily lessons around the practice of mindfulness. I like the idea of homework that involves self care, kindness, gratitude and personal growth.
| We learn about the practice of mindfulness daily, so sometimes our "homework" is a reminder to be present.  | This was a powerful lesson and one of my all-time favorite "homework" assignments. You can find the lesson HERE (it's on slide 22).  |
Service Learning: Making the World a Better Place
Heifer International and their GET IT (Global Education To Improve Tomorrow) program has free guides on their web page to run a Read to Feed or Chores for Change Program with your class. Both programs are service learning projects that involve learning about how hunger affects their communities and gives students a way to be involved in helping to do something about it.
FreeRice.com is a web site where students can answer subject area questions and earn donations of rice for hungry people all over the world through the World Food Programme.
FreeRice.com is a web site where students can answer subject area questions and earn donations of rice for hungry people all over the world through the World Food Programme.
Student Work: Some Examples of What My Students Do For Homework
A student posted these images and tagged me in them. It was a project that she and a friend did during a unit on plastics in the ocean. The class lesson that this "homework" came from can be seen HERE.
This student (center) wrote a song about the Mayans for homework and recruited a couple of friends to perform it with him. Not a required assignment, no grades or extra credit involved. We watch music video parodies about History from time to time and there wasn't much out there during the Ancient America unit, so I put it out there to the class... "Who wants to be the next MesoAmerican Idol?" and this is what I got:
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Some Final Thoughts:
While I am glad that homework is being looked at more closely, much of the debate centers around whether or not it should be given while offering very little in the way of suggestions for improving it.
I don't teach Math or Science, so I have little to offer in that area. I read a book by Denis Sheeran recently called "Instant Relevance" and I highly recommend checking it out. There were many ideas in this book that I thought would be great improvements on traditional math homework.
"How Much Would it Cost to Repair the Home Alone House?" is an online article that my daughter shared with me the other day. My first thought was: that would be a great homework assignment in a math class. These types of ideas can be explored in Sheeran's book.
I don't teach Math or Science, so I have little to offer in that area. I read a book by Denis Sheeran recently called "Instant Relevance" and I highly recommend checking it out. There were many ideas in this book that I thought would be great improvements on traditional math homework.
"How Much Would it Cost to Repair the Home Alone House?" is an online article that my daughter shared with me the other day. My first thought was: that would be a great homework assignment in a math class. These types of ideas can be explored in Sheeran's book.
Much of what he says in his book can also be applied to "homework".
Resources (Some Homework for you):
Related Posts (more ideas on what to "assign" for homework): Related Reading:
As I said before, my ideas about homework are evolving and I am still figuring out what homework should look like. I'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas, suggestions, etc. Do you give homework? Is it graded? How often do you give it? What kind of homework do you give? Would you share some examples? Do you like homework from a teacher perspective? Do you like your child having homework?
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