Homework And Practice

[Athenasby Regalado]

I have so many fond memories of my childhood. Growing up in a relatively rural area of Northwestern New Jersey sure had its benefits. As we returned home from school each day, my brothers and I would jump off the bus and diligently make our way about a half-mile back to our house. Once home we would peel off the backpacks, get changed, and play outside for the remainder of the day until dinner was ready. I can still remember my parents yelling into the great abyss as many times we were either deep in the woods or down by the local farm. There was homework, but is was very manageable to the point that my mom had to remind me that we actually had some during the elementary and middle years.

When not off on our adventures in the deep woods, we would be riding bikes, playing with the dog, swimming in the pool, shooting hoops, or getting into some kind of trouble. Life sure was good and relatively stress free. Things changed a bit once Atari and Nintendo took hold. Most of our time was still dedicated to outdoor play, but time was definitely allocated to playing video games on these technological wonders. On some days we couldn't wait to get home from school to play Asteroids, Pac Man, Donkey Kong, Tecmo Bowl, and Mike Tyson's Punch Out.

As we grew older sports began to make up a great part of our after school activities. Outdoor activities and video games often took a backseat to baseball, soccer, football, swimming, and basketball practice. Sports were such a huge part of our lives throughout the year. Growing up in a rural area allowed my brothers and I to participate in many sports at a high level. Part of why I believe my childhood was so great was that there was a distinct balance between school and life. From the time the bus dropped us off until when we hopped back on, the focus was on learning. Once home, however, time was relatively sacred when it came to play and spending quality time with family and friends.

The life of a child today has changed dramatically. Play both in and out of school has become a distant memory for many kids across the world. For reasons that make no sense to me, children are given obscene amounts of homework. Instead of coming home to unwind, play, and spend valuable time with family, kids are stressed out beyond belief as high-stakes homework has become the norm. Why have we veered off in this direction? There is little research to support the impact of homework on achievement for students in grades kindergarten through seven. When it is assigned it should be no more than 30 minutes. Well, ask any parent and they will tell you that the amount of time spent far exceeds this.

I am not against homework. As a child I had homework, but it was a manageable amount that did not negatively impact social and play time. It was also not used in a high stakes way. I want both my children to reinforce what they have learned during the school day, but more importantly I want them to be kids. During my tenure as principal my district delved into the research with our students from all grade levels and changed our homework practices. Homework was still assigned, but there were time limits for each grade and it could not be used to punish students academically.

The reasons for this post are not to debate the many issues I have with homework and the lack of reliable research to support it's use. There will always be two sides to this debate. It should be noted though that in my line of work I am able to make a pretty compelling case against current homework practices. However, I think we have to take a hard and objective look at the impact it is having on our kids. Current homework practices are making students dislike school and learning. This is a fact.

Recently I was at an event in my community and parents were lamenting about homework. This really hit home as every night my wife battles with my kids over homework. My daughter cries and throws a fit. She sits in the car and does homework to and from cheer practice. That is her after school life in a nutshell. She completes homework for 35 minutes on the way to cheer. After 2-3 hours of cheer practice she then again works on homework for another 35 minutes on the ride home. Sometimes she has even more work once she gets home. My son just sits and stares back at us with an empty gaze. Ask any parent or child about their feelings on homework these days and you are bound to get a negative response.

If you currently work in a school consider this. Regardless of your views on homework, please take the time to reflect on whether it is actually having a positive impact. If homework makes kids dislike school and/or learning it is obvious there is a problem. Parents also need to be proactive. So what can you do? Share this post with your child's teacher, administrator, school, or district. Share in the comments section below why homework is not working for your child. Engage in conversations about homework balance and meaningful assignments that reinforce learning in a timely fashion. Together we need to address the gorilla in the room (homework) if student learning and success are the ultimate goal.

Homework in college will likely look, feel, and be used differently than the homework you were assigned in high school, and it's possible there won't be any homework assigned at all. If this is the case, make it a point to give yourself some homework (finding practice problems, doing outside readings, making mind-maps about all that you've learned, etc.). And, If you are assigned homework, do your best to take full advantage of it.

Common types of homework might be practice problems, practice questions, assigned reading, assigned videos, quizzes covering what you've read or viewed, discussion board posts, interviews/experiences, self-reflections, etc.

If you're already using these strategies, awesome, and if you see some you haven't tried yet that you're interested in exploring, we hope you will. We get that this is all a process, and it's not always easy to make changes to the way that you practice and learn material. But we hope that you'll experiment and add to your strategy toolbox.

We're including a few worksheets below. Check them out for the difference between initial learning and review/practice, new activities to help with the learning process, and what it is to engage in the study cycle.

Want to talk more? Come and see us: Waldo Hall 125 Monday thru Friday 9 AM to 5 PM. You don't need an appointment, and our strategists are here to chat with you about all things learning and studying. Strategists are students too, and can offer recommendations and ideas. We can't wait to chat!

A teacher from a nearby school district recently emailed me with a few questions about standards-based grading in preparation for the upcoming school year. He gave me permission to share some of our dialogue in this public space. This is the first of two question and answer posts about homework as practice, rather than merely point accumulator, in standards-based grading.

This is not a cure-all type of solution, but one that I and other educators using standards-based grading practices have found to be helpful. In what ways have you motivated students to complete homework when it is worth zero points? Leave your ideas in the comments below.

As part of standards-based grading, I use retakes as a learning tool and have found them very effective. However, students are not eligible for a retake unless they have completed at least 80% of the homework. This has had 2 benefits. The students who do the homework most diligently rarely need a retake and students who regularly skip the homework need the retakes the most. It usually only takes 1 unit for them to learn their homework lesson. Parents have been very supportive.

Category: Building a Positive Family Environment Tags: brain breaks, Coping skills, Dealing with big feelings, frustrating homework, homework frustrations, learning challenges, Self-management, upset during homework

My thoughts on assigning homework have evolved through the years, as I detailed last year in this post. Some of the TWT co-authors tackled the issue of homework last year in a mini-series, which you can read here. In my school, my principal has shared research with us from John Hattie about the effects of homework on student achievement in the elementary school. The bottom line is that homework has very little influence on student achievement at the elementary level and can actually lead to negative attitudes towards school and learning. On Long Island, where I teach, a neighboring school district has shifted its homework policy for elementary students, getting rid of traditional homework.

This year, I created a chart of questions and answers related to my homework policy. I will be sharing this with parents in my class at our Open School Night later this month. I put into a Google Slide presentation for this post.

Kathleen,
This is such a timely post as our third grade team is working towards introducing new hw practices similar to what you have tried. Thanks for paving the way and showing us it can be done!

Thank you for this post Kathleen! This is a question so many teachers grapple with, and it is a huge challenge to step away from the norm. I would so much rather see kids spending time with their families doing things together (reading, eating dinner, TALKING) than having them complete homework for the sake of homework. I appreciate you including resources and research to back up the stance as well!

Send us a Text Message.It's the final episode of season two, so we're discussing some of the best practices for writing instruction. We cover the importance of a thriving writing community and the writing process, and we explore the role of oral language in boosting writing stamina. We also discuss the importance of dedicated and intentional writing time, the reciprocity between reading and writing, and the thrill of writing for an authentic audience. This episode will tee you up for the next school year!***Many thanks to this episode\u2019s sponsor, Texthelp!\u00a0Visit text.help\/cowriter to learn more about Co:Writer prediction in Read&Write because everyone deserves the power to read, write, and understand.***Go Deeper:

• Answers to Your Biggest Questions About Teaching Elementary Writing by Melanie Meehan
• Collaboration and Community in the Writing Workshop
• Craft Moves: Lesson Sets for Teaching Writing with Mentor Texts by Stacey Shubitz
• Exploring the Power of Oral Language: A Conversation with a Colleague (with Lainie Levin)
• Exploring Voice Typing During Writing Workshop
• Family Resources for At-Home Learning
• Research Round-up (Build Your Expertise Blog Series)
• The Editing Minute
• #TWTBlog Posts about Audience
• Writing Instruction Considerations by Carl Anderson & Matt Glover***Thank you to our affiliate, Zencastr.Use our special link (https:\/\/zen.ai\/mqsr2kHXSP2YaA1nAh2EpHl-bWR9QNvFyAQlDC3CiEk) to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan.\u00a0***Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings\/reviews on your favorite listening platform.You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district.
  • Melanie Meehan: meehan...@gmail.com
  • Stacey Shubitz: sta...@staceyshubitz.com Email us at con...@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.","title":"Exploring Best Practices and Research in Writing Instruction: A Digging Deeper Dialogue","image":"","guid":"Buzzsprout-15160296","publish_date":"2024-06-02T07:00:00+00:00","duration":"39:02"},"id":"podcast-track-2","link":"","src":"https:\/\/pdcn.co\/e\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2027003\/15105295-plan-your-summer-learning-a-tip-for-tomorrow-from-melanie.mp3","type":"audio\/mpeg","description":"Send us a Text Message.Melanie explores critical strategies to help you plan for your summer learning. Discover practical tips for organizing your classroom, finding or forming a study group, curating mentor texts, and engaging in personal writing. You'll leave this episode invigorated to try one or more ways to enhance your teaching skills for the upcoming academic year.Go Deeper:Join a hybrid book study and writing group led by #TWTBlog co-author Lainie Levin this summer. Learn more at this Summer Writing Refresh: A Grown-up Writing Circle.Simple and Functional Classroom DesignThe 9th Annual TWTBlog Author Spotlight SeriesThanks to our affiliate, Zencastr!Use our special link (https:\/\/zen.ai\/mqsr2kHXSP2YaA1nAh2EpHl-bWR9QNvFyAQlDC3CiEk) to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan.\u00a0Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings\/reviews on your favorite listening platform.You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district. Melanie Meehan: meehan...@gmail.com Stacey Shubitz: sta...@staceyshubitz.com Email us at con...@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.","description_html":"Send us a Text Message.Melanie explores critical strategies to help you plan for your summer learning. Discover practical tips for organizing your classroom, finding or forming a study group, curating mentor texts, and engaging in personal writing. You'll leave this episode invigorated to try one or more ways to enhance your teaching skills for the upcoming academic year.Go Deeper:
    • Join a hybrid book study and writing group led by #TWTBlog co-author Lainie Levin this summer. Learn more at this Summer Writing Refresh: A Grown-up Writing Circle.
    • Simple and Functional Classroom Design
    • The 9th Annual TWTBlog Author Spotlight SeriesThanks to our affiliate, Zencastr!Use our special link (https:\/\/zen.ai\/mqsr2kHXSP2YaA1nAh2EpHl-bWR9QNvFyAQlDC3CiEk) to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan.\u00a0Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings\/reviews on your favorite listening platform.You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district.
      • Melanie Meehan: meehan...@gmail.com
      • Stacey Shubitz: sta...@staceyshubitz.com Email us at con...@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.","title":"Plan Your Summer Learning: A Tip for Tomorrow from Melanie","image":"","guid":"Buzzsprout-15105295","publish_date":"2024-05-26T07:00:00+00:00","duration":"08:14","id":"podcast-track-3","link":"","src":"https:\/\/pdcn.co\/e\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2027003\/15044702-co-create-writing-goals-a-tip-for-tomorrow-from-stacey.mp3","type":"audio\/mpeg","description":"Send us a Text Message.Stacey explores the importance of co-creating goals with students to help them grow as writers. She discusses how collaboration during goal-setting enhances students' ownership, motivation, and personalized learning. It also allows for individualized growth and fosters collaboration and communication with the teacher. If you haven't tried co-creating goals with your students before, this Tip for Tomorrow will inspire you to do so with future groups of students.Go Deeper with These #TWTBlog Posts:Aim Higher: Conferring and Student GoalsCreating Clarity for WritersHow Many Stars? Tools for Self-Assessment and Goal-SettingICYMI Aim Higher: Outgrow Old Goals and Set New Ones (Blog Series)Setting Goals with StudentsStudent Agency, Self-Assessment, and Small Group InstructionStudents and Goal Setting: My Choice, My Growth, My ResponsibilityThe Power of Goal-SettingWhen Your Reality Doesn\u2019t Match Your ExpectationsWriting Checklists: Tools for Independence and Goal-SettingThanks to our affiliate, Marley Spoon! Get $235 off through 5 boxes. This makes the first box portion price start at $4.99. Click here or copy and paste this link into your browser: http:\/\/www.awin1.com\/awclick.php?mid=6988&id=1261005.\u00a0Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings\/reviews on your favorite listening platform.You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district. Melanie Meehan: meehan...@gmail.com Stacey Shubitz: sta...@staceyshubitz.com Email us at con...@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.","description_html":"Send us a Text Message.Stacey explores the importance of co-creating goals with students to help them grow as writers. She discusses how collaboration during goal-setting enhances students' ownership, motivation, and personalized learning. It also allows for individualized growth and fosters collaboration and communication with the teacher. If you haven't tried co-creating goals with your students before, this Tip for Tomorrow will inspire you to do so with future groups of students.Go Deeper with These #TWTBlog Posts:
        • Aim Higher: Conferring and Student Goals
        • Creating Clarity for Writers
        • How Many Stars? Tools for Self-Assessment and Goal-Setting
        • ICYMI Aim Higher: Outgrow Old Goals and Set New Ones (Blog Series)
        • Setting Goals with Students
        • Student Agency, Self-Assessment, and Small Group Instruction
        • Students and Goal Setting: My Choice, My Growth, My Responsibility
        • The Power of Goal-Setting
        • When Your Reality Doesn\u2019t Match Your Expectations
        • Writing Checklists: Tools for Independence and Goal-SettingThanks to our affiliate, Marley Spoon! Get $235 off through 5 boxes. This makes the first box portion price start at $4.99. Click here or copy and paste this link into your browser: http:\/\/www.awin1.com\/awclick.php?mid=6988&id=1261005.\u00a0Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings\/reviews on your favorite listening platform.You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district.
          • Melanie Meehan: meehan...@gmail.com
          • Stacey Shubitz: sta...@staceyshubitz.com Email us at con...@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.","title":"Co-create Writing Goals: A Tip for Tomorrow from Stacey","image":"","guid":"Buzzsprout-15044702","publish_date":"2024-05-19T07:00:00+00:00","duration":"06:09","id":"podcast-track-4","link":"","src":"https:\/\/pdcn.co\/e\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2027003\/15011502-developing-paragraph-structure-a-tip-for-tomorrow-from-melanie.mp3","type":"audio\/mpeg","description":"Send us a Text Message.In this episode, Melanie guides you through the art of crafting concise and well-structured paragraphs that are easy to follow and understand. With her expert tips on oral rehearsal and the use of sentence frames, she empowers young writers to hone their writing skills and develop a unique voice. Tune in to learn how to help students move from writing formulaic paragraphs to composing authentic pieces that truly showcase their writing talents.Thanks to our affiliate!Libro.fm: Use the TWTPod CodeReceive 2 audiobook credits for $14.99 USD with your first month of membership.\u00a0Check out Stacey\u2019s audiobook playlist.Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings\/reviews on your favorite listening platform.You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district. Melanie Meehan: meehan...@gmail.com Stacey Shubitz: sta...@staceyshubitz.com Email us at con...@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.","description_html":"Send us a Text Message.In this episode, Melanie guides you through the art of crafting concise and well-structured paragraphs that are easy to follow and understand. With her expert tips on oral rehearsal and the use of sentence frames, she empowers young writers to hone their writing skills and develop a unique voice. Tune in to learn how to help students move from writing formulaic paragraphs to composing authentic pieces that truly showcase their writing talents.Thanks to our affiliate!
            • Libro.fm: Use the TWTPod Code
              • Receive 2 audiobook credits for $14.99 USD with your first month of membership.\u00a0
              • Check out Stacey\u2019s audiobook playlist.Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings\/reviews on your favorite listening platform.You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district.
                • Melanie Meehan: meehan...@gmail.com
                • Stacey Shubitz: sta...@staceyshubitz.com Email us at con...@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.","title":"Developing Paragraph Structure: A Tip For Tomorrow from Melanie","image":"","guid":"Buzzsprout-15011502","publish_date":"2024-05-12T07:00:00+00:00","duration":"09:21","id":"podcast-track-5","link":"","src":"https:\/\/pdcn.co\/e\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2027003\/14939931-unlock-strategies-for-task-initiation-a-tip-for-tomorrow-from-stacey.mp3","type":"audio\/mpeg","description":"Send us a Text Message.Task initiation is one key to student success, particularly in the context of writing instruction. The episode highlights some students' challenges with executive functioning skills and how they struggle to begin tasks efficiently. The host provides nine effective strategies to help students overcome task initiation challenges, such as normalizing task-avoidant behavior, emphasizing work quality, preparing materials, using visual aids and organizers, breaking tasks into smaller steps, employing backwards planning, facilitating getting started, limiting distractions, and incorporating planned breaks. The episode also references Admiral William H. McRaven's \"Make Your Bed\" speech, emphasizing the significance of small tasks and their impact on productivity and motivation.GO DEEPER:Plan Boxes Will Inspire You: A Tip for TomorrowConversation with a Colleague Episodes (with Lainie Levin)Addressing Perfectionism in Writing InstructionExploring the Power of Oral LanguageUniversity of Texas at Austin 2014 Commencement Address and Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World\u00a0 both by Admiral William H. McRaven \u00a0What Is Executive Function? And How Does It Relate to Child Development? from Harvard University\u2019s Center on the Developing ChildWork Quality ContinuumTHANKS TO OUR AFFILIATE!Zencastr: Use our special link (https:\/\/zen.ai\/mqsr2kHXSP2YaA1nAh2EpHl-bWR9QNvFyAQlDC3CiEk) to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan.\u00a0Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings\/reviews on your favorite listening platform.You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district. Melanie Meehan: meehan...@gmail.com Stacey Shubitz: sta...@staceyshubitz.com Email us at con...@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.","description_html":"Send us a Text Message.Task initiation is one key to student success, particularly in the context of writing instruction. The episode highlights some students' challenges with executive functioning skills and how they struggle to begin tasks efficiently. The host provides nine effective strategies to help students overcome task initiation challenges, such as normalizing task-avoidant behavior, emphasizing work quality, preparing materials, using visual aids and organizers, breaking tasks into smaller steps, employing backwards planning, facilitating getting started, limiting distractions, and incorporating planned breaks. The episode also references Admiral William H. McRaven's \"Make Your Bed\" speech, emphasizing the significance of small tasks and their impact on productivity and motivation.GO DEEPER:
                  • Plan Boxes Will Inspire You: A Tip for Tomorrow
                  • Conversation with a Colleague Episodes (with Lainie Levin)
                    • Addressing Perfectionism in Writing Instruction
                    • Exploring the Power of Oral Language
                    • University of Texas at Austin 2014 Commencement Address and Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World\u00a0 both by Admiral William H. McRaven \u00a0
                    • What Is Executive Function? And How Does It Relate to Child Development? from Harvard University\u2019s Center on the Developing Child
                    • Work Quality ContinuumTHANKS TO OUR AFFILIATE!Zencastr: Use our special link (https:\/\/zen.ai\/mqsr2kHXSP2YaA1nAh2EpHl-bWR9QNvFyAQlDC3CiEk) to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan.\u00a0Please subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings\/reviews on your favorite listening platform.You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district.
                      • Melanie Meehan: meehan...@gmail.com
                      • Stacey Shubitz: sta...@staceyshubitz.com Email us at con...@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.","title":"Unlock Strategies for Task Initiation: A Tip for Tomorrow from Stacey","image":"","guid":"Buzzsprout-14939931","publish_date":"2024-05-05T07:00:00+00:00","duration":"12:48"],"playerId":"jetpack-podcast-player-block-51765-1"}Follow Blog via EmailEnter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

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