Assigning PurposefulHomework & Practice

Suzanne Whisler Esu 4

Johnson Brock Public SchoolsJanuary 25, 2012

esu4instructionalstrategies.wikispaces.com

Session objective . . .

• What will I do to help students practice and deepen their understanding of new knowledge?

• Best practices in assigning homework & designing practice assignments

Almost All Teachers at One Time or Another Give Homework

Assignments.

If you were King or Queen, what would homework look like in

your school?

CategoryAve. Effect

SizePercentile

gain

Identifying Similarities and differences 1.61 45

Summarizing and note taking 1.00 34

Reinforcing effort and providing recognition .80 29

Homework and Practice .77 28Nonlinguistic representations .75 27

Cooperative learning .73 27

Setting objectives/providing feedback .61 23

Generating and testing hypotheses .61 23

Questions, cues, and advance organizers .59 22

What is effective homework?

5 Characteristics of Quality Homework

1. Clear academic purpose

2. Efficiency

3. Ownership

4. Competence

5. Aesthetic appeal

Aha’s & Questions• Form a group of 4• In your group letter off A-D• Each partner will silently read a segment of the

article “5 Hallmarks of Good Homework”.• A – Hallmark 1 Purpose• B – Hallmark 2 & 3 Efficiency and Ownership• C – Hallmark 4 Competence• D – Hallmark 5 Aesthetic Appeal

• As you read, record any Aha’s or questions you have regarding your segment.

• Share you Aha’s and questions with your group.

Let’s explore the 5 qualities of homework in depth.

1. Clear Academic Purpose

The ultimate goal of the assignment should be clearly communicated to the student.

(Marzano, Pickering and Pollock, 2001)

Students shouldn’t have trouble connecting the purpose of homework to classroom

learning.

Four Purposes of Homework

•Pre-learning •Checking for understanding •Practice•Processing Busy

Work

Pre-learning ~ Cues• Provide an introduction to a topic• Provide background information• Find out what student already know• Stimulate interest in a topic

• Read a chapter and complete an advance organizer

• Write down questions you have about the topic• Watch a video • KWL Chart

Check for Understanding• Homework should provide feedback to the

teacher and student about the student’s understanding• Adjust instruction• Reteach concepts

• Example assignments• Do 5 math problems, explain the steps• Have students complete a journal assignment

about a class science experiment to check students’ understanding of what happened and why

If homework is assigned, it should be commented on.

• Homework is assigned, but not commented on has an effect size of .28.

• Homework is assigned and graded has an effect size of .78.

• Homework is assigned and teacher provides written comments has an effect size of .83.

(Marzano, 2007)

Practice • Practice should be assigned only after the

teacher is confident that students fully understand the concept. • Don’t skip Check for Understanding• Students may practice skill incorrectly

• Distributed practice is better than mass practice.

Two–tiered Homework• Part 1

• Assign 3 problems to check for understanding of a new concept

• Part 2• Assign 10 problems to practice and reinforce

a concept previously taught.

Practice is more effective when distributed over several days.

(Marzano, 2010)

Processing• Used when the teacher wants students to

reflect on concepts• Think of new questions to ask• Apply skills or knowledge learned

• Often a long-term project• Summarizing major concepts in a unit• Writing an original poem

Write an editorial defending or criticizing the actions of the participants of the

Boston Tea Party.

Homework Does Not Teach Responsibility . . .

• Parents do! (says Debra Pickering one of co-writers with Robert Marzano).

• Students need to be taught organization, time management, stress management, goal setting, etc.

Aha’s and Questions

•What Aha’s and questions do you have regarding clear academic purpose?

2. EfficiencySome tasks are well-intentioned

attempts to create fun or interesting tasks, while losing sight of the

academic focus. (Vatterott,

2010)

Efficiency

• Do students clearly understand the assignment?

• Does the assignment help students learn?• Color the map• Writing the definitions of the words• Read Chapter 4• Solve the word puzzle

Efficient homework examples . . .

• List the 3 most important ideas in Chapter 4.• Write a reaction to what you read.• During your reading place post-it notes on

the parts of the reading you had questions about.

• During your reading place post-it notes on the parts that you found most interesting to discuss in class.

10-Minute Rule

The maximum amount of nightly homework should not exceed 10 minutes per grade level per

night, all subjects combined.

• 1st -3rd grades = Assign homework to teach good habits

• 4th – 6th grades = 30-45 mins. • 7th – 9th grades = 50-120 mins.• 10th – 12th grades = 60-120 mins.

3. Ownership• Personally relevant• Give students choices • Self-assess and reflect about their learning

• Circle the part of the spelling word that is the trickiest.

• Determine the best way for you to study your multiplication facts.

• Assign corrections as homework after a test• Students state why they missed questions and

find the correct answer in their notes or book

Ownership• Promote ownership by . . .

• Offer students an opportunity to personalize their work

• Allow students to share information about themselves or their lives

• Tap emotions, feelings, or opinions about a subject• Allow students to create products or presentations

Aha’s and Questions

•What Aha’s and questions do you have regarding efficiency and ownership?

4. Competence – Tasks are doable!

Homework that cannot be done without help is not good homework and is

demotivating to students.(Vatterott, 2007)

4. Competence• Homework should instill a sense of

competence in the mind of the learner.• Students feel positive about learning

5. Aesthetic Appeal

• The way homework looks is important!• It’s important to younger students and

academically challenged students. • Overwhelming

• Small spaces for writing• Worksheets with too much information on

a page• Five page worksheets• Endless lists of definitions

Aha’s and Questions

•What Aha’s and questions do you have regarding competence and appeal?

Parent Involvement from Dr. Marzano• Parent involvement in homework should

be kept to a minimum.• Parents should know what homework

their children are responsible for completing.

• Parents’ role should be to facilitate homework not to do the homework for students.

• Parents’ role should be defined and communicated in a homework policy from the teacher and school.

What about parent involvement?

Does Johnson Brock have a homework policy?

Every School and Teacher Should Have a Homework Policy (Guideline) and It Should Be

Consistently Observed!

• What is the purpose of homework?• How much homework will be assigned?• What are the consequences for not

completing homework?• What types of parental involvement are

acceptable?• How will I communicate my homework

policy?

Let’s Move!

• Please stand up.• Move around the room and form a group

of three-ish.• Discuss what important information you

learned about using homework effectively.

Teachers should not abandon homework. Instead, they should improve its instructional quality.

(Marzano and Pickering, 2007)