Friday, February 8, 2008
Continue the Conversation: February
Our topic for February's PLC Day largely centered on homework. We read Chapter 3 of the Art & Science of teaching, and Mr. Barnett had a number of points and guiding questions for each study team. The Leadership Team met early in the morning to help guide the discussion. The ultimate goal in all of this work is to creat a more specific homework policy grounded in research and good practice. Each leadership member of the study team will post a brief summary of their group's discussion and conclusions. Of course other staff members, parents and students are invited to comment as well!
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Study Group #5:
We began our discussion by brainstormining ideas on what comprises meaningful homework. Our group hit upon the following points:
--Designed to master concepts &
should be related to objectives
--Should address fluency (p. 81)
--Develops critical self
assessment skills
--Long-term, organizational
benefits to processing thoughts
on HW
--Long-term & short-term goal
setting based on HW
The definition we generated based on the discussion above is "Homework will help students practice to fluency and strengthen their understanding of concepts-based knowledge."
We then moved to a discussion of what we feel the components of Altona's homework policy should be, under the directive that our suggestions should be thoughtful and research-based. In The Art and Science of Teaching by Robert J. Marzano, we found that, by definition, homework should be performed independently of the teacher, and should be structured to insure high completion rates (p. 71). We also noted that practice and preparation-types of homework, along with those that emphasized parent-child relations, were the most defensible types of homework (Good & Brophy, commenting on Epstein-p. 71).
That was as far as we got before the big group discussion started!
Our group came to the conclusion that this is a problem that may never have a solution that satisfies everyone. However, that is no excuse to not try! We think that Altona needs to do our part by making our homework expectations clear, especially concerning what we see the purpose of homework being.
Teachers should not feel as though they MUST assign homework because it is part of their job description. Homework should not be busy work, and it should not be used to teach the child brand new concepts in lieu of the teacher. The homework should not be monotonous or or longer then necessary. It should not be assigned as students are walking out of the class. These examples will only serve to frustrate the student and make them resent learning.
Homework should help a student practice a concept from class, reinforce an important skill, expand on a basic concept, prepare for the next class period, or advance toward a final product in a larger assessment. Homework should challenge the student but not overwhelm them -- after all, the teacher is not there to help, and it is not a parent's job. Ideally the student could start the assignment in class with the teacher available for help, and then simply need to finish the assignment at home in 15-20 minutes. The assignment should have some sort of follow-up activity or comprehension check the next day to make sure the students are learning and the homework is effective.
Much more was discussed, but not specific plan has emerged yet!
Our group focused on standards. We decided that this ensured that any homework given was applicable to what was being studied. It also made sure that the work was relevant to what currently happening in class.
We also spoke about the time issue. We all have kids who take ten minutes to do a half hour of work and vice versa. This is an something that needs to be addressed individually.
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