Is Homework Still Relevant?

With anything that you want to get better at doing practice is required. When learning to play a video game there’s a certain amount of time needed to master the game. Learning to play an instrument or playing any sport requires a time commitment and repetition. I view homework the same way. In order to master certain skills, practice is necessary.

The topic of homework has become contentious. Whether or not to assign homework, how much homework is given, and how do we monitor homework are all common quandaries. As things change in education, how do we deal with this topic?

As a teacher I vividly remember checking homework. Students either did their homework routinely, lost it, or had some reason why they could not get the homework done. It could be a frustrating situation. I did all that I could to help students see the benefit in doing their assignments at home.

I gave only 4-5 questions, 2-3 nights of the week. We reviewed our Math topics during class, I have students time to work with classmates and individually, and worked with some students in small groups to aid in understanding the tasks. I still regularly had students not complete homework.

I understand the obstacles that some of our students face when it comes to homework. Some, no matter the support given at school, just could not figure out what to do on their own. Others had household duties to take care of once they left campus. Another group had team sports that kept them out late and another group that just lost what they were supposed to do.

Assigning homework is a lot easier now with the use of technology. How do we provide incentives for students to do the work? How do we help students and parents see the value in homework? I don’t have answers for these questions, but I remain hopeful about ways to improve our practice.

As educators, we would like all of our students to be intrinsically motivated to complete homework assignments. A partnership and strong communication between parents and teachers could help improve the rate at which students complete homework. Individual practice will always be a necessity for learning new material. Creativity and consistency is key to improve outcomes.