Homework Policies

Kirsten French

Homework Policies

Description of Research

Different styles of assigning and grading homework:

No homework is assigned, there is some, but it doesn’t count, only some problems are graded, only some assignments are graded, counts for credit just for completing, counts but has to be correct.

Is homework useful?

The countries with higher achieving students give little or no homework. America has one of the highest amounts of homework given to students each night. Homework should only be assigned when the teacher can clearly explain why they are assigning each problem they are giving to the students. Do not give homework out just so they have homework for the night.

Multiple teachers have cut homework from their class rooms and the standardized tests scores increased. This might not work for every teacher, but for some it has worked out well.

Too much homework can be counterproductive to the student’s learning. It becomes more of a source of stress for the students, rather than a source of learning. Harris Cooper, an education and psychology professor at Duke University, is best known for his research on dealing with homework. His research has shown that, in high school, more than two hours of homework a night doesn’t improve student’s understanding of the material.

What do I agree with?

I agree that homework shouldn’t be graded for correctness, unless the answers are clear and the students aren’t still learning the information. It is unfair for students to learn brand new information and then be expected to have the learning objective completed with one lesson and no practice.

What do I disagree with?

I disagree that homework should be cut from the classroom completely. I think homework provides the students with practice of new material and without homework that counts towards their grade some of the students won’t have motivation to practice.

How is this research applicable to you as a teacher?

As a teacher, this research is applicable, because homework that is used incorrectly can negatively impact the student’s learning. When teachers know what kinds of homework and homework policies best benefit the students the teachers can apply that to their curriculum so their students get the most out of their education that is possible.

How is this research applicable to students?

This research applies to students, because they are the ones who are affected by the outcomes of each piece of research that is done. As teachers it is our job to teach each of our students to the best of our abilities and knowing about what homework is helpful to students and what homework isn’t beneficial to them, affects their future. If the students have a bad experience with homework, they could possibly shutdown and not believe in themselves. It is our job to be able to give out homework that will help the students complete the learning objective and our homework policies will help with that.

Works Cited

Strauss, Valerie. "Homework: The Useful and the Useless." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 17 June 2011. Web. 17 May 2014.

"Research Spotlight on Homework." NEA. Web. 15 May 2014.

Perle, Elizabeth. "High School Homework: Are American Students Overworked?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 02 Nov. 2011. Web. 17 May 2014.