Teaching and homework effectiveness
Student learning improves when homework
serves a clear purpose and is matched to both the skills of each individual
student and to the current topics being taught in class. Feedback improves the
effectiveness of homework, especially when given in a timely manner (within 24
hours). Effective feedback improves student learning by correcting
misunderstanding, validating process, and highlighting errors in thinking.
Embedded comments provide much better feedback than a mere grade at the top of
the paper. Homework must be concentrated to be effective: mastering takes days
or weeks of practice. Fifty-percent mastery may be achieved after 4 practice
sessions, but it takes 28 practice sessions to achieve approximately the
eighty-percent mastery level.
Another way teachers can be more effective
is by alerting parents to their students' homework, giving parents a chance to
become familiar with the material and their child's progress. This also
encourages parents to become involved in the homework process.Messages tend to get lost in transit or even altered
when using "pupil post" (passing verbal messages or written notes
back and forth using the student as courier), and therefore direct
communication is much more effective and prevents frustration all around.
Methods available for directly reporting homework assignments (to both students
and their parents) include the phone, email, and centralized web-pages.
History of homework
In the United States
Historically,
homework was frowned upon in American culture.
With few students interested in higher education, and due to the necessity to
complete daily chores, homework was discouraged not only by parents, but also
by school districts. In 1901, the Californialegislature passed an act that effectively
abolished homework for those who attended kindergarten through the eighth
grade. But, in the 1950s, with increasing pressure on the United States to stay
ahead in the Cold
War, homework made a resurgence, and children were encouraged to
keep up with their Russian counterparts.
By the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, the consensus in American education
was overwhelmingly in favor of issuing homework to students of all grade levels.
In a
study done at the University of
Michigan in 2007,
research concluded that the amount of homework given is increasing over time.
In a sample taken of students between the ages of 6 and 9, it was shown that
students spend more than two hours a week on homework, as opposed to 44 minutes
in 1981.
Harris Cooper, nations top homework
scholar, concluded after a comprehensive review that homework does not improve
academic achievements for grade school students. Cooper analyzed dozens of
students and found that kids who are assigned homework in middle and high
school actually score "somewhat" better on standardized tests, but
that kids who do 60 to 90 minutes of homework in middle school and more than 2
hours in high school actually score worse.
Internet homework resources
There are many homework-related resources available on the World Wide Web.There are web sites dedicated to communicating about homework, for teachers to post assignments on-line for students, and to keep parents informed. Many schools host their own homework posting services on their websites. There are non-profit organizations on-line that help students with their homework for free. There are also tutorials on most school subjects, especially math, which students can use if they don't understand their homework assignments.
Many libraries provide on-line resources which present subjects specifically for students who are looking for something to write about. And there are archives of ready-made homework assignments, including handouts, which teachers can use to provide homework to their students. Many other websites are used for research, especially search engines, such as Google, and encyclopedias.
Apart from above given resources there are hundreds of websites who are providing homework help at nominal rates. Such websites claim to help students understand concepts.
Some parents choose to monitor their students' usage of the internet, as some of the sites may be found deceptive or inappropriate by academic institutions. Also, Internet resources offer students a wealth of opportunity for plagiarism.
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