Homework
How much homework should be assigned?
Tammy,
Generally, homework supports what occurs in the classroom. I might give more assignments and weight if students are needing extra reinforcement.
Barry Westling
I personally assign homework's as much as possible as long as it will impact on student knowledge.
Godwin,
The benefit I see in homework is the opportunity for students to do problem solving and practice critical thinking on their own. I usually give a lower weight to homework, so there is less penalty for missed answers and more incentive to try all the problems.
Barry Westling
I assign homework according to the weight of my class, and how much time we spend in class. We are a career college so my homework are reports/videos/drug cards etc... things that will be so beneficial in the end.
Ali,
Homework can help with supporting the content with what's presented in class. I've found that with some content, it's the homework that creates the "ah ha" moment. Also, memorization of recall facts is a great use for homework assignments.
Barry Westling
In the pastry program, the homework is outlined in the course syllabus.
In my personal opinion, not enough homework is assigned. In a 6 week term, there is about 1 hour (total) worth of math homework. And maybe another 2 hours worth of reading.
Aside from the fact that the majority of students don't even bother to complete the homework assignments, because they are weighted extremely low, they neglect to do the reading as well.
I have actually had students tell me that they should not have to do any reading! What they needs to know should be covered in the lecture/demo. Its funny to me, in a way. But I don't know how to respond to that, other than saying that the reading is supplemental to what we talk about in the classroom.
(I attempt to tell them my story about reading: I was trained in cuisine, not pastry. I am 100% self taught in pastry arts, and A LOT of my knowledge comes from reading, not only text books, but magazines, cook books, online publications, etc. I do not know where I would be today if I relied only on what was verbalized to me in the kitchen classroom over a decade ago.)
Jean,
I think homework is a very under-rated learning assignment. I've thought that maybe homework should occur during class, and students could read PPT's and other lecture material at home. The benefit would be that the students would have the benefit of the instructor while performing assignments. Sometimes, this is called the "flipped classroom" concept. Trying new things often leads to amazing results.
Barry Westling
I think it is important to provide homework often. Homework forces them to study on their own time. It also focuses their attention to the information that is important for tests.
Jamie,
There are many positive benefits to homework, and I think this is an often underrated, overlooked opportunity to help assist with understanding course material. Also, as a result, instructors will weigh the homework with low point value, subtlety suggesting that the assignments are not that important.
Barry Westling
I am not necessarily "flipping" the classroom concept but in my remedial math class, I almost always allocate the last twenty minutes of class for starting the day's homework assignment. This way, I can provide one-on-one assistance to those students needing a little extra help or attention.
Randy,
Great! I have many math components in my courses, and I like to first demonstrate the rationale and way to derive an accurate answer, then, put some sample problems on the board, have the students work them out with me, then I give a take home assignment, but leave time to begin working where I can offer my assistance right there and then.
Barry Westling
Homework should not be given as busy work or just as another grade in the gradebook but should be assigned as needed to force the student to engage in the class material. Homework should prepare the student for upcoming quizzes, exams and other assignments.
Richard,
Yes, and in some ways, homework should be considered as important as another assignment. Homework as busywork is just a time waster, in my opinion.
Barry Westling
I find that explaining and going over the homework the next day helps the student to better understand the lesson that was taught the previous class.
Patrick,
This makes sense. Students need feedback to make progress.
Barry Westling
I assign homwework for every chapter because it is reinforcement for learning. Homework helps the student to be prepared for lecture.
Aleatha,
Yes, and sometimes the homework may be the most important part of learning.
Barry Westling
I give graded take-home quizzes that help the students summarize the material they will be later tested on. They can then use this as a study guide for the test.
Our students are told up front that no homework will be assigned.
