I really enjoyed this month's topic since it is a daily battle for me. I work in the "Instructional Support" room at the High School where students are given the oppportunity to start and even finish their homework during school after a small minilesson is conducted. Even when given the time and support, some students do not complete homework.
I am constantly asking myself why this is. Many times, teachers allow students to sit in class and not do it. There does not always appear to be any consequences for not completing assignments. I liked the idea of parents being contacted but many times, parents really don't care either. As long as their son or daughter gets a D and passes, they are okay with it. Less for them to deal with when they get home is their attitudes. In those cases, it is difficult, but not impossible, to help the student learn the importance of homework/practice.
In other cases, students do not complete homework because they have no concept of the skills needed to complete their homework. Maybe they don't know the content, maybe they don't have a quiet place to complete homework, maybe they are too embarrased to ask for help or maybe a combination of all those things. The point is that teachers need to step up and figure out what is preventing a student from being successful even if that requires more time and effort on the teacher's part.
I am going to share this chapter with my students and see if they can understand WHY they have to complete homework. Maybe we will even fill out several homework squares that are on page 65 to further their understanding of the purpose of homework.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Homework
This section was really interesting section to me, in that, I can't figure out how to get my kids to complete their homework!! After reading this section, I realize how important it is to make sure the kids know WHY they are doing the homework, and that doing it, can actually HELP them!!
I liked the teacher's idea from the text- She made sure that each student knew WHY they were completing the homework and WHAT they needed to know to complete the homework (p.65). I don't think that a high school student would take the time to fill out something like this every night, but maybe once in a while as a sort of reminder to them that what they are doing IS important!
Working with high school students within the SPED program, I have realized, that they are generally:
1. discouraged
2. frustrated
3. confused
with their homework, and most parents are not as invested in their child's education as I remember my parents being. (This is only a generalization, I know that this is not the case for every student) I would love to learn how to better work with parents regarding their role in their child's education.
I co-teach with one particular math teacher that has each student sign a contract at the beginning of the year stating that they know the homework policy. She explains to them the research on homework, how much they should have, and what they should expect to accomplish by doing their homework. There are also consequences. Students that miss more than three homework assignments in one term are given a detention and a letter sent home (to be signed and sent back) to their parents. Each subsequent missed assignment results in another detention. It seems to work for our kids. They very rarely miss assignments because they know the expectations ahead of time, and they know that there are consequences for not completing it!
I liked the teacher's idea from the text- She made sure that each student knew WHY they were completing the homework and WHAT they needed to know to complete the homework (p.65). I don't think that a high school student would take the time to fill out something like this every night, but maybe once in a while as a sort of reminder to them that what they are doing IS important!
Working with high school students within the SPED program, I have realized, that they are generally:
1. discouraged
2. frustrated
3. confused
with their homework, and most parents are not as invested in their child's education as I remember my parents being. (This is only a generalization, I know that this is not the case for every student) I would love to learn how to better work with parents regarding their role in their child's education.
I co-teach with one particular math teacher that has each student sign a contract at the beginning of the year stating that they know the homework policy. She explains to them the research on homework, how much they should have, and what they should expect to accomplish by doing their homework. There are also consequences. Students that miss more than three homework assignments in one term are given a detention and a letter sent home (to be signed and sent back) to their parents. Each subsequent missed assignment results in another detention. It seems to work for our kids. They very rarely miss assignments because they know the expectations ahead of time, and they know that there are consequences for not completing it!
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