Underlying Issues with Homework document discusses: - Research has shown homework provides little benefit and can be frustrating for elementary and middle school students. It is more effective for older students. - The purpose of homework should be to provide practice, not introduce new concepts. If assigned, feedback is important. - The flipped classroom model moves lectures outside of class time, allowing more class time for discussion, activities, and practice with teacher support. Even partially flipping the classroom can improve homework by making it more purposeful.

2. Underlying Issues with
Homework
 As a student, did you like doing
homework?
 As a teacher, did you like coming up with
homework assignments, assigning
homework, grading homework, etc.?
 As an administrator, do you like hearing
from students, teachers, or parents about
homework?

3. Negatives Positives
 Frustration  Largely Mythical
 Exhaustion
 Little to no evidence
of a positive
 Lack of time for correlation in
other activities Elementary and
Middle School
 Parental impact
 Never been a study
that has
substantiated the
belief that homework
builds character or
teaches good study
habits
Overall, research has been unclear due to factors such as degree of parental involvement, support, types of homework given, etc.
In 2010 McREL saw an effect size of an average of .13 in assigning homework.
Of the research out there, there is evidence that homework is more effective for older students. In grades K-2, researchers have
found very little to no effect.

4. Let’s talk purpose and
practice...
 We know homework is intended as an opportunity
to provide practice, and should never be used as a
means for students to learn something new.
 Speaking of practice…
Practice is the act of repeating a specific skill or
reviewing small amounts of information to increase
recall, speed and accuracy.
 Remember- practice makes…

5. Permanent!
 If
students are incorrectly practicing a skill, they will
have difficulty learning that skill, as well as breaking
bad habits.

6. Let’s Replace the Word
Homework with Practice
 What would you give for “practice” to
students?
 Practice is more effective when it requires
students to work on more than one skill at a
time- if students practice finding the radius of
a circle given the circumference, but not
finding the circumference given the radius,
the students tend to do less well.
 Practice is more effective when students
receive and can access feedback.

7. Wormeli on Homework Practice

8. Homework Dos and Don’ts
 It should be assigned as needed.
 Homework should be directly tied to the skills
needed for achieving mastery or learning
objectives
 If it is given, there needs to be feedback.
 Time is less important than the quality and
type of assignment.
 “5 are as good as 15, 10 as good as 30. One
page can demonstrate mastery more often
than 3 pages.”- Pete Grande

9. What is Being Assigned as
Homework?
Put your teacher hat
 Let’s think

on for a minute…
 Think about when progressively
the students need about how
you. Is it during the
lecture or the homework is
discussion?
 Do they need you for
utilized in the
the YouTube video flipped
you are showing, or
the assignment after classroom.
watching?

10. The Flipped Classroom

11. It Does Not Have to be a
Completely “Flipped”
Classroom to Improve the
Homework Situation
 Teachers spend time with students in the
classroom rather than sitting at home without help.
 Examples- Teacher makes a video of the lecture.
Students watch at home, and the discussion
and/or work can take place in class.
 Science- A teacher wants to provide steps or
procedures. This is less time taking away from the
actual classroom tasks.
 Gym- Explain what the students will be doing in
class for “homework”. Then students are able to
do more of it in class.
 Math- Review the steps of finding volume. In the
class, you actually do the measuring.

12. The Concepts Behind the
Flipped Classroom Just Make
Sense
 The beauty of the flipped classroom lies in
the realization that instruction takes place
in different mediums.
 We need to match the instructional
activity with the environment that makes
the most sense.
 Classrooms are not a place for students to
be passive observers and consumers in
the learning process.

13. How Do We Improve the
Homework Situation?
 It comes down to what you are
assigning…
 It needs to be purposeful and practical
 The practicing of a skill should be at a
level of which students can do it
independently
 The amount needs to be monitored

14. What will it take from us?
 Sharing the information… Our teachers probably
just don’t know. They assign the types of
homework they are because that’s what has
always been done. That has been the
expectation.
 Don’t include in the actual grading- it should be
reported separately.
 Involve parents and students in the process
 Taking the concepts of the flipped classroom and
apply them to homework and creating an active
learning environment to the classroom