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Building Healthy Homework Habits
by
Eva Patrikakou, Roger Weissberg, Mary Hancock,
Michelle Rubenstein, and Jennifer Zeisz
Laboratory for Student Success
One of the key goals of the Laboratory for Student Success (LSS) is to
encourage school, family, and community partnerships to improve the academic
performance and the socioemotional development of children and youth.
Teachers face the challenge of educating an increasingly diverse student
population which is growing up in varied home environments. Families and
schools are both active participants in the education of children and youth.
Parents/guardians and teachers need to collaborate to improve student
achievement and school performance. Family members and educators each have a
distinctive yet interrelated role to play, and each has an important voice
to be heard.
In order for students to succeed in the classroom,
they must develop a structure of self-reliance and responsibility in the
elementary school years. Parents and teachers can collaborate in this
process by enforcing good homework habits at home and at school. When
parents and teachers work together to achieve learning success, children can
develop healthy homework habits that last a lifetime!
Getting Started
Establish a homework routine
It is important to establish a homework routine
so that students and parents know what to expect. For example, on Mondays,
introduce vocabulary words and have students use them in a sentence. On
Tuesdays, have students practice spelling each of the vocabulary words. On
Wednesdays, review the vocabulary words and meanings with students in
preparation for a quiz on Thursday.
- information about the homework
routine
- the amount of time students should
spend reading, studying, and completing homework assignments per day
- information about how homework
will be scored and how it will contribute to students’ grades
- specific suggestions for helping
children with homework
- ask parents to review homework
assignments and check if they are complete, neat, and accurate
- ask parents to provide you with
their feedback on homework assignments
- let parents know when and how to
contact you if they have concerns or questions about their child’s work
- provide parents with information
about homework resources (e.g., homework hotlines)
Ideas for Making Good Homework Assignments
Provide simple written instructions with
each assignment so that parents can help if necessary. Include the due
date and how it will be scored.
- Have students make a homework folder or assignment notebook. Make
sure that they record assignments and that the notebook/folder goes home
with them every day.
- Use a large “Homework Chart” in class to track students’ efforts.
- Students should be able to understand the task and complete it
successfully. Use only information and materials which are readily
available to students.
- Keep assignments interesting, not too long, and related to your
lessons. Assignments that lead to further exploration of a topic, a new
application of skills, or stimulation of home discussion will receive
more attention than assignments perceived as “busywork.”
- At least once a week, give an “interactive” assignment which
encourages parental participation. Provide parents with tips on how they
can reinforce classroom learning at home (e.g., count the forks when
setting the dinner table).
- Don’t wait until the end of class to give homework assignment.
Explain and discuss the task early on so that students can see how it is
related to the lesson and have time to understand what is expected. If
possible, let students start work at the end of class when you are
available to answer questions.
Provide prompt, specific feedback and praise
Without feedback, the positive impact of homework on student
performance is greatly diminished. Return graded homework papers as
quickly as possible. Your feedback should offer practical suggestions
for improvement where necessary and should always praise students for
their efforts:
“Your story shows great imagination, Chris! It was fun to read.
Next time please check and correct the spelling on your new words.”
“Good work, Sally, all of your fractions are correct. Please review
how to write out mixed numbers.”
Keeping Up the Good Work
Request student feedback
On occasion, ask students for their perspective on assignments. This
“reality check” may improve your understanding of students’ behavior and
work habits. Some questions which may help you revise your assignments:
How long did it take you to complete this assignment? Did you find it
interesting? How difficult was it on a scale from 1 (easy) to 10
(difficult)?
Request parent feedback
Instead of signing off that a homework assignment is complete, have
parents fill out a quick checklist that you can xerox and attach to
homework sheets:
____ How long did it take your child to complete this assignment?
____ My child completed this assignment on his/her own.
____ My child completed this assignment with some help.
____ My child needs more work on this skill/topic in class.
____ I need more information to help my child with this type of
assignment.
If parents do not respond to the checklist or the student continues
to have problems with homework, follow up with a call/meeting with the
parent.
Increasing Homework Completion Rate
- Let students and parents know how much homework will count.
Incorporate homework scores into the course grade. Or use a separate
Homework Report Card which describes students’ homework efforts for the
grading period.
- Develop a reward schedule to reinforce homework completion, (e.g.,
give a student a small prize or privilege for completing three
assignments in a row). Some ideas for prizes include school pencils,
erasers, and stickers; privileges might include allowing the student to
be first in line for lunch/recess or to choose a book for class reading.
Make a sign to congratulate students who are consistent in their
homework completion (“Follow these leaders…Michael, Amanda….”) or post a
photo of the “Hip Hop Homework Club.”
- To encourage the entire class to work on homework, offer a prize (10
minutes of extra recess or a class game) if everyone completes an
assignment on time.
Contact LSS Information Services for a companion
brochure for parents and for additional brochures on homework involvement
and positive communication.
Partnerships is a publication of the Laboratory
for Student Success (LSS), the mid-Atlantic Regional Educational
Laboratory at Temple University Center for Research in Human Development
and Education. For information about the LSS and other LSS publications,
contact the Laboratory for Student Success, 1301 Cecil B. Moore Avenue,
Philadelphia, PA 19122-6091; Telephone: (215) 204-3000; also visit the LSS website at
http://www.temple.edu/LSS. Copyright © 1997 Temple University Center
for Research in Human Development and Education.
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