| By Vicki Quinn 
Vicki Quinn is a language arts and drama teacher at
Bay Port High School in Green Bay. She began her teaching
career in September of 2003. | As a new teacher I know I have a lot to learn, and that each
day is an opportunity for me to become better at my job. In the
beginning of my career as a high school language arts teacher,
I wondered about the amount of homework to assign. Did I give
too much? Should I assign big projects over the weekend so students
have time to work? I needed feedback and began to search for a
solution. In the process of researching homework theories from
education journals and experienced colleagues, I discovered something.
If I ask the questions, I find the answers from a surprising,
yet obvious source-the students. When I started teaching, I thought I had to assign at least some
homework every night so that students would stay focused and practice
new skills. I also wanted to set high expectations. It seemed
to work-for a while. Then, I noticed that students didn't participate
in class discussions on the reading, and many of them failed basic
comprehension quizzes. At conferences, "Jason's" parents
confronted me about homework. They said they knew why teachers
assigned homework in classes, but they didn't appreciate how,
Jason , spent up to four hours on homework every night.
"Impossible!" I responded. "Students should average
about 20-40 minutes of homework for this language arts class."
"Yes." They nodded in agreement. "Now, add that
to 40 minutes of math, 45 minutes of social studies, 60 minutes
of health, and 30 minutes of science…" I suddenly understood.
Jason was a freshman in high school who, like many students, had
hours of schoolwork to complete after spending hours in school.
What about sports? After-school activities? Down time? Since I'm
an advocate of life-long learning skills found in and out of the
classroom, I realized that four hours of homework every night
doesn't allow for much else. I had to do something different for
my students' sake/for my students' sanity. I asked my more experienced colleagues about their homework theory
and found mixed results. Some teachers told me that they gave
homework about three times per week and rarely on weekends. They
read in the classroom and assigned no more than eight pages of
reading material in one night. Other teachers thought reading
two chapters every night was appropriate and kept the students
on track. I also heard from teachers who gave homework all week
long but never on weekends. There were even teachers who rarely
assigned homework at all. They used homework as practice-not graded
and not required. I realized that my colleagues had a variety
of opinions about this matter. I found a lot of their answers,
but I still didn't feel confident with my own homework theory. So I approached one more source for answers. Really, the most
important source. I decided to ask my students. After all, doesn't
their opinion matter? Unfortunately, I had mixed results yet again
and no easy answers Some students felt that homework was easier
to accomplish on weekends because they were not distracted by
sports, musicals, church activities, etc. Other students felt
that they wanted the weekend to relax and have fun, and they felt
that they could handle 20-30 minutes of homework per class a few
times per week. Yet the majority of students said they were glad
they had a variety of teachers who assigned homework in a variety
of ways. The only consistent thing they suggested is that teachers
talk to the students and each other about big projects---too many
in the same week is tough. In the end, the students gave me the most perspective about homework.
My current theory is variety and flexibility. I plan my lessons
with that in mind and make a note to ask about upcoming projects
in other classes. I think students appreciate that I am concerned
about their work load in other classes. I also think that if I
vary the amount of homework, students will stay fresh and ready
for it. I' m just about to begin my third year of teaching, and I feel
ready. For now, I' m confident about when to assign homework and
how much to give in one night. I' m also not afraid to ask questions.
The best part is that I'll know who to go to when I feel unsure.
And, I know from my students I'll find many answers. Return to New Teachers page Posted September 6, 2005 |