Bringing Homework Into Focus. Eileen Depka

Chapter 4 discusses considerations to determine when and if homework should be given.

       Chapter 5 clarifies grading practices as they relate to homework.

       Chapter 6 assists the reader in taking the next steps and viewing positive practices, evaluating current practices, and working to close the gap between current practices and the desired state.

      Although the title for this book refers to homework, it may help to consider that homework most often refers to any work done outside of the classroom. Where the work is completed is typically not relevant. However, the purpose of the task is incredibly relevant and changes the focus of the intent and outcome of the work. The descriptions of the type of student work are valid no matter the location in which a student is working, whether inside or outside of the classroom. It is the type of work that gives us direction as to how to respond to the outcome, not the location in which it is completed.

Importance of a Team Approach

      When teachers work collaboratively to improve their practice, the result is beneficial to students. In a professional learning community (PLC) approach for example, authors Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, Robert Eaker, and Thomas W. Many (2010) reveal that a PLC is “an ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve” (p. 11). The collaborative team discussion questions at the end of each chapter will assist in this process.

      Types of Work and Their Purposes

      Over the years, I have heard dozens of reasons for the assignment of homework. Class was cut short, and there wasn’t enough time to finish the lesson. Without homework, students will lose skills over a vacation period. Poor student behavior, poor test performance, or poor preparation for advanced placement calls for additional homework. Students need homework to practice a skill or prepare for a test. Homework is a way for students to practice skills addressed during class, or homework is an extension of the school day. Homework provides discovery work for students (Guskey & Bailey, 2001). The list goes on. However, reasons are not the same as purpose. Ultimately, purpose defines the reason and why it is important for the student to engage in the task.

      The word homework is just as global in scope as generic adjectives such as good, big, and nice. Often we fail to more clearly define the purpose of the homework for both the students and ourselves. Are we assigning a task that will provide information about the readiness level of students for the next unit? Are we asking students to do some introductory work so they are ready for class the following day? Are we assigning practice work to ensure that students have a better understanding of concepts or processes introduced in today’s class? Is it also possible to assign a task or project that sums up the skills and concepts learned while providing evidence that students can demonstrate their understanding of recent lessons?

      In this chapter, we will assign purpose to homework by dividing it into four main types of student work.

      1 Diagnostic

      2 Introductory

      3 Formative

      4 Summative

Diagnostic Work

      Diagnostic work serves to identify what students know in advance of a unit of study. It provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate their background knowledge, which is likely necessary for success in the upcoming unit. For example, assessing the understanding of factors in math might precede work on simplifying fractions. Similarly, evaluating students’ knowledge of the concepts of cause and effect would be valuable information to have prior to beginning a social studies unit that concentrates on the causes and effects of certain historical events like World War I, for example. Diagnostic work does not need to be extensive, but it does need to supply the information required for a teacher to make decisions on next steps. Figures 1.1 and 1.2 provide an illustration of diagnostic assignments.

Figure 1.1: Example of diagnostic work—simplifying fractions.

      When reviewing the students’ work on finding factors, this form will illustrate whether or not a student understands the concept and whether or not a student can illustrate his or her understanding. It can be used at the beginning of a unit of instruction to evaluate basic understanding prior to going on to numbers with several factors. The student is asked to complete three examples to ensure that he or she is able to repeatedly get a correct response. In the case of this student, he was able to complete numbers two through four accurately. In number one, although he was able to talk about the meaning of a factor, he failed to list all of the factors of twenty-four. This could mean he either didn’t know them or just didn’t include them. This student may need additional opportunities to demonstrate his understanding of factors with larger numbers like thirty-six, sixty-four, or one hundred.

Figure 1.2: Example of diagnostic work—cause and effect.

      As the teacher reviews student responses, he or she can quickly evaluate student understanding. Does the student understand that in a sentence or group of sentences the cause does not need to precede the effect? Can the student write sentences in which the cause comes before the effect and other sentences where the cause comes after the effect? The assignment can be used to evaluate whether students can identify cause and effect in something they read, whether they can write a quality sentence illustrating cause and effect, and whether or not they can order the cause and effect in different ways. The directions in this graphic organizer can become more sophisticated depending on the age of the student. For example, it may be preferred that the student write a short paragraph. With a young student, an illustration may be preferable.

      Students’ performance on diagnostic work also identifies their strengths and challenges, which the teacher then uses to build lessons that correspond to the associated needs. Such diagnostic work might include specific questions addressing the content. For example, a teacher can use a tool similar to figure 1.3 when beginning to teach a standard that addresses components of a story—plot, character, and setting—to assess prior knowledge. Because the standards are the basis for what is taught in any subject at any grade level, starting with a standard will pinpoint the target on which the lesson or assignment is based. Any story familiar to the student can be chosen for the task. The clarity of students’ responses and the depth of the information provided will help the teacher plan next steps. As a result, teachers will be more knowledgeable of not only the students’ understanding of the vocabulary used but also of their ability to provide focused, detailed information. This type of diagnostic tool is also versatile for elementary and secondary schools because the content is connected to the grade level or course.

      The student responses based on the story of Little Red Riding Hood show that the student has a basic understanding of the word plot, is unsure of what characteristic means even though the student is able to provide some examples, and is able to give a fairly detailed example of how setting is important to the story. When describing the plot, the student is superficial in the response. This could mean that she needs to refer back to the story to provide some specific events, or it could mean that she needs additional instruction or exemplars regarding expectations for a good response. Diagnostically, however, the student shows that she has a basic understanding of plot, character, and setting.