Homework

FINALLY! Something I feel is working! Well, maybe 80% working. I don’t think I’ll ever find a 100%-awesome procedure for homework and re-teaching, but I wanted to share my successes.

I finally did it. I stopped giving points for homework. I give homework daily, but I don’t grade them. I do record whether or not it was completed, but it does not go into my grade book, but rather it is documented on a seating chart so I can see their current record of completion for the week.

How I check homework. I really don’t remember who I stole this idea from, but it’s working great for my Algebra 2, (not so much my Algebra 1, just yet).

Students write at the top of their assignment “#:__ Easy:__ Hard:__”. “#” tells me how many of the problems they completed. If they did all of them, they just write “all”. They write the problem number of the one they found the easiest, and then they list all of the problem numbers difficulties solving, or did not complete.

I walk around with a seating chart checking students who completed the assignment. If they had issues that I can address quickly, I do so right then and there at their desks. If multiple students had the same difficult problems listed, I do those on the board after the quiz. I often spot check one main problem that I wanted to make sure the students mastered on this assignment, too.

The process takes around 10-15 minutes, but to me the feedback I get from seeing student issues, and the quick immediate feedback students get for minor issues are worth the time. Also, during the check, they are discussing and working out warm up questions that I still do not go over, but which gets them mentally prepared for their upcoming SBG quiz.

So why is this working? First of all, by not offering points for homework, I feel students are much more HONEST about their work and showing me what they don’t understand. I see a lot less copied assignments from students just trying to get those homework points. It did take some work to get there though. For the past three weeks, I’ve been hammering into their heads that they are responsible for their own learning!! I remind them that if they choose to copy homework, they don’t get free points toward their grade. They still have to demonstrate their knowledge of the material on their SBG quizzes, and copying homework will not let them practice the skills necessary to be able to do this; copying homework will not allow me to identify their errors and help them be successful.

Wait, no points are given for homework, and the students still complete it? I do have the advantage of being on our unique block schedule with embedded support, and thus I can still hold students accountable for their assignments without making it worth any points. And this leads into my re-teaching methods, as well. Any student who did not complete their homework is given an ALTERNATE assignment that must be completed before they leave. They are different problems from the original assignment, so they cannot just copy what another student has, and they cannot work on it until I give it to them near the end of the class period (or during our embedded support time built into our schedule).

Sometimes, if it’s just one section of the homework the students had difficulty with, I’ll just make them do just on that one section in the alternate assignment.

On the alternate assignment, I am much more careful in checking for accuracy and identifying errors, because most likely the students who did not complete their homework are the students who need more help. When I first started this process a few weeks ago, I made sure they understood the reason for the alternate assignment was to ensure that they are successful in my class. I do this by checking in on them constantly and reviewing their progress as they work, and then asking if they had any questions on any of the problems. I want them to feel that they have support they need to complete the assignment, and I am not just giving them the assignment merely as a punishment. If they are still working when the embedded support period ends, then they do stay in after class until they complete the assignment, and I approve of it.

Doing this has allowed me to give much more individualized attention to the students who really need it. This has also allowed students to really start taking responsibility for their learning. I’m seeing that students who I know would have normally just given up and walked out the door at the end of the period without worrying about their current SBG grades, but are instead forced to complete their assignments are staying in after class EVEN LATER to retake some of the SBG quizzes. Many have brought up their grades and shown great strides in learning, and the ones that don’t, I’m able to give them even more individual attention, give them practice problems, then encourage them to come back next time to show me they still understand it.

It’s great to see a student smile after failing a quiz, not because they are happy to leave my room, but because they felt they have learned something and are more prepared to show me they understand it the next time they come in.

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