Five Ways to Design an Effective Elementary Homework Policy
There are decades of research showing that doing homework increases student achievement. However, there has been a recent trend suggesting that it may not be as helpful as we thought, especially for younger students. It can increase the amount of time students spend learning about academic subjects and keep them engaged with content outside of the school day. Research shows that homework is most beneficial for students in middle and high school, but elementary students can benefit from it as well as long as it’s appropriate. Studies show that kids in classrooms with appropriate homework policies will, on average, do about 20% better on tests than students in classrooms with no homework.
Researchers have discovered some troubling drawbacks to assigning homework. Some researchers have suggested that punitive homework policies can cause a lot of stress for students and their families and create unnecessary competitiveness. Mandatory homework can also cause harm to kids that are socioeconomically disadvantaged who may lack the necessary resources to complete homework regularly.
There is also the issue of access to content. For students who are not meeting grade level expectations because of learning disabilities, language, or other reasons, homework can be a major struggle. When kids struggle to complete homework independently it can cause a big strain on family relationships and create unnecessary stress in the home.
The biggest concern however is the lack of training for teachers around assigning homework. If teachers are assigning homework that is not appropriate or relevant, it’s not surprising that the benefit to students is minimal or non existent.
So how can teachers design appropriate homework policies that will allow students to reap the benefits of homework without causing harm? Here are five ways to analyze your existing homework policy and adjust it to meet the needs of your students:
1. Ask for input from families
One of the most helpful and rewarding things a teacher can do at the beginning of the year is to have listening meetings with each family in their new class. This can be done in person or over the phone and it gives both teachers and families a chance to get to know each other, ask questions and start the year off on the right foot. It’s also a great opportunity to ask families about their expectations, and concerns with homework. Gathering all this information from each family at the beginning of the year can help inform your homework policy so it meets the needs of your students and their families. Ask about how much time families would ideally spend on homework each night and what kinds of learning activities they enjoy doing with their child. When you know what families are expecting and capable of, you’ll have an easier time designing a policy that can work for everyone.
2. Differentiate as much as possible
This can be tricky, but once you’ve got a system down, the benefits are huge. Since there is always a wide range of abilities in every classroom, it’s important to give kids goals to work on that are specific to their individual strengths and challenges. Differentiating homework isn’t too different from other types of differentiation you might already be doing. For example, if you have a group of kids that you always work on long vowel sounds with, give that group a homework assignment on that topic after each group meeting. If you already have differentiated small group instruction, adding on a homework assignment can be a low maintenance way to add in some differentiation.
3. Prioritize important daily habits
Make certain practices an expectation and everything else a bonus. For example, reading should be done daily, so perhaps the only thing that is mandatory each day is completing a reading log, or taking reading notes. Maybe your class needs extra practice with math facts, or writing fluency. You can give a math fact log or journal assignment each night. Choose a top priority for your class and make sure kids stick to it daily.
4. Utilize long term projects that target important concepts and skills
When you are planning a unit of study, identify the most important skills and concepts and think about how you can create a long term homework project around them. Project based homework systems are also a great way to differentiate and keep things interesting. They can give you and your students an opportunity to focus on one area of study or blend multiple subjects together. They might look like book reports, interviews, creative projects, anything that can help students extend their learning outside the classroom. The more relevant the project is to your kids real lives, the better. Think about how you can incorporate student choice and involve family and community members.
5. Incentivize completed homework
Can we all agree that keeping kids in from recess or excluding them from fun class activities to finish homework is the absolute worst? Especially for younger kids, one of the biggest benefits of homework is actually just building the habit. Most of the time, when we want to build a habit, we reward ourselves for meeting goals and sticking to them, rather than punishing ourselves for making mistakes. The same goes for kids and homework. Think about how you can create an incentive system for turning in homework on time. Kids can earn points for each time they turn in their homework by the due date and use the points for prizes or special privileges. Or perhaps it’s a whole class incentive when everyone turns in homework on time. There are lots of ways to get creative and motivate kids to build this habit, without punishing mistakes.
The debate about homework will continue to be ongoing, because there isn’t one strategy that works for everyone. Every child is different and so each year, policies should be examined and adapted to work for the unique needs of your students and families. With the beginning of the school year right around the corner, this is the perfect time to start thinking about changing up your homework policy. Leave a comment down below about your about your ideas for homework for the upcoming year!
