My post this time I think will be much shorter than my typical. My question is really more of a challenge to see how it might be implemented in our school, than a question. As far as posting comments to my question, I'd like you to focus you questions and comments and challenging each others thinking along the lines of what Ron talks about in his Rule #16: Homework will be turned in each day for each subject by every student with no exceptions.
My question or challenge to you is this: How can you, and what would it look like to generalize this concept in your classroom?
I know in past years we have had discussions and even committees formed around the concept of homework completion. I think homework completion is important, but I really want the majority of your comments to focus more on how we could generalize that in the classroom so that it impacts you and your students in your classroom with your set of expectations. Maybe it is a chart of number of kids per class that completed homework. You could post that as 18/21 or in a percentage format. Maybe it is number of tests passed with at least 80% of the questions right/points earned. Maybe it is number of subtraction math facts known in 5 minutes. You decide what is important to you at your grade level, or maybe it isn't even necessarily a grade level thing. If you think it is important - go with it. Maybe you feel it is really important for kids to set goals to improve on the number of sight words that they know on average as a class and see if they can improve upon that average number from month to month. The point is, I can't tell you what it is that you should think is important. I do, however, love the idea of posting a public goal - which is really what Ron Clark's homework sign is all about.
It is about saying loud and clear, "Here is what is important to us in this class. It is so important that we want everyone else to know what it is." And then, more importantly, actually making a point to talking about that and utilizing that goal quite regularly to motivate kids to do their best. How cool would it be for us to be able to stop in your class, or maybe even more powerfully - for you to stop in each other's classrooms for the same purpose - to say in 3 seconds, "Hey guys, we're really proud of you. It says on your door that you wanted to improve on your class' overall missing assignments. It says you wanted to decrease your total number of missing assignments as a whole class by 10 a week, and this past week you reduced the number by 37! WOW! That is awesome!" What might be even more powerful is if you could look at some of the goals that your students are setting as individuals in their data binders and look for some common threads and try to set and post a classroom level goal that is achievable as a whole by most of the students meeting their own personal goals.
If you want us to announce that your class made their goal of improving their percentage of multiplication facts by 12% over the last time you did the test, and the goal was 10, tell us. We'd be happy to make a big deal of it! We can have everybody in the gym hooting and hollering or say something on the announcements in the morning...let your imagination go wild. If it is motivating kids to do their best, then we're all ears. Discuss...share...think...throw out ideas of how this might look, how might we support you in it?
Have fun. Think big. Go Bucks! (o.k. - maybe that didn't belong in there, but I figure that you really can't go wrong with that statement in any application. Our pastor said it in church the other day, after all. Actually, he started with "O-H" and you know what followed. :-) )
Ever since I read Rule 16, I have had it in my mind. When I first returned to teaching (about 18 years ago!), I was shocked with the number of students who did no homework or were very late. I have since employed both a "punishment" type and a reward type to encourage doing homework. The punishment was a permanent zero if the homework/classwork wasn't turned in by the chapter test. The reward was (and is) a bonus point for every homework assignment turned in the next day. Sometimes homework is not turned in. For example, a reading assignment for which students take notes. These notes are to be used DURING the test, which is a sort of reward. The grade is the reading quiz grade itself. The Freshman Academy idea of no student failing caused me to scrap the punishment. However, it also caused a lot of problems with last year's class since so many did not do homework. This year's class is much better at doing the homework, but are definitely not at 100%. I do not have a problem with this as long as they get it turned in the next day or so. I see many of our high school students, especially those engaged in after school activities, as needing to learn to use their time wisely. Not doing homework one night, but getting it done the next, might be the best use of their time. I am eager to hear what others do to encourage students to do homework with the hope I will read about an idea or two that I can try with our freshmen.
ReplyDeleteWhen I send home reading books for my students to read at home and return to school, they all must return the book in order to earn a reward. If anyone forgets their book, we do not get a reward. At first they are upset if someone forgets, but after that first time of not getting the reward, most everyone remembers the next time. I also make sure parents are aware of this condition so they can be supportive of the process. If you stick to your word, they do come around and follow through most of the time. I know kindergarteners do very little homework compared to other grades, but the idea is the same as Ron Clark does with his students.
ReplyDeleteThe problem I have with homework is , are we using it for busy work or a grade. The biggest complaint I have heard from parents, "why give homework over something they already know" For Ex. A teacher may give a student 100 multiplication problems and the student has already mastered multiplication. When my son was in school I went to the parent/teacher conferences and the teacher told me that he does not even look at the h/w, if it is done they get the points. Who are we helping here?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Roger that homework needs to be meaningful and relevant if it is to benefit the student. If it is busy work and not valued by the teacher, it means nothing, so why do it?
ReplyDeleteI think homework is beneficial if thoughtfully designed and is not overwhelming for students. I, like Sandra, have been thinking about Ron Clark's Rule 16: "Homework will be turned in each day for each subject by every student with no exceptions." I like the tally banner idea because it encourages the students to work as a team to accomplish a goal and peer pressure would definitely be a motivator.
Rule #16: Homework will be turned in each day for each subject by every student with no exceptions. I really like this rule, and Rule #16: Homework will be turned in each day for each subject by every student with no exceptions. I really like this rule, and I also like the Freshman Academy idea of it not being acceptable for students to fail. In my class, I do not send home homework every day, however, when I do send home homework, completion is the most important thing to me. Like Sandra said above, as long as the students turn it in within a reasonable amount of time, I am happy with that. What I focus more intensely on is that they complete the work and understand the concepts. If my students don't complete the homework within a reasonable amount of time, they will end up completing it during the school day in my room. My philosophy with this is that I don't give them homework often, but when I do, it is something meaningful that they need to know and understand. Therefore, I feel that there is no reason at all that they shouldn't be completing the work. This is why I will make sure that they complete it- even at school if need be. I also use a reward system that is similar to Belinda's. On days that I assign homework, I will tell the students that if the whole class brings the homework back the next day, they will all receive extra tickets to "shop" on Friday. This seems to give the students incentive to get their homework completed at home. I have the students drop their homework off in my room as they come into school. Later when they come into my room for class, I will let them know what percentage of them turned in homework. When they hear 100%, I usually hear some kids say "yes!" :) Of course, I am also saying the same thing because I get excited when they all complete their homework as well!
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Roger about homework being meaningful and relevant. If it is not both of these things, the students will not be motivated to complete the work.
ReplyDeleteI really like Belinda's idea about rewarding the class if everyone brings in their reading books. In the past, it has been very difficult to send home reading books and get them back. I may try this idea in the future. Also, I agree with Roger, in that homework must be meaningful and relevant. I believe that the Book It program through Pizza Hut has really made a significant impact on the amount of kids in my classes that read at home. I know that I loved this program as a kid and it must work because it's still around. Also, this year the second grade teachers and I will be having end of grading period parties for students who missed no more than 5 homework assignments and who had significantly positive behavior results each day (maybe a few warnings). So far we've had most of our kids turning in homework and very few behavior issues. Hopefully this reward system will benefit the students in keeping them focused on extra homework practice, reading at home, and keeping their behavior positive at school.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Roger in making it relevant. After giving a homework assignment the previous night, I will always go over it the following day so students can correct any errors and ask any questions.
ReplyDeleteIn math, in order to motivate students regarding homework, I have challenged them to turn in each homework assignment when it is due, no exception. If they do this, they will earn a reward at the end of each math unit. If homework is not completed, that student must spend their recess time completing the assignment they did not turn in, and the class does not earn the reward at the end of the unit. I had 1 student forget their homework today and the end of the unit is tomorrow. They were so disappointed, but I'm hoping this is something they will view as a challenge and take seriously.
Due to transportation issues we can't keep students after school for an hour. I think the key is letting the parent know the child didn't do his homework. Most likely if the child is kept after school the parent is notified. For the 5th grade we have been making students call their parents if they don't have homework done. This is effective but takes a lot of time. I made up a form to have students take home and get signed if they don't have their homework done. I think most students are telling their parents they have their homework done. The parents believe them unless we tell them otherwise.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with everyone when they say that homework needs to be meaningful and relevant. When I was in school, I remember doing hours of homework that just felt like busy work. I do however believe that our students need to be responsible for themselves and when there is homework that it needs to be complete and turned in on time. I like how Jen goes over homework the next day and has her students fix any errors.
ReplyDeleteI am with LInda. After conferences last night, we found a lot of kids are telling parents that it is done when it is not. The parents were not happy that their child was lying to them. (And yes, I put it that way, lying...)
ReplyDeleteI talked to my kids on Monday about putting a poster in the hallway. Several wanted to know if I was really going to bake for them. I said yes I would, if they do the homework. Now, that is 2 or 3 classes at a time...lots of brownies! They thought it was worth a try to encourage their classmates to do their homework. I read them the story about the girl who missed on the 62 day. We talked about not punishing her because she had already punished herself inher tears and embarrassment. It was interesting to see their reactions and to hear their comments. I am planning to put the poster up by Monday to get it started.
I do agree that it needs to meaningful and relevant. I also think it is necessary in trying to teach kids responsibility. Think about it, what kinds of homework do we have in our careers? What kinds of homework are all workers in our society responsible for? They need to be on time, ready for their tasks, prepared for each day. We need to teach this at a young age.
I also would like to start a homework club, but with limited funds to pay the teachers for it, it doesn't seem feasible. I also don't want to be responsible for it 5 days a week by myself. I think some kids don't know how to manage their time when there is an assignment due in a few days vs. tomorrow. Some kids don't have a home life conducive to homework/studying...we have all the materials right here in our classrooms to help them for an hour after school. For almost all kids, an hour is all it would take!
The poster goes up and I can't wait to see how it works. They seemed excited that I would bake. I told them that after several days in a row (beyond the first 10) that I might have to "spot check" or "spot bake" on the rewards. I haven't completely figured that out yet.
So...the question is, does anyone want to share night with me, for free, for an hour after school for a Homework Club to help them get things done? I am tutoring 2 nights a week, so I am already out those 2 nights. Let me know!
I like to bake so Patti I'll be glad to make brownies, cupcakes, rice krispie treats, cookies etc. after 10 straight days of 5th graders doing their homework. I also make awesome Buckeyes (if I do say so myself)!!! I love the idea of a group goal and a poster in the hallway.
ReplyDeleteI have thought about making a banner for homework. I love the idea and it would encourage the kids to bring in their work in a timely manner. I may do this. Something new I have started this year is Tally for Tables (I stole this from Janet). Tables can earn tallies for teamwork and good behavior. Today we counted how many tallies we got as an entire class because we noticed we had the most tallies today than any other day. Now the class has a goal for tomorrow - as a class they want more than they got today. I loved the motivation I saw on their faces and I think this same concept can be applies to homework.
ReplyDeleteI volunteer to the the official "Linda Davis awesome Buckeyes" taste tester...you know, I want to make sure that the kids are safe and everything... :-)
ReplyDeleteIn all seriousness, I think there are some good things being thrown around here, but dont' lose focus of what the question asks...How could we generalize this concept in our building, in our classrooms etc. I'm not discouraging folks who want to try thing regarding homework completion, but how do we take that concept to a larger scale issue? What might that look like?
I have a sticker chart in each of my students' bag of books, but find it isn't that much of an incentive. After reading this Rule 16 section it motivated me to think of an answer to getting my students to return their books on Monday. I like Belinda's idea as well as several others so I am glad for something positive I can do and I don't have to reinvent the wheel.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Roger and Debbie that there are some issues with homework. There were times as a parent that I did not see any validation for homework that was given. It should not be "make-work", it should be something of value to the students. If 10 problems are enough they shouldn't have 50.
I am torn by this rule. It is important to give homework if it is relevent, but what about those students that do no homework but ace the test? They obviously learned the material, but we punish them for not doing nightly homework. I think that we need to change the culture and that begins with the parents, if the parents realize how important homework can be they will keep on their child to complete it everynight. Now parents make 101 excuses for why homework wasn't completed, instead they should make sure it gets done.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone about the relevance and amount of homework given. I reward my class with a marble in their compliment bag on the days when every student has all homework done. Marbles are used for extra recess time.
ReplyDeleteI really didn't understand Dave's question at first, but after thinking on it (because my computer battery died) I now think he's looking for ways to use goal banners or charts in a public way, to motivate kids. I do this on occasion in my room. Right now we have a small goal chart for improving overall Study Island Scores by winter benchmarking. Last year I made graphs of average class grades between interims and report cards. I have tried it with a little success. Here's my problem. I have found that I don't like to see chart upon chart, of student data hanging on our walls. It feels cold and uncomfortable to me. My favorite time of year is around the Arts festival when our halls are filled with student work showing their talents and creativity.
Students in Project MORE don't have homework, but when they complete a book they have a slip that a parent signs and sends back to school if the child reads the book to them. The signed slips are all put in a container and once a month one is drawn out for a reward of an ice cream party. They can invite up to five classmates and they have ice cream, cookies,and juice. I think it is great that they get to share their reward with their friends. They all have individual graphs that track their cold, warm, and hot reads. They always love it when their numbers go up that track these reads. It definitely gives them a great feeling of accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteThank you Kathy Schrader. Why couldn't I have come up with something more clear like what she said? Goal banners is a good way of putting it. Now don't everyone go slap a sign above your door just yet. What I was trying to focus on is making sure that your kids know what you value in the classroom. The goal being, that they know the goal - whatever it is - and that knowing what they are shooting for becomes the motivator for achieving it. "Publishing it" outside the door is one way, I don't know necessarily that it is the only way. I was looking for other ideas of how you could build upon that kind of concept. Thanks again Kathy.
ReplyDeleteYES! The point of setting "clear expectations" for students really struck a chord with me in this section of the book. Students (especially NUE students), I think, genuinely want to meet our expectations. We just have to tell them what they are. They are much less inclined to stop and look at data graphs in the hallway than they are to check out the wildcat way signs you all made.
ReplyDeleteGoal banners are good, what about students making individual goal banners for the year? And then posting things they are proud of- not just things associated with school- papers/tests/etc., but also things outside of school: Showman of showmen, scoring 3 baskets, learning how to tie shoes, a new baby brother, making the 5th grade musical or getting a solo! Better yet, if these are accessible to others, let them write/post something on each others' banners- "Awesome game last night, Billy-Bob Brown!" "GREAT job playing the drums in music class, Suzy-Sunshine." This is a good way students to encourage and support each other and for teachers to encourage individual students.
Rule #16: Homework will be turned in each day for each subject by every student with no exceptions.How can you, and what would it look like to generalize this concept in your classroom?
ReplyDeleteThe old homework question! Always brings up questions- is homework really effective in raising student achievement and what goal does it serve in the classroom? I have mixed feelings on the homework issue- do we really need to give kids more to do outside of class? Really, do you think homework helps get anything more in your class or their acheievement of the content? I think the other thing we lose perpesctive is homework is practice and should not be something new but should be something a student has done over and over. So again, does homework really need a grade? I will say as I have told 5th graders we all do work at different speeds and some of us may need time outside of school to complete in class assignments or just more time to synthesize information and therefore that becomes homework. I can not say that I assign things on purpose for homework but kids will have homework if they need more time to complete assignments or more time to study for tests. Yes, I would love for kids to turn in homework when I tell them to but it goes back to fighting the culture of the community which becomes frustrating! This homework rule was one of the ones I loved how Ron Clark posted in his hall or room how many days with all homework turned in and when one student forgot it that one time it went back to zero. That student was devastated and probably felt horrible and I know we feel that is cruel in a way but his students reaction to that was amazing! The sense of pride and coming together as a class family was far more of a benefit than a homework assignment being turned in! I like what Dave commented in the latter portion of his question- it is all about praise and getting kids to feel the community of the classroom and to find ways for all to be successful! I do believe we don't hoot and holler enough over academic successes as much as we should as this level. We should be hollering about the academics as much as we do about our sports!!! We need to create a balance of celebrating academic and outside success of our students! They all need to feel the connection.
How to generalize or get kids to do thier homework every night and to turn in assignments is one of those policies that I think would need to almost be school wide and an expecation the kids learn early on and really know it.
Patti and Linda- I am all for the buckeyes and brownies!! I think the public posting of homework completion was an awesome message Ron clark sent but I have to agree with some others that there has to be other ways to do this same thing! I want a long term answer to getting the kids to take on the repsonsibility of writing down assignments and completeing them by the due dates. I also had Rhonda Burggraff talk to me early in the year about parents starting a homework club (she had a cute name for it) where the school was open a couple nights a week from like 6-8pm where parents could come in with their kids and help each other with homework. Nothing that teachers had to be involved with (unless wanted to) but more of parents supporting parents. And as she suggested one parent might be comfortable doing the math homework at a certain level while another would be comfortable doing the reading homework ,etc. So parents could swap kids and subjects, etc. to help everyone get what they needed. Homework Clubs are really about tutoring kids in what they need extra help with not just getting homework done. If the focus is to get homework done then my question again is what is the purpose of the homework assigned. Homework is just as much about parents as kids.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Susan that so much homework is busy work to appease parents and admin because as a teacher you feel as if you have to do this because homework has been done since the beginning of time.
Message- From Linda Meyaer
ReplyDeleteLittle Kindergarteners do not have homework sent home as often as older grades. Since homework is primarily done along with parents, and parents have evening appointments, homework collection should be more flexible in Kindergarten. Agreeing with others, having reading books returned is necessary. After all, the books are school property!
I do like the idea of having a treat or reward when all students return the homework on the assigned day. To begin the rewarding system with my students, I’d like to work for table groups to achieve 100% to receive a reward. Then work towards 100% from everybody later on. I agree with Debbie Barns that the homework encourages the students to work as a team to accomplish a goal and peer pressure would definitely be a motivator to have it returned on time. However, in Kindergarten sometimes, we need to “train” parents what our classroom homework policy is and our expectations.
I believe that we see that the goal in making a public recognition of turning in assignments or following through on classroom goals is to build intrinsic motivation. I think that this would be effective in a great deal of students. I think in my class it would manifest itself as a published class goal for students reaching a 75% or better on a cumulative assessment. As the lone NUMS respondent, I see a fair amount of students that have lost interest in pleasing the teacher and there are even a few have no desire in pleasing their peers. My question is how to reach out to those? It is frustrating to be the “nag” that is constantly asking students to show what they know by turning in assignments. Would a poster that makes them publicly accountable be enough to get them onboard with developing a stronger work ethic and greater intrinsic motivation?
ReplyDeletePatti- I, too, love the idea of a homework sign/banner for homework completion. I think it would work well for my class this year. I think I would make the food for them at intervals (Day 10, 15. 20, etc..) instead of every day like Ron Clark did. I like to set class goals to improve our overall MAP scores and Study Island Benchmark scores. Graphing these scores and our improvements are a great visual for the students. Last year, we were reviewing before the Math OAA and after their papers were passed out I asked the kids why they thought I had given them this set of papers to work on with me. They all laughed and said it was because it was the class's weakest area! The activity had a purpose for them and they understood why it needed to be covered. I think they also felt more confident during the test, because they knew we had worked hard on improving their weakest areas. Kathy and I had talked about having a reward party of some kind if students had shown improvement in individual Study Island or MAPS scores. I think this would encourage some of our students who rush to take their time while testing on the computer. We could do a school wide reward party for improvements in these areas. The kids would love it!
ReplyDeleteAs Valorie stated, I too have had difficulty getting books returned so I like Belinda’s idea of rewarding the entire class if everyone remembers to return reading books. I like the idea of hanging banners/posters to show progress or goals for the class as long as we don’t go overboard and have banners for everything. It will soon lose effectiveness. Several years ago I had a kindergarten sight word club and once everyone learned his/her sight words we would have a small party. To help ensure that students could meet this goal I encouraged reading buddies to help students practice sight word lists.
ReplyDeleteKelli- Can you explain to me how you had the class create class goals to improve Study Island and MAPS benchmark scores? That sounds like a great idea! I also had planned on creating a homework banner to post in the hallway and like the idea of making treats in intervals, like every 5 days after day 10. I think peer pressure is a great motivator.
ReplyDeleteDave-What about some type of school-wide goal? I don't know what that would be but think it could be powerful. I know that we are aiming for Excellent with Distinction on the school report card but how about something more short-term that would involve everyone? I think it would also be fun to have some type of school cheer/rap/handshake etc. to go along with our Wildcat Way pledge to encourage each other and pump each other up. Does that sound crazy?! Just a thought.
Beth-I love your idea of not only acknowledging students not only for their hard work in class or homework, but to bring it into their extra curricular activities! I always try to make sure I know what my students are doing outside the classroom, but don't publish how great they were. Something to look into doing! Oh and I love their names! :-)
ReplyDeleteI also really like the idea to make a poster or something to hang up so students can see how many days they turned in the homework or something along those lines. I am having a lot of trouble getting all of my math students to turn in their homework, all suggestions are welcome! Love the ones I've read so far!
I noticed a lot of comments about books not being brought back. I had that problem my first year, but didn't have it last year and so far so good this year. One thing that I do differently is that each student now has their own personal "envelope" where they keep their books and response notebook. This envelope goes back and forth between school and home and parents know exactly what to look for. If all students in a reading group do their homework each night, the whole group gets to do a BIG project at the end. Last year one group even got to make a video about their book. It was awesome! :-)
I think that if we were going to set a classroom goal in my room, we’d want to work a month at a time so that we can celebrate when we’ve done well. I can’t say right now what our goal would be, because I would need to ask my students what is most important to them. If they’re working towards a goal they need to think it’s important because if not, they won’t work as hard to meet the goal. Kids have to have ownership for what they’re working towards. I’d have to have my kids look at what they’re struggling most with and let them decide what they’d like to work on. My guess is that they’ll choose either MAP scores or Study Island scores. I’d love to do this and post our goal on our door, so I’ll let you know what they decide!!
ReplyDeleteRena, I like your idea of a school-wide goal. It seems like the obvious goal would have something to do with the Wildcat Way. We could look at decreased behavior issues or increased Caught Being Good rewards.
First of all, I was wondering if I was going to ahve to bake, but I now have 2 bakers in my hallway! Thanks Patti and Linda! I agree with homework being meaningful and relevant, as what everyone else has stated thus far. (It's late and I almost forgot to do this) Anyhow, in my classroom I believe I stated this last week, they work as teams at their table to do homework. If everyone in their table has their homework completed, then the table marks a point. If they don't then we meaning the fifth graders are calling home or we are sending home a paper that needs to be signed by the parent. The table at the end of the woweek that has the most points will get the reward. The majority oif the students abide by this, but it is usually the same students who bring down the whole table. On occassion, the whole calss has their homework completed and then I let them mark 2 points, and I then have to do a cartwheel! Now, you are all saying whether or not this old lady can still do a cartwheel and she can! Now, though I think I am going to post a homework chart in the hallway for each of the 5 periods of Science that I teach. They are now not only going to compete with their own classmates, but also with the different periods and see how this works. I have Patti and Linda who will bake, so I think then that I am set as far as the rewards!
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ReplyDeleteOh, I would love to give homework to my 4th and 5th graders. The problem is… a week away from me, I am not going to have many remember. Sort of a been there, done that thing. However, the concept of if I assign you homework I expect you to bring it back completed. THANK YOU! Clear and firm expectations are what the rule boils down to me. Students should know we are not assigning them homework, just to assign them something. Therefore they need to see the value in what they are doing.
ReplyDeleteI also liked Bethany’s idea of letting students be proud of their accomplishments, regardless of the origin, in a public way. Perhaps each class could have a blog.
I agree With Jill R. that at the middle school level students are much less likely to "buy into" the classroom goal concept.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking along the same lines as Kelli G. and plan to do a party for my students that raise their MAP scores.
I don't see any teachers that I work with assigning meaningless busy work for homework. Most of the time homework involves finishing up something not completed during class or preparing/studying for quizzes/tests. The last section in math we gave the students a review with 10 problems for homework. I planned on rewarding the class if everyone had it done the next day. Several students did not complete the review. It was an important assignment because the problems on the test were like the ones on the review. I was going to go over anything students didn't underatand on the review before the test. The ones that didn't do the review didn't know what they needed help on. Also, in math many times the students think they know how to do the problems when they don't. Going over the homework the next day shows them what they got incorrect.
I agree with Roger about giving homework as busy work. I tend to not give a lot of homework because I don't want them to have a lot of papers that I, in turn, am just going to grade and give back. With Math homework, I give out the home links that go along with the section we went over for that day. When grading, I am looking to see who is really getting the concepts and who is struggling. I like the idea of putting the poster outside the door showing how many days in a row the class turned in homework, but I don't think that would be the important area in my classroom. After our first Math test at the end of Unit 1, I took the kids' test and hung them outside the classroom under their names because I was so proud of them. I wanted everybody to see that the students did well on the test and they should have been proud of themselves for having their work outside the door.
ReplyDeleteI also struggle with trying to find what is most important because there are things that may be important to one student that may not be important to another. I would like to find something (like the homework poster or the Math tests) where the whole class can decide what is important and what goal we want to have to show the whole school.
Homework has always seemed to be the topic of discussion in 5th grade. I like the idea of having a school wide system or goal for students to achieve, however, I'm not so sure if it's the "homework" we should strongly focus on but the growth. After reading many of the posts on here, I am seeing that everyone is about looking at a rise in Study Island scores, MAP scores, etc. I thought about doing some type of competition between my 5 math classes after reading the book last year, but decided against it because I didn't want the homework assignments to become more of a competition than a learning tool. Some of the lessons taught in 5th grade math are challenging for the parents to help their child, so I always tell my students to do their best and we go over it the next day(they get completion points, if it is something I don't feel should be taken for a grade). I think with the homework competition students would write in an answer so they said they could say they tried in order to get the points which would defeat the whole purpose. I look at homework as additional practice and if their MAP & Study Island scores rise then they are learning from classwork and homework. I think we need to find a way to motivate students to learn and do better in general, not necessarily just improve on completing homework assignments.
ReplyDeleteI think homework is important in teaching children a good work ethic, I don't think they need a ton of homework every night, but it begins to teach them about time management, doing your best because you're worth it (it's just not for Loreal) and it does prepare them for future academic experiences, I mean we want our children to go to college, and I know I had tons of assignments and tests to study for when I was in college and I imagine it'll be the same for my kiddos. I start homework in PK. Now of course my expectations are different for little people who truly rely on parents to get their homework done, but if they don't get it done at home they have to do it during centers. And trust me they do not like to lose center time. I remind them, even as little as they are that homework is important and if mom or dad forgets I expect them to remind them...they may not be literate but they can use their words (or at least some of them can:)) As a second grade teacher it was very different, we kept track of our homework in our data folders, if you turned your homework in for the month you were on Green Team, when you made the team I took your picture and posted it in the hall for all to celebrate, then you got to eat lunch with me in the classroom and I always provided a treat for everyone. On Green Team day all my students who made it stood in front of the class and we all cheered for them. They worked hard and they deserved to be receive a pat (or cheer) on the back. Also as a second grade teacher my students wrote monthly goals to improve certain academic or behavior weaknesses, so if someone was having trouble being responsible for homework I would encourage them to consider writing a homework goal, of course it was their decision to reflect on their weaknesses and decide what they felt was most crucial to work on. It is important to expect homework and to establish that day one...and a little encouragement from peers isn't a bad thing. I think in the book he refers to it as peer pressure, but I think I'd rather call it community encouragement...because a classroom is a learning community. As a school we are a community, so to have a school wide (or maybe primary/intermediate appropriate) homework goal is totally acceptable, and will only benefit our students in the long run.
ReplyDeleteLast year all of the 5th grade teachers posted Study Island scores (not just Benchmarking since Science and SS do not have this). The data Kelly and I shared had how each class period performed compared to other classes as well as the State of Ohio. Students looked at these charts for weeks as they stood in line for lunch. It seemed like a real motivator for them!!
ReplyDeleteAs for the homework-I have the same concerns about homework as Kelly Byers. There are many students who can gets A’s on tests but do not do any homework and complete few classroom assignments. If we are measuring how well they know the standards, is homework really the answer? If a student has mastered the concept, then maybe they should be exempt from the homework or better yet, be provided with a more challenging project. I agree with Ron Clark and his many rules, but I really struggle with Rule #16!
A little bit of homework teaches a lot about responsibility. Somewhere, I remember primary teachers calling homework folders "responsibility folders." I am very much in favor of a little nightly review of important skills, and I give homework pretty much every day.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of school wide recognition is intriguing. What if, at Project Pride assemblies, classes with 100% homework completion for the month were announced, allowed to stand, and be applauded by all present? Wouldn't it be magical to see every student standing & applauding for their peers?
1. I give students a ticket for each homework assignment they turn in. After two days in a row of not turning in homework they owe me recess. One concept I think homework instills is responsibility. However, I do agree with others that homework does need to be relevant. Adding on to that, homework should be a skill students need practice in but are still able to complete independently, as many do not receive help at home.
ReplyDeleteKelly, Linda and I are baking for our own classes, not yours!!! If you make the deal with them, you have to bake!! I have really enjoyed all the comments. The banners go up in the morning for the new nine weeks. The kids are ready to start fresh again and see what they can do!
ReplyDeleteMy comments about a homework club were to give kids a place to be where the person in the room CAN help them. Parents complain all the time that the "way I learned math is NOT what they are teaching them now." Well, that is true. Some parents are not able to help with the homework at the 5th grade level. They don't know how to do the math, or science, or don't speak correct English and cannot help to make a correct sentence...I seen you last night, for example. It was a suggestion for those kids who go home and don't have the parental support and then just don't even try to do the homework.
I agree that homework should be meaningful and not busy work and that students should be responsible for homework. However it is a little different at the K level. Most of the homework that I send home is work that is dependent upon the parents or other adult in the home helping with the homework. If a parent isn’t responsible or doesn’t care about it then it doesn’t get finished or returned. I wouldn’t want to do a class reward and have a K student, by no fault of their own, be responsible for the class losing out on the reward. I do use class rewards for behavior because the K students are directly responsible for that and it works. When Jani starts giving out the papers in the library that gives the number of times the red light went off, I keep track of them. If the class gets a zero paper we put it on the wall. If they get four zero papers in a row, the class gets a reward. If they do not get a zero paper then we take the papers down and they start over.
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