Homework can be an effective tool to improve learning, practice skills, and identify content that needs additional instruction. Or, homework can be a tiresome, tedious and arduous task that becomes a nightly battleground and source of family discord. Of course, nightly homework typically falls between these two extremes.
Like most tasks in life, developing a habit of good homework practices greatly reduces the stress of the daily task. Perhaps easier said then done, the following are offered as suggestions if the student's homework experience is less than positive and rewarding. When testing out each suggestion, remember that the goal is to practice skills and make note of any content that needs clarification and additional instruction in a stress free and positive environment.
I often hear from a few families that homework takes "all night" - it simply is too much. When it is reported that the student worked for three hours on homework, I know immediately that something is wrong. In the youngest grades, homework should take 5 - 10 minutes. By eighth grade, students should be spending, on average, 60-90 minutes a night working on homework for 10 or so minutes per subject area. As a rule of thumb, a person's attention span is one minute per year of life up to the age of 20. It is common that a 10 year old loses focus and concentration after spending 10 minutes at a single task. When it is reported that a student of that age spent two hours "doing homework" the problem typically is that 10 minutes were spent concentrating on the assignment, followed by many minutes of diverted attention and a lack of ability to refocus on the original task. Due to the loss of focus based on the attention span limit, the remaining time spent "doing homework" is ineffective. My suggestion is to practice "sprint" homework. Have the student identify a part of the homework that can be completed in 5 - 7 minutes. Challenge the student to work hard on the work that should be completed in that short a time, and reward the concentrated effort on that limited part of the homework. Then, take a short "mind break." A minute or so for the mind to rest and recuperate from the intense, yet short, work. Continue practicing "chunking" the homework into small parts, and completing the small parts as quickly as possible. For example, in math, challenge the student to complete 10 homework problems in 7 minutes (adjust for the difficulty of the problems). As the challenges are met, increase the number of problems. While this might take some practice, after a few successes, there should be a noticeable improvement in the time it takes to complete an assignment.
Another rule of thumb is that parental involvement in homework should be reduced by 10% for each grade level. So, parents should supervise the 5 minutes of Kindergarten homework 100% of the time the student is doing the homework. In first grade, the student should be independent in completing homework 10% of the time. By 5th grade, students should be 50% independent in completing homework. By eighth grade, parents should be involved in homework no more than 20% of the time. Parents should never "do" the homework - simply check in and encourage students to stick to good homework practices. Parents should resist "teaching" their students how to do the homework, but rather point out when homework is being done incorrectly. If the student is not able to complete homework due to a lack of understanding the parent should contact the teacher with that information. Only with this feedback can the teacher diagnose instructional deficiencies and adjust the instruction to insure mastery of the content.
To assist in developing good homework habits, parents should provide three "ingredients." First, make sure there is a consistent, scheduled time to do homework. Not only does this make homework "important" but it also sets the body's clock to be ready to do homework. Second, make sure there is a consistent location to do the homework. When a student sits in the same place at the same time, and each time that happens homework is the task to complete, there is a tendency to get on task more quickly and waste less time. Third, be sure that nothing else happens in the location chosen to do homework. No music, TV, crafts, etc. should ever be done in this location dedicated to doing homework. Be sure the supplies (writing instruments, paper, books, perhaps computer) are available at this location all the time. The idea is that when a student sits in this location, it is down to work, as the only thing that happens here is homework.
It is important to note that completing and submitting homework is a student's responsibility. The teacher imposes consequences when homework is not completed (loss of grade, loss of free time, loss of classroom privileges) - there is no need for parents to impose additional consequences. Parents should always reinforce that completing and submitting homework is a family value. By supporting this value, and supporting the teacher imposed consequences, students soon learn the habit of completing homework. But, the only way to develop this habit is to practice, practice, practice. When the time comes that a student fails to complete homework, that time should be turned into a learning opportunity. The student should learn that the teacher is disappointed and must help the student learn to do homework on time and accurately. Parents should help the student learn that attention to school assignments is a family value and one that will not change. Parents should reinforce the habit acquisition by sticking to the homework routine.
If, after trying the suggestions above, homework remains an unpleasant and disruptive experience, the parent-teacher-student team should meet to discuss the problem and create a plan for transforming homework into an efficient and effective habit that will serve the student throughout life.
Like most tasks in life, developing a habit of good homework practices greatly reduces the stress of the daily task. Perhaps easier said then done, the following are offered as suggestions if the student's homework experience is less than positive and rewarding. When testing out each suggestion, remember that the goal is to practice skills and make note of any content that needs clarification and additional instruction in a stress free and positive environment.
I often hear from a few families that homework takes "all night" - it simply is too much. When it is reported that the student worked for three hours on homework, I know immediately that something is wrong. In the youngest grades, homework should take 5 - 10 minutes. By eighth grade, students should be spending, on average, 60-90 minutes a night working on homework for 10 or so minutes per subject area. As a rule of thumb, a person's attention span is one minute per year of life up to the age of 20. It is common that a 10 year old loses focus and concentration after spending 10 minutes at a single task. When it is reported that a student of that age spent two hours "doing homework" the problem typically is that 10 minutes were spent concentrating on the assignment, followed by many minutes of diverted attention and a lack of ability to refocus on the original task. Due to the loss of focus based on the attention span limit, the remaining time spent "doing homework" is ineffective. My suggestion is to practice "sprint" homework. Have the student identify a part of the homework that can be completed in 5 - 7 minutes. Challenge the student to work hard on the work that should be completed in that short a time, and reward the concentrated effort on that limited part of the homework. Then, take a short "mind break." A minute or so for the mind to rest and recuperate from the intense, yet short, work. Continue practicing "chunking" the homework into small parts, and completing the small parts as quickly as possible. For example, in math, challenge the student to complete 10 homework problems in 7 minutes (adjust for the difficulty of the problems). As the challenges are met, increase the number of problems. While this might take some practice, after a few successes, there should be a noticeable improvement in the time it takes to complete an assignment.
Another rule of thumb is that parental involvement in homework should be reduced by 10% for each grade level. So, parents should supervise the 5 minutes of Kindergarten homework 100% of the time the student is doing the homework. In first grade, the student should be independent in completing homework 10% of the time. By 5th grade, students should be 50% independent in completing homework. By eighth grade, parents should be involved in homework no more than 20% of the time. Parents should never "do" the homework - simply check in and encourage students to stick to good homework practices. Parents should resist "teaching" their students how to do the homework, but rather point out when homework is being done incorrectly. If the student is not able to complete homework due to a lack of understanding the parent should contact the teacher with that information. Only with this feedback can the teacher diagnose instructional deficiencies and adjust the instruction to insure mastery of the content.
To assist in developing good homework habits, parents should provide three "ingredients." First, make sure there is a consistent, scheduled time to do homework. Not only does this make homework "important" but it also sets the body's clock to be ready to do homework. Second, make sure there is a consistent location to do the homework. When a student sits in the same place at the same time, and each time that happens homework is the task to complete, there is a tendency to get on task more quickly and waste less time. Third, be sure that nothing else happens in the location chosen to do homework. No music, TV, crafts, etc. should ever be done in this location dedicated to doing homework. Be sure the supplies (writing instruments, paper, books, perhaps computer) are available at this location all the time. The idea is that when a student sits in this location, it is down to work, as the only thing that happens here is homework.
It is important to note that completing and submitting homework is a student's responsibility. The teacher imposes consequences when homework is not completed (loss of grade, loss of free time, loss of classroom privileges) - there is no need for parents to impose additional consequences. Parents should always reinforce that completing and submitting homework is a family value. By supporting this value, and supporting the teacher imposed consequences, students soon learn the habit of completing homework. But, the only way to develop this habit is to practice, practice, practice. When the time comes that a student fails to complete homework, that time should be turned into a learning opportunity. The student should learn that the teacher is disappointed and must help the student learn to do homework on time and accurately. Parents should help the student learn that attention to school assignments is a family value and one that will not change. Parents should reinforce the habit acquisition by sticking to the homework routine.
If, after trying the suggestions above, homework remains an unpleasant and disruptive experience, the parent-teacher-student team should meet to discuss the problem and create a plan for transforming homework into an efficient and effective habit that will serve the student throughout life.
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