Homework: Two Tales

I had two interesting encounters with students and their homework yesterday.  In the first situation, an incredibly smart student made a conscious decision not to do homework, and in the other situation I discovered that homework was causing a good amount of stress in an already stressful home.

Homework and the Intelligent 

In getting to know the students the past few weeks, I have paid attention to how students spend their time between classes.  Some students sit down and prepare for their next class, most are engrossed in conversation with friends, and there are a few who read.  Of those that read, most read the typical YA fanfare.  I noticed one student with an old, tattered, red book.  I asked him what it was and was surprised to hear him say, "Plato's Republic."  Turns out that this kid is familiar with the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius and could speak intelligently about it.  In class he uses large words correctly, is interested in learning new things, and does very well on quizzes and exams.  

Knowing he's a high-level student, I was taken aback when he didn't turn in a homework packet yesterday.  When I asked him about it, he replied that he already knew the information, the worksheet was too easy, and he didn't want to waste his time. I couldn't argue with that; there's no doubt that he knows the information.  He knows the content and can articulately explain the standards we're working on.

I suppose I could make it an issue, but he has reached the standards; everything else is just "doing school."  

Homework can be used as an assessment piece.  I can see making a worksheet and escalating the questions from basic knowledge questions up to more complex analysis and evaluation questions, then allowing more advanced students to work on it backwards.  I can look at their answers and see where the students are excelling or having troubles.  Students that aren't reading major philosophical works can work from the beginning and work up to the more difficult problems, also giving me information about their understanding.

Differentiating for high-performing students seems like an easy win.  Escalating the questions on a homework assignment can do this well.

Homework and the Family

The second situation was much more eye-opening.  

I was able to talk to the parents of one of my students.  It turns out that the family is going through some tough times and the grades of my student are starting to slip.  The biggest factor is missing work.  Between the various pressures at home, the student doesn't have time to finish homework.

It was difficult to talk to parents about the student's missing work when I knew that the assignments contain mostly lower-level independent practice and review.  The value of the homework didn't justify the amount of stress it was causing in the family.  If homework is going to cause some disruption, it had better be worth it.

When I get my own classroom, homework will still be assigned but I'll be making an effort to ensure there's strategic value to the work by:

1. Making homework more of an assessment or enrichment piece.  
2. Moving a lot of the independent practice into the classroom where I can take a closer look at the work and check comprehension.
3. Reducing the amount of homework all together.

Both situations can be helped by making a few small changes to instructional strategies and the assigned homework.