The Homework Debate: What is the ‘Right’ Homework?

Oct 4

In my role as an educational consultant, this is a question that I get asked often. Should we give our students homework? And if so, how much? I also encounter questions like these as a parent - in PTA meetings or message boards, and even at my own child’s open house. A parent was requesting more homework for her child and I actually cringed. More isn’t better when it comes to homework.

The Research

Research is actually pretty mixed at this point depending on the level; elementary, middle or high and the type of homework assigned (we’ll come back to this). Some studies show that homework can actually have more of a detrimental than positive effect - particularly in elementary grades. In this great article by Erin Gohl and Kristen Thorson they address the very real concerns that families have around homework, including the unintended consequence of creating tension at home and between the home and the school. Much of this issue really stems from the type and amount of homework given. Sending home packets and piles of worksheets to practice skills that students haven’t mastered and parents do not know how to help with is disheartening to say the least.

This problem is multiplied for struggling students. Homework that is above their ability level or excessive in quantity can lower their self esteem and frustrate them. In fact, Hattie’s research (2009) confirms that the effects of homework are greater for higher ability students than for lower ability students. When it comes to math homework on the standards, parents can often become frustrated as well since they are unfamiliar with the strategies being taught to their children. There’s an interesting blog post from Leading Great Learning that digs into the inequities of traditional homework. Students whose parents do not have the time or ability to help them can fall even more behind, widening the achievement gap and resulting in staggering inequities. The research is clear that homework needs to be “do-able” to have any kind of positive effect. Meaning students must be able to do it on their own.

In her book Let Them Thrive: A Playbook for Helping Your Child Succeed in School and in Life, Katie Novak explains that there are 3 types of homework: practice homework, preparation homework and integrative homework. Basically, not all homework is created equal. Practice homework is what we traditionally see the most of, think typical math worksheets practicing the skill of the day. Katie captures it well when she says, “Major advances in technology have made memorization less and less important. With computers and libraries embedded into our iPhones, we can look up the information we need in a second. In the future, it’s not what you remember; it’s the skills you use as a lens to critically think about the resources you explore.” Preparation homework includes reading, studying building fluency and other activities that prepare students for more rigorous content in the future. Finally, integrative homework is about the application of knowledge usually with authentic, real-world opportunities. If you are an educator, what homework are you assigning most…and more importantly, why? As a parent, what are seeing the most? What do you children gain the most value from?

Christina Tondevold of Build Math Minds talks about The Case Against Homework in her Vlog. Her top 3 reasons are:

In the early grades, it’s more about the home life of the child than their own personal responsibility. This is really the inequity piece mentioned above.
Let home be about being with family.
If you need to send homework, make it focused on that child’s needs.

My Math Homework Recommendations

Since my focus is usually on Universal Design for Learning and Math, here is my recommendation for math homework in elementary and middle school:

First and foremost, tell students why. Explain the point and the value of the homework you are assigning. Teaching is a lot like selling. Sell it to them. Gone are the days of “do this because I said so.” Students who ‘buy in’ are more likely to persevere in the face of challenge.

Be choosy about what you send home. One well constructed word problem can be just right. Give students the opportunity to come up with multiple solutions to a single problem to get them thinking instead of working through countless problems that they do not really engage with. Include your students names and make it about something meaningful and relevant in their own lives to increase engagement. And of course be sure it is a problem that they can be successful with. Typically if you do not mandate the use of a particular strategy students are able to draw pictures, use manipulatives, use mental math or find some way to attack the problem. They get the most stuck when they are afraid that they do not know the “right” way to solve the problem.
While nearly every student will benefit from practice with fact fluency, timed worksheets, flashcards and drill & kill are generally not the way to go. Are there games they can play online or apps that help them practice in a way that is more exciting? Or, if they actually like computation worksheets (believe it or there are some students who really do like them) can they choose which sheet they want to do? There are even printable games and activities from the Math Fact Fluency Companion Website and sites like Super Teacher Worksheets. Now that so many families are familiar with learning management systems from eLearning, are there fact review videos and songs that you can post for students to view, sing along with and engage that way?
Flip it. If your students have access to devices and internet at home, which many more students do after forced remote learning, a flipped classroom is a great option. My daughter’s dynamic middle school math teacher records her math lectures complete with visuals and exactly what students should take notes on. The homework is to view the lecture and take notes. Students do not need parent or caregiver assistance to view and take notes, which is what makes this a great “do-able” option. Then, the teacher uses her valuable in class time to work through problems with students. This way, when students engage in productive struggle, they have peer and teacher assistance just in time!
Encourage parents and caregivers to bring back Family Game Night. Maybe you have board games or laminated games available for checkout. Maybe have a parent night where you equip parents with the skills to run a successful Family Game Night. There is so much that can be done with dominoes, playing cards or dice. If you need help with this, we offer workshops for parents on 6 Strategies for Making Math Fun Again both as an interactive face to face family experience and in the webinar format. Click here to learn more about our offerings or to schedule a free consultation.