The Role of Homework

The role of homework has been a controversial one ever since I began teaching.  Traditionally it is included as part of a grade in order to give a student credit for trying.  It is a measure of effort.  What happens, though, when trying still results in an unfinished assignment?  The student's grade is reduced in some way or another. 

I have taken quite a bit of my methodology from a well-respected high school math educator and author of 'Every Minute Counts' and 'Making Minutes Count Even More',  David R. Johnson.  Here, Dave suggests the use of a homework quiz given after students have had a chance to correct their mistakes.  I have used this technique in the past, and I believe it worked well (though my students may disagree ;).  The idea is that more kids will try practicing, or doing the homework, if they know their parents will see the grade they got on it.  Yet, there was always the argument, though rarely was it truly the case, that the homework didn't need to be done because the student had already mastered the skills.

When it comes down to it, the primary objectives of homework are threefold:

1)  to allow the student to practice the skills they are expected to master,
2)  to allow the teacher to see areas of trouble and address them in a timely manner, and
3)  to allow parents to monitor the effort their child is putting into learning.

Keeping these objectives in mind, I am considering continuing grading homework in a similar fashion as I have in the past, but not including the actual homework grade in the final grade.  This would mean that, almost daily:

1)  homework would be checked for completion the day after it is assigned and recorded in the gradebook,
2)  students would work as a team to 'check and change' their work,
3)  each team would be allowed to ask at least one question, and
4)  each student would be expected to fix their mistakes.

Then, at the end of each one or two investigations (5-9 assignments) I would collect and check their homework for the following:

• most of the assignments have been completed on time,
• all mistakes have been completely corrected, and
• a randomly picked problem is correct from every assignment.

If all assignments are complete and corrected, and no more than two assignments were completed late, that student would earn a homework pass eligible to excuse any assignment in the future.

Not including the homework grade in the final grade means that the final grade will be based on tests, quizzes, and reflections.  All tests and quizzes will remain open note and open book according to the recommendations of the Connected Math Program, and can be corrected as well. 

“Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.”  - Chinese Proverb

Related Links:
http://educatech.wordpress.com/2010/03/30/grading-homework-a-waste-of-time/
http://skill-assessment.suite101.com/article.cfm/homework_to_grade_or_not_to_grade
http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Homework_Policies#Research_and_Theory_on_Homework
http://www.nctm.org/resources/content.aspx?id=17290
http://www.nctm.org/resources/content.aspx?id=6336