Homework is work that teachers give students to complete outside of the school day. Homework is meant to provide students with practice for what was learned in school or an extension of what was done in class. Students are expected to complete the homework and return to school with the completed homework assignment.
Why Do Teachers Give Homework?
Most teachers give students homework so that they can practice something that was taught to them during class.
For example, if a teacher is teaching students how to add decimal numbers then the homework assignment would be for students to try adding decimals at home independently.
In my science class I never give my students homework that isn’t meaningful or practice towards a learning standard.
Gone are the days of giving homework that is “busy work”.
Also, when students return the following day their homework assignment is incorporated into the lesson so they quickly figure out that completing homework is necessary.
Some teachers, myself included, will use homework as a formative assessment.
If you are unsure what formative assessments are then you need to check out this article I wrote recently.
What Does Homework Look Like?
Homework can be almost anything.
Some examples of homework may include a simple worksheet to complete, a long term project, research, reading, a journal entry, completing something online, a drawing, or the continuation of something started in school, and just about anything else.
Homework isn’t limited to one specific thing.
With my eight grade students I have assigned videos for them to watch, creating a slideshow, completing a CER (more about the CER here), conduct a survey for data collection, and more.
I have even had them collect leaves to identify the following day in our science class!
If you are a teacher reading this make sure to make your homework assignments interesting and worthwhile, don’t just assign homework as busy work.
Do Teachers Have To Give Homework?
No, teachers don’t have to give homework.
Usually teachers have discretion whether or not they are going to assign homework.
Personally, the principal or school district I work for has no idea how often I assign homework or what I assign for homework.
This decision to give or not give homework solely comes down to the classroom teacher.
The Importance Of Homework
The importance of homework is a heavily debated topic these days.
On one hand you have teachers that will say it is necessary that students continue learning outside the classroom in order to be more successful inside the classroom.
On the other hand some teachers will say that homework isn’t necessary as long as students are working hard during the school day.
Another reason homework is seen as not necessary is because students these days are so busy out of school that they don’t have time to complete homework.
Who is right?
I’d say it’s probably somewhere in the middle.
There is nothing wrong with a little homework for students but it shouldn’t be assigned every night.