When it comes to homework, some teachers say that it is an important assessment in order to see where students are. Homework, according to some teachers, allows students to use what they have learned in class and take it home with them so that the content learned in class "sticks." There are other teachers who believe that homework is not a useful assessment because the students have access to the internet at home and may have siblings or guardians who will help them do that homework. As a result, the non-homework teachers suggest that students are not actually using the content they learned and applying it on their own. What are your thoughts about homework? Would you use this as an assessment? Why or why not? If not this assessment then what would you consider to be a beneficial alternative in order to measure your students' growth?
In my opinion, homework is just another form of a formative assessment that can be used just as much as worksheets done in class, teacher observation, or exit slips. I think teachers put an emphasis on homework because it brings the concepts home to where they can receive help from their guardians/siblings with their work. Teachers oftentimes have a common misconception that their students constantly receive help and support at home. Unfortunately, not all students receive the same help and guidance that they need at home due to language barriers, concepts being taught a certain way at school but the guardian/sibling was taught it differently, and busy family members. Ultimately, we have to remember that students are also kids, and go to school for about 8 hours a day. Added homework is unnecessary and non beneficial to their lives as kids. A beneficial alternative to homework can be any other formative assessment that fits best for your classroom. Something as simple as an exit slip filled out about what they've learned for the lesson can substitute for adding unnecessary homework and stress to our students.
ReplyDelete