Around the Edublogosphere: Homework #1, Homework #2, Classroom Management

Homework #1--How Mrs. Bluebird gets her students to do homework

Mrs Bluebird teaches middle school in a low SES school. A couple of years ago, she attended a national conference for middle school teachers, and came away with this gem.

One of the workshops that Mrs. Eagle and I attended was on increasing student motivation. As anyone who has ever taught middle school knows, these kids can be slugs. We had a lot of problems with kids turning in work, especially homework, and were looking at some innovative ways to motivate them. (I wish I could remember who the presenter was, but alas, I don't.) The presenter put forth a lot of good ideas, but the one that resonated with us was something we call the Homework Helper. He said that the number one reason kids don't do homework is because they don't understand it.

His solution is to give the kids the answers to the homework.

Okay, I know what you're thinking because you could have heard a pin drop in that room as we all looked at each other and went, "What????" Homework is, after all, practice. If a kid doesn't get it, and does the homework wrong (if he does it at all), then he's repeating the wrong thing. He's learning and remembering something that is wrong. However, if you give the kid a key to check the work, then they're doing it correctly, and learning it correctly.

Wouldn't it be great if all teachers were as insightful as Mrs. Bluebird?

Homework #2--Dana Huff wades into the studies on homework and achievement

It all started with a discussion over at The Teachers' Lounge on homework (Homework Myth? Kids Need a Break, Ban Bad Homework, Alfie Kohn Weighs In , Drudgery or the Pursuit of Knowledge, Spotlight on the Home, The Dichotomy of Homework, and a Final Word from Grant Wiggins).

Dana Huff (who teaches high-school English at a private school) carried on with digging into the research on the value of homework. She and I share two frustrations:

1. What counts as homework? There doesn’t seem to be much rigor in the definition.

2. Does the age of the student affect the results? In other words, is homework equally effective in first grade and tenth grade?

The Blogger Formerly Known as RdKd, now blogging as Catching Sparrows, sums up the classroom management discussion

I do, in fact, stand at the door between each period, but what is so illuminating about what Mr. K says is that I do often feel as if I’m establishing a contract with students in which certain behaviors will not be indulged in my classroom, and I know the other effective teachers out there do the same. Over at Joanne Jacobs, I commented about the gray areas between “show ‘em who’s boss” management styles and the fallacy that its only alternative is some sort of “let’s all gather and hold hands” soft approach.

It’s a social contract, with the heavier responsibilities and behavior restrictions actually lying (rightfully so) on the teacher’s shoulders. In return for the students’ agreement to behave civilly and responsibly, to communicate their needs and dissatisfaction in an appropriate manner, and to reject inappropriate behavior within the classroom walls, the teacher’s portion of my personal, internal contract (the one I relay to them through my actions throughout the year) reads something like this:

You will have to go read her post to get her list of behavior expectations--for herself.

I have been observing a 4th grade student for one of my gradschool classes. In second grade, this young man had a host of behavior issues. Miss C., his teacher this year, is brilliant in several dimensions, not the least of which is classroom management. I don't know if Miss C. has a contract with her students similar to Catching Sparrow's, but she behaves as if she does. Miss C's classroom is a calm, orderly, respectful place. My young student is thriving and learning. Miss C's approach lets him stay out of frustration and fear, which means many, many fewer behavioral problems. Fewer behavioral problems means the student is experiencing academic success, which again contributes to better behavior.