Why Don't Your Kids Do Homework?

10/4/2017

We can have the conversation about the value of homework. We can point to the research, bring up anecdotal evidence, or talk about how it prepares kids for (insert your choice of false sense of a justified next step). Honestly, that's not what I'm here for right now.

One big hurdle for me has always been the homework completion rate. Why aren't kids doing their homework when it is assigned? Well, it's just kids these days. They don't have the work ethic, they're too hooked on their devices, their parents enable them, they expect things to be given to them, and sooooooo onnnnnnnn...

During a discussion with one of my colleagues, I asked her if she had ever asked her students about why they weren't doing their homework. Y'know, going straight to the source. In a fit of frustration, that's exactly what I did, and the results were--to say the least--enlightening.

"I didn't feel like it."

"I get home at 4:30 and have to take care of my brother until my mom gets home (late at night). To be honest, I just don't have time by the time she gets there."

"My brother got admitted to the hospital after getting beat up at a party, so I've been at the hospital with him. I'll turn it in tomorrow."

"I have 5 classes and all of them give me homework, so I pick a couple and rotate so I don't go crazy."

"It was too hard in class, so I didn't even try."

"Well, to be honest, I'm failing Chemistry right now, so I needed to focus on that work. It's not like I didn't want to do it."

"Why do you care?"

I'm not going to dive into each of these responses. Instead, I am encouraging you to ask your students the same question. If you're having trouble with students completing your homework, and you're not ready to remove the practice altogether, it might be a good idea to find out why your students aren't doing it.

To help, I'll walk you through what I did:

I sat down at the front of the room
I told them that I was in need of some help
I asked them to be honest
I asked them why they weren't doing their homework

Yep, that's it. And, believe it or not, a group of teens who felt like nobody ever listens to them opened up and shared the brutal honesty. There were other responses throughout the day, but the ones above are the ones that stuck out the most to me. In fact, they resonated so much that it was one of the deciding factors in me eliminating a homework requirement completely.

So what's next?

Rather than assigning homework that would be collected and graded, I offered voluntary practice sets. Much like a homework assignment, I would put the handout at the back of the room, the page number on the board, or post it to my online resource page. Much like a homework assignment, I told the students that I would give feedback on what was turned in. What is different, though, is that I didn't make it mandatory. It was recommended that students would try a few problems throughout the week, but I figured that those who could do the practice, would. Those who couldn't, for whatever reason, wouldn't.

I must say that it was much less stressful than trying to collect, grade, and enter 178 student papers every time I gave homework. So, selfishly, it was pretty awesome.

Was it perfect?
No. Of course not.
Was it better than what I was doing before?
I believe so.
If nothing more, it showed that I cared about their responses, and hopefully it showed that I cared about them.

Now, my questions to you: After asking your students why they don't do their homework, what did they say? More importantly, what are you going to do with their responses? How are you going to show your students that you care about the feedback they provide?

Happy "Honest Feedback" Fishing

Update:
Here are some featured comments from the Twitters

I love this! Ask 'em. I bet some of their answers will break your □. The after school lives of our kids have changed & so must we. #bpsne https://t.co/aZbaPbnLSz
— Lisa Olsen✨ (@LisaWatsonOlsen) October 6, 2017

Right on. Don't collect HW. Construct assmts that are open HW/notebook. It's important for Ss to see value in doing/referring to their work.
— Mary Gentry (@marylgent) October 5, 2017

Great perspective to add to the conversation and an impactful comment from @MrsNewell22 that shines light through the parent/educator lens. https://t.co/k60NytNEin
— Trish Kepler (@KeplerTrish) October 5, 2017

Love this! Asking my 5th grs their opinions helped me be a better T. They are honest & insightful.
— Laura Wagenman (@laura_wagenman) October 5, 2017

Talk about a reality check! This post is regarding teenagers but I assumed the elementary kids would have alarmingly similar answers. https://t.co/N11KYLBYmQ
— Katie Breedlove (@KatieBreedlove) October 5, 2017

2 Comments

Chrissy Newell link

10/5/2017 08:17:10 am

Thanks for this post, John. This has been a hot topic in our house from our perspectives as both parents and teachers. We got to the point last year with our then 2nd grader that homework was literally tearing us apart. I contacted her teacher in April and let her know that Cora would not longer be completing the homework packet, but that she would read and we would continue to have meaningful math conversations together.

This year, my husband has gotten rid of all homework in his middle school ELA/History classes, except for reading, and it's working for him. It's challenging to make that decision in the midst of a homework-obsessed school culture, but he's sticking to his guns because of all the things you describe.

When I was teaching 5th and 6th grades, I had my students fill out a homework log for the first few weeks of school. On it, I had them record how long it took them to do their homework, where they did their homework, and which parts were easiest and hardest for them. If they didn't finish homework, they used the log to record the reason why. This practice unearthed so much information about my students and the realities they were facing at home, and helped change my grading philosophy.

We need to continue this conversation, especially in the elementary grades. Meaningful practice vs. soul-crushing practice needs to be distinguished, and homework philosophies that hinge on "this is the way I've always done it" need to be reexamined.

Thanks! *Chrissy

Chase link

10/8/2017 03:33:48 pm

Hi John!

Thanks for the insightful approach. I feel like this tactic is humanistic and honors the complexities that exist in the lives of our students. By asking for their voice, their reasoning, teachers can create a more inclusive community of truth in the classroom.

For what it's worth, a strategy I used in the classroom during my last few years was to create a homework rubric that students used to grade themselves. I taught mostly 10th, 11th, and 12th graders. They would self-report their homework grade on a recording sheet posted in the back of the classroom. Every two weeks, they would tally their scores and I would input them in to their grade. In my classes, summative assessments accounted for 75% of the grade. All assessments had to be passed in order to pass the course (with unlimited extra help and unlimited opportunities for re-assessment).

The rubric went from 0-5, with 4 being full credit. They could earn a 5 if they felt like they worked extra hard and persevered or spent time tutoring a classmate in addition to completing their homework. To earn full credit, they had to come in with their homework corrected. I always gave the answers to the homework questions with the homework. If they didn't understand their mistakes, they could still get full credit if they came in with articulate questions and an explanation of where they went wrong. Students could also give themselves half credit (a 2) or no credit (0).

In my classes, homework was clearly linked to assessments. A version of the assessment was handed out at the beginning of the unit with practice (homework) problems listed for each question on the assessment.

A verbal exchange:
Student: "So I can just lie on my homework grade, and you wouldn't know?"
Me: "Perhaps. If you're passing all the assessments and showing understanding, I don't really care if you're doing your homework or not. Some students can practice enough in class and during review time. But if you're giving yourself full credit on your homework and you're still not passing the assessments, we're going to have a conversation about that dynamic and try to figure out what's going on."

I told them I wanted to spend my time designing engaging lessons and checking for their understanding during class. I offered extra help most lunch periods and after school if they needed more help and support, but that for them, they needed to take some ownership for their thinking and work outside of class.

This was where the pendulum of "Should I assign HW and how should I grade it?" finally rested for me in the teaching...after 10 years of figuring it out. I felt like it honored my identity as a teacher and my values as an educator and I felt like it framed independent practice in a way that seemed more authentic to my students.

Anyway, not sure if it's useful food for thought or not. But thanks for sharing your thoughts! Always a pleasure to read your thinking!
Chase
@mathgeek76