Scenario from the Riley House:
Every day a 7th grader and a 5th grader come home from their adventurous school day. Feet stomp loudly outside the door as they pound the snow from their shoes and prepare to enter the homework zone. Yes, at our house homework is completed immediately after school before they are able to embark on other fun activities. Once the door closes the quick and typical conversation occurs. How was your day? What fun activities did you do? Whom did you help today? What did you do to make a difference? These are common questions in our house. We do not focus so much on the content of school as we do the relationships and engagement our kids had in school. Then there is a dash for snacks and the work begins. Our 5th grader reads and works on other assignments. Complaining the whole time and stating how homework is no fun. Our 7th grader embarks on what seems to be at least a 2 hour ritual of homework every night. She works hard and literally grinds nonstop. We let them work and check on them from time to time. Our kids are good about asking questions to us when they do not understand something. Mom handles the reading, grammar, and writing work while I help with the math and sciences. It is a good balance for our family. Yes, we have those times when the schedule is disrupted. Doctors’ appointments are scheduled. Little kids become sick. Sports practices shift the after school activities all around. Nevertheless, our kids always find time for schoolwork and we are always there to help if needed. End scenario.
Then, for some unknown reason this week, it hit me. As I sat at the kitchen island helping my daughter with conversion fractions I have the following questions pop into my head: What if I wasn’t here to help? What if my kids did not have the structure or the discipline to do their homework? What if I as the parent didn’t understand this stuff? Where does the help come from then?
The next morning I find myself lost in thought about student support at home. In addition, I find myself at a training session for foster parents. These tend to be all day events and (as an educator) grueling because typically they involve someone reading off a PowerPoint to you. My wife smacks me as I roll my eyes and sigh! I tend to fade off in thought or to my phone to write a blog or check in on Twitter. Then I find it. A chat occurring title #DitchHW. It’s there I see like-minded educators concerned about the negative impact homework is having on our students. If you are on Twitter and share the same concern, you need to check out the thread. If you think ditching homework sounds crazy.....keep reading. This all got me to thinking….
WHAT DO WE NEED TO DITCH IN SCHOOLS TODAY?
Homework- Let us start by removing the label that haunts all students and call it what it is. It should be called PRACTICE! Y’all we talking PRACTICE!
Practice is not punishment. Practice is developmental. In sports, practice is where we develop our game and work on getting it right without fear of failing. Practice is where we explore new ideas. Practice is where we improve. Practice is where we learn to gel as a team. Why can’t it be the same in school? In some cases, homework becomes more important than what is going on in class. When we assign a grade to homework, we make it more than practice. Homework should be an extension of a class activity or something that kids do not fear. It should never make them HATE school. My son loves to log on to Math apps that turn math into games. He enjoys doing those. He enjoys writing a blog that a local college student gets to interact with him on. Homework should never be used to assign or assess compliance. Homework should not be a measure of obedience. Never assign something because you did not get to it in class. That is a classroom management problem. We should be helping students learn through the process. We should be helping student fall in love with learning. Not dreading it! Homework does not allow for instant feedback. That happens in the class. One of the things we have done in our classes at the ILC is to structure in break out time. This is when students have the ability to work on whatever they need. A task given in class. A project they need to complete. Whatever it is. They can be creative with their work. This becomes their time to ask questions. It becomes my time to circulate and check-in. Some, get stuff done. Others prioritize and get the help they need. If they decide to save some work for home then that is their own decision. It becomes independent practice.
Think about my questions earlier. What if the structure and support is missing from home? How are those students gaining from homework? Keep this in mind the next time you start to get on a kid for not turning in homework or give them a ZERO as a grade. I know far too many HS students that are pretty much living on their own or raising their younger siblings. They did not choose that lifestyle but they make the best of it. Homework should not be a fear for them. It should not be a stressor in life. As a parent, I see the stress it causes my own kids. As a teacher, I know some students do not use time wisely in class and need to wrap up some unfinished business. Yes, there are different expectations for each grade level. I challenge you to simply view homework differently and implement a change to a policy that may just be your biggest headache and the one thing that could be causing students to HATE school. After all, the less homework you assign the less you have to grade. The more you get to focus on important stuff like building relationships with students and truly making engaging activities that inspire.
TESTS- Ok. We can’t get rid of mandated state tests. I wish we could. At least we can’t until we get educators involved at the state level and they help develop a new way to assess our public schools. However, you do control what you do in your classes. I for one do not give tests in my classes. My EDU students will have to take WebXam test to get college credit. Beyond that everything we do is project-based, experiential based, or implementational in nature. Does that mean we will not practice testing? Absolutely not. We will practice testing but it will not be a form of assessment that they will fear. For the most part once a student gets out of their Undergrad they may never test again. Think about that? I have not taken a test since my Praxis to get into teaching. Everything in my Masters and EDD courses has been researched base in nature. I have had to show what I know by creating not guessing on a multiple-choice test. Just saying! Ask your parents. When was the last time they took a test for their job? Ditch the TEST! Find alternative ways to assess.
Typical School Day- Can we all agree that the typical school day is dead. We must find a better way to serve our students than with 45-minute disruptions. How do we change our schedules in our schools today? How do we get rid of the bell systems that cause so much clock watching I feel like I am at a Flintstone cartoon factory waiting for the lunch whistle to blow!
Our class operates on a block schedule. It is magnificent! Even then, I feel like I do not have enough time for students to experience all they need. There is no bell to tell them when to get out of their seats. The world does not end. They love it! Maybe, schools designate 2 days a week to a traditional schedule, 2 days a week block schedule, and 1 day a week free flow (go where you need…as long as you need…to finish what you need). How cool would that be! Logistical nightmare at first but change takes time. Worth a try!
Lockers- Can we just go ahead and rip the lockers out of schools? I walk through the halls of schools and still see students carrying their entire life in their book bags. Many lockers sit empty. Imagine if we removed lockers from the halls and created small collaborative spaces. A hallway lined with a hightop bench where students could stand and do work. When you send students to the hall to make up work, they would now have a place to do just that. This would also make the hallways a bit wider and easier to navigate with those big book bags. Add cubbyholes in the classrooms where students can stash their bags. This will also increase safety in our schools. No need for drug-sniffing dogs to check lockers. No extra places to hide items that shouldn’t be at school. Check out the images for ideas.
Textbooks- Many schools are going one to one with devices. Some are not. With the heavy emphasis on digital tools, can’t we just integrate our texts to be compatible with our device of choice? If you need a text just have a class set that students can use if necessary. No books. No problem. You the teacher will get to create some cool online material that your students can use. Link them to online resources in class. Now we are really eliminating the need for lockers and lightening up those crazy book bags. One of my EDD professors created some amazing online modules for us. His modules were full of all the info we needed and linked us to articles and readings that were free to use online. He delivered content via videos and online discussions. We truly did not need a textbook. Could you do without them in your class? Maybe, your school is not one to one, your student population does not have an internet connection at home.... please don’t make excuses for change. Just try to make it easier for your students. I am a firm believer that what is driving our standardized tests is the lobbyist for textbook companies. Sir Ken Robinson stated that it's estimated the US spends $16,000,000,000 on standardized tests. I could think of a better way to spend that money. These companies create books that they can advertise as meeting the needs for the state tests your students take. Remove that power from them. Become the creator of content in your class. Besides, you will never be able to use the phrase, “It’s in the book!”
None of this is new. Educators are already doing these and they are seeing huge success. I simply thought it was a good time to bring some up and start a conversation. Will it work for your school or your classroom? You will not know until you try! If anything my hope is that after you read this, you reflect on the following:
- Do I truly understand what home support looks like for each my students?
- Am I being fair with my practices or am I causing some unneeded stress for myself and for my students?
- What can I DITCH to make my classroom/ school a better place for learning?
- What can I do to challenge others and myself to step-up?
- If I DITCH IT, what can I ADD to make the experience better for my students?
Thanks for reading! Stay #BENT!
John
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