The Questions that Surround "Homework"

I have always been fascinated by the concept of homework and its importance in the educational classroom. I believe that homework is integral part of learning for a multitude of reasons. It provides practice away from the immediate learning activity and it also provides time for reflection. That is, homework gives the student an opportunity to bring application, one of the best learning tools, to the process of learning. In addition, it gives time for the student to reflect on what was learned in class on a given day and even expand the level of thinking that took place. While much can be and is learned through the daily classroom activity, a 50 minute time limit placed on the day’s learning activity is not sufficient to give every student the opportunity to apply the lesson to his or her daily life. Best practice suggests that the highest form of learning takes place when the student is able to apply what was learned to a real-world problem-solving situation. Homework can and should be an extension of the classroom experience. Another best practice known for learning is for students to be familiar with what they are about to learn. That is, when the student prepares at home to learn the lesson at hand the following day, much more is learned than if the student enters the lesson with no prior knowledge. Familiarity with the material to be learned greatly enhances the depth of learning.

I am guessing that by reading my blog one can tell where I stand on the importance of homework. Where I struggle is in the area of how to assess homework. How should homework be graded and just how much should it count in the overall grade for a class? This ultimately leads me to the study of grades. More thoughts to come.