Making Required Homework More Effective

Homework is one of those contentious topics that divide teachers as well as parents. John Hattie’s research leads to the conclusion that homework in primary school has an effect of nearly zero. But the reality is that many schools have policies that require homework to be assigned to students on a daily or weekly basis.

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In the interest of making homework more effective for students, I am experimenting with a theory that primary student achievement can be improved through homework if there is a distance learning tutor available for coaching for every assignment.

This year’s trial:

This year I’ve told all of my students that whenever they need help with their homework, they should send me a quick email, so that I might stop right then and help them with the task. Although an enormous responsibility for me to take on, I’ll see if I have the stamina to keep up with it throughout the year. So far, it has gone really well!

“I don’t get this!”

Much like my in-class helpdesk, I want my 9-10 year olds to get professional help in a timely and effective manner. I don’t want some parents to help their kids while other kids are left alone to stress about math during their valuable home time. This year, my students were instructed that if they have a problem they don’t understand, they should screenshot their math or take a video of the strategies they’ve tried and to send it to me by e-mail. I then respond by either giving them some written feedback, video hints, or by directing them to an available resource such as a Youtube or Khan Academy video.

How’s it going so far?

This type of student support has been a very positive experience to begin the year. I have been able to provide a large amount of support with this model for homework. One thing I have noticed, though, is that the students tend to ask very simple questions without really showing their work or the strategies they tried. I am going to work with students on how to ask for help, and how to get the students helping each other much more often. I am also learning how to give just enough help so as to get the students to figure out the rest of the problems on their own.

I am also incorporating a YouTube channel with student-created instructional videos so that students can refer to a growing library of flipped lessons from their peers. This is in the process of getting put together, but the students seem very excited about the prospect of sharing their knowledge with each other and with students around the world.

It’s not that much extra work… so far.

I am a fan of living a balanced life as a teacher, so taking on a “distance tutoring model” by having kids e-mail me all night long (their limit is 8:00 PM) might sound like a recipe for disaster. But the truth is that I only get a couple of emails per night, and it usually only takes me a few seconds to send back a response with Mark-Up or my laptop’s webcam. Usually just copying and pasting the link to a YouTube video can help them solve their problems. As students become more familiar with this system, and increasingly independent, I hope to teach them to search for their own answers online and to take it upon themselves to offer peer tutoring during the homework hours.

What do you think? Will this strategy help improve achievement, or is it simply homework in sheep’s clothing? Is this plan sustainable, or do you think it will be too overwhelming and a student request will fall through the cracks? We all know that, at the end of the day, homework forms such a small part of a student’s day. Still, if we can improve outcomes without wasting students’ precious time at home, won’t everyone be happy?

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Zach Groshell


Zach has taught in the US and Vietnam before settling into his current
position as instructional coach in Khartoum, Sudan. He is a passionate advocate for developing student mindfulness and independence in the classroom. Check out his blog at educationrickshaw.com