Homework, an Old Faithful

I guess you've already met at least two teachers who have sworn off homework, and they're not alone. Some teachers just can't be bothered with chasing after students to get homework returned. You may have heard, "I'm not gonna spend time planning for homework review when they're not even gonna bring it back the next day." 

Other teachers aren't sure how to incorporate at-home tasks into class reviews, so they limit themselves to in-school instruction and practice only: "Even if they do the homework, am I really gonna have time to do corrections and class discussion before completing the objectives that follow? How will I stay on schedule?" 

I can understand both of those reasons for wanting to give little to no homework, and neither of those addresses another common reason for avoiding homework assignments: "Homework is just another thing to grade, and I already don't have time to grade the papers that I have." 

What element do all of these reasons for hating homework have in common? You've got it; it's time. No teacher wants to feel like he or she is wasting that most valuable commodity, the golden goose in every educator's life, TIME. I propose, however, that homework can save you time and energy if it is properly implemented and rewarded in your classroom.

First, let's have a look at what homework is supposed to be and what it is supposed to do.

Homework, for the sake of this blog, is students' opportunity to demonstrate to their teacher what they have learned or known about a chosen concept. It does not ask students to embark on new tasks without previous guidance or explanation; rather, a home task asks students to apply previous knowledge to a direct (obvious) or synthetic (creative, applied) product. The teacher has already given the background information. Every child has the capacity and provided support to complete the task.  

Big whoop, right? What does all that mean for homework assignments, how does homework make our lives better and how do we get the children to bring the stuff back? Good questions!

First, the size of homework assignments matters. The widely accepted "10-Minute Rule" (read this one) suggests that no homework assignment should be longer than ten minutes per day per grade level. A fifth grader wouldn't have more than 50 minutes of homework per day; more than 50 minutes wouldn't appropriately fit the average maturity level and attention span of a fifth grader. There would be 20 minutes of homework per day for a second grader, and 60 minutes of homework per day for a sixth grader, etc. Notice, there is no "per class" designator, so teachers would have to consider the amounts of homework given in other classes when assigning their own.  

If students believe you are considering their time when you plan homework assignments, they will be more likely to complete the work you send. (The same is true for teachers who are completing tasks for principals or committees.)

Second, the kind of homework matters. It's good to assign homework that allows students to argue their points of view with support. Though this kind of assignment requires some reading and writing, it also engages students in critical thinking, logical organization and sharing when students return. People like talking about themselves (and students are people too, lol). When a safe environment has been established, students feel happy to hotly debate controversial topics. All subjects have controversial topics in them. When students get hot under the collar about class topics, real learning is taking place. 

Third, the expected product matters. This relates directly to the amount of time it would take to produce the task. It would be unfair to expect typed papers out of students who have no access to computers or typewriters, and it would be just as ludicrous to require models from students who cannot buy materials. When teachers can demonstrate to students that they have chosen a reasonable product, students are more likely to return with an assigned task completed.    

When homework is a functional, social part of the classroom, it's not so much of a hassle. It becomes the "easy 100" part of the grading table, and students like the easy 100s. Also, we must not look at homework as a burden to us, the teachers. It is a means of expression for the children. It tells us right away what the child took away from class discussion, and it shows us misunderstandings that we otherwise might not discover.

Don't just take my word for it. Assign one homework assignment that considers the size/time, kind and expected product for student work, and tell me what happens the next day. I wonder if that kid you've had to chase all year will come to school with a paragraph of reasons why he's right. ;) 

Beach Balls and Parachutes,

-Ms. Moss

Google Voice, a Communication Tool

Students love their cell phones. We can't blame them, after all. We love our cell phones too. I use my cell as an alarm clark, a calendar, an appointment book, a radio, an instant messenger... the list goes on and on. Quite frankly, I'm sure you have your own list of uses for your cell, and it's probably a bit more exhaustive.

Here's a question for you, assuming you agree that students and teachers have cellular love in common: "What happens when the cellular becomes a tool for classroom communication?

If you feel yourself getting defensive, don't retort just yet. Consider what Google Voice is first, and then make your final determination.

Google Voice is a hybrid calling environment where you can send and receive text messages, receive voice messages and make phone calls from your cellular phone (for free) USING A VOIP TELEPHONE NUMBER. That means your students will never have your personal cell number; they will see your Google Voice number when you send reminders, homework support notes or classroom announcements.

In addition, Google Voice keeps a transcript of every message sent or received through its platform. That means a student could never accuse you of sending something inappropriate via your Google number; all messages are maintained like e-mails in an organized list according to phone number.

If you take the time to create a directory (which I highly recommend the moment you get students' cell numbers), your messages will be organized according to student name, time and date.

How might this make your teacher life easier and your students' academic lives more exciting?

First, a student will never have an excuse for coming to class without homework again. When you assign a task for homework, you can text it to all students (and their parents if parents are interested) immediately. Everyone knows that homework was assigned. Even if the student deletes the homework text--which he might--Google Voice will keep a copy of that message and a record of where and when it was sent.

That's not the only way that Google Voice can revolutionize homework. A second use, which I thoroughly enjoy, is allowing students to shoot you a text message when they struggle with certain parts of independent assignments. If a student gets halfway through an assignment at 6:30 p.m. but he feels subconscious about the work's quality, he can simply shoot you a text message (to your Google Voice number) which says, "I am completing assignment X, but I feel really uncomfortable about part B. Can we talk about this tomorrow?" You now have real-time student reflections about tasks, and that might give you insight into concepts that need re-teaching or clarification.

A third use for Google Voice is to give students praise or show concern regarding daily activities. It is good to call parents will students do well, but students also appreciate it when you take a moment to say to them: "Good performance in class today; I called Mom to let her know." This for some of us may seem like a lesser use for the technology, but students like to know when their parents have been contacted. I have even used Google Voice to ask students about absences: "I noticed you were absent today. Is everything okay? Do you need your work" or "Be sure to bring a note to attendance in the morning regarding absences." This kind of teacher interaction--if used correctly--can build excellent rapport with your students and their parents.

There are many things you SHOULD NOT DO with Google Voice and the power of captive audience through cellular phone access, but they are pretty much the same things no teacher should do with the power of captive audience in the classroom: no inappropriate relationships, no insults, no proselytization, etc.

You don't have to believe in the value of this communication tool because I say it's wonderful; give it a try. A Google Voice account is free to open and free to use when you make your calls and send and receive messages via your paid cellular number. If you already have a Google Mail account, your login to Google Voice is the same as your Google Mail login information.

I promise that you will never look at after-class communication the same way after you have seen what Google Voice can do for you.

Text Messages and Technologies,

-Ms. Moss

Create, Compile and Publish

Some people would have you believe that teaching is a team sport. You may hear things like, "It's okay to share resources; we're all working together to achieve the same goals" or "I hope you have something for that; I couldn't find anything."

It's great to open an exchange of a sort with colleagues who work like you, think like you and care about students like you, but it is NOT great to become a source of lesson plans and activities for teachers who have no intention of finding or creating engaging resources themselves. After all, teaching is not a team sport anymore. We the teachers are not all together working for the betterment of the students, though we want to be and should be. We the teachers are struggling to keep our jobs in spite of a number of menacing opponents, opponents which sometimes include students, parents, administrators, curriculum publishers and (yes) even other teachers.

So teaching is more like a boxing match, and you're on your own, and you might even be on the ropes depending on where you're boxing and how long you've been training.

What does that mean? That means that there are going to be some times when you need to keep your brilliance to yourself, and that is true for a number of reasons.

First, as education changes, activity types and instructional methods change. Common Core brought with it a plethora of opportunities to redefine what engagement is, to restructure delivery, to redesign assessments. Translation: Common Core brought with it an opportunity to CREATE and/or ADAPT new ways to reach students, ways that may not have been seen before in your district, in your region, in your state, in your country.

You don't want to miss this chance to become a part of positive change in curriculum and instruction. I can guarantee you that academic publishers will not. Publishing companies are all over this change-of-mantra in our field, and materials are going to be hot off the presses every quarter. Million-dollar proposals will come flying in left and right for books that have been created to meet the needs of students in the "middle," the pool of generic learners who perform relatively alike. You know how it goes.

You, sir or madam, know exactly how students in your immediate sphere of influence perform. You tailor materials to them everyday. Why aren't you creating, compiling and publishing those materials for your students? Your school? Your district?

Second, as education changes, pay changes. The push for pay-for-performance is not going away, and though I shudder at how they might implement performance pay, I can't help but be excited about the opportunity to use my skills to make money other ways. There are going to be instructors that need you to shed some light on alternative ways to do what they've been doing for decades. In other instances, there will be new teachers who need the words of the wise for guidance and encouragement as they embark on the beginning of their careers. You're the author. Create, compile and publish. Sell. Let's be honest here. You're going to need the money since you're already spending a significant amount of your salary being a teacher, and we're going to need each other's tried and true dictums to survive the oncoming upheaval of the work we love so dearly.

Third, as education changes, you're going to get tired... faster. The pace of teaching is not even what it was when I started, and trust me; I'm a spring chicken. It is easy to wear yourself out keeping up with just standards instruction. You're going to be maintaining pace for standards instruction, social instruction, test preparation, civic enlightenment, disciplinary management and technological advancement among the many other conceptual pools that must be distributed to all students somewhat evenly. So, at the end of the day, you will probably find yourself (if you haven't already) feeling a little empty.

If you begin to create, compile and publish, you will provide yourself with a means of self-replenishment through reflection, which is important. You will also have a constant stream of adaptive resources, which will save you research time on the back end and frustration when you're feeling out of ideas. Most importantly, if you feel like you just need a year off, you'll be able to take it if you've built a faithful readership. A year off doesn't mean you wanna throw in the towel after all; a year off might mean you need a sabbatical, a break, a few minutes to breathe. It doesn't mean you'll never teach again. It could mean that if you'll ever teach again, you need a year off!

You would be surprised at the number of things you are already creating and throwing away (or giving away) if you start to keep track of them. Just give it a try. Buy yourself a few humongous three-ring binders. You buy them for the kids, I know, so you might as well buy them for yourself. In those three-ring binders, begin to organize the materials you create for instructional texts (fiction and non-fiction). Keep printouts and electronic copies; burn a CD every ten files or so if you're forgetful. Then, watch what happens to those binders.

As a teacher, you are not resigned to a life of endless curriculum marathons and poverty. You are a treasure trove of humanity; that's why you're doing what you're doing. Without instruction and understanding, a whole nation perishes. Thus, as teachers perish, so goes the nation. It is important that you know your worth, maintain your health, and create an avenue of success apart from your day job that will allow you to step away when burnout is near.

But you know, you don't have to take my word for it. Just get your binders and your blank CDs, and start keeping stuff. Then come back and tell me what you've found out about how prolific you are in your classroom.

Copyrights and Creativity,

-Ms. Moss