Avoiding Homework Hassles

1. Avoiding Homework Hassles Fifteenth Annual Family Involvement Conference Presentation November 10, 2009 Beth Windover

2. The History of Homework… The pendulum has swung back and forth on this “hot topic” in education since early in the 20th century! beneficial harmful

3. Increase student achievement Link home and school Reinforce learning Transfer learning Extend learning Develop good study habits Foster positive attitudes Promote family communication Increase student confidence Encourage thinking & creativity No benefit / waste of time Decrease student achievement Cause stress and frustration Cause family tension / “battles” Compete w/ family & activities Limit time for physical activities Penalize econ. disadvantaged Penalize struggling learners Reinforce incorrect patterns Turn students off from learning What Can Homework Do? Potential Benefits: Potential Risks:

4. “10-Minute Rule” • Research findings support the 10-minute rule for homework • All homework assignments combined should take no longer than 10 minutes multiplied by the student’s grade

5. VS. If we want students to benefit from homework, then teachers must design appropriate assignments that are meaningful and parents must work collaboratively to ensure that students are completing it!

6. Homework Do’s • Ask about the school/teacher’s HW policy • Establish a regular HW schedule/routine • Have a quiet study area for your child to do HW • Put together a HW “tool box” with supplies • Monitor and check your child’s work • Talk about school & why HW is important • Praise your child! (Some rewards are okay) • Make sure your child uses an agenda/HW notebook/folder to list daily assignments

7. Homework Don’ts • Don’t do your child’s HW for them! • Don’t accept EXCUSES! EXCUSES! • Don’t allow TV and other distractions to interfere with HW time • Don’t allow your child to work on HW for an unreasonable amount of time (breaks) • Don’t allow HW to become a source of frustration and anxiety for your family

8. Helpful Tips • Let the teacher know if your child is struggling or taking too long to complete HW assignments • Be positive about HW, it’s purpose and usefulness in the real world. Your child picks up on your attitude/cues. • Ask the teacher if you don’t understand the purpose for an assignment. HW should be meaningful and we need to help students understand the real world connections • Plan and schedule your week ahead to work around meetings, lessons, games and events, while still making sure HW is a scheduled priority • Make time to read to, or with, your child everyday.

9. Study Skills • Identify and remove distractions when studying • Encourage concentration on one task • Allow for breaks for lengthy tasks • Stress the importance of listening in school • Model and practice good listening skills at home • Discuss the role and importance of organization • Stress the need for good note-taking skills • Help your child be well prepared for tests, without becoming overly stressed about them.

10. Budgeting Time In today’s society, we’re all rushing around from place to place juggling multiple tasks. It’s more important than ever to learn to budget our time wisely and to teach our children to do so as well!

11. Time Management • Model good time management skills for your child by planning your family’s week in advance. • Teach your child to budget time for school work. • Plan and list the meetings and events for each week, as well as daily chores and meals. • Planning ahead will help you to identify and avoid wasting large amounts of time. • This will allow you to budget a reasonable amount of time for media (TV, computer, video games).

12. Be There for your child and make ordinary moments extraordinary!