There is a community expectation that students will receive homework. In most cases homework does not have a return on investment.
If you are a parent, right now you are likely to be having a conniption..... but hear me out - I too was a supporter of homework once but except under some quite specific exceptions I would argue that it is rarely appropriate in a low SES school, increasingly so in upper secondary.
- Students lack academic support at home to complete homework.
- The spacing between learning and practice is too short for measurable effect.
- It takes 10+ minutes out of every lesson to manage effectively.
- When given it is rarely done well.
- Repetitive practice based resources reduce motivation for low ability students.
- It causes unnecessary friction between parents, teachers and students.
There are types of homework that I would encourage:
- Any form of regular reading
- Preparation of notes prior to testing
- Use of engaging online resources
- Delivery of instructional resources via video
- Revision resources driven by student inquiry
- Rote learning of tables, number facts and exact values required for trigonometry
- Assignment work that is being graded
There is a difference between the two lists. One has cause and effect (I do this and I benefit from it) and is possible without significant assistance, the other is I do this (stuff I already know) or can't do this (and have no way to get help) and have little in the way of explicit benefit. Regular homework all too often falls into the latter category.
I have been pleasantly surprised by the response to video instructional resources that I have written as they are universally watched by students. I can't explain the effect (as they're not mindshatteringly interesting) but they do most closely relate to classroom teaching (as they are closest to teaching practices) and are in their preferred mode of learning.
SLNs have provided additional help with students gaining access to each other to get help with revision materials and access to teaching staff out of hours. Online tools like mymathsonline and mathsonline also play their part.
That's not to say our students don't study in their own time. I make myself available three days a week after school for an hour (along with most of my stupendously wonderful staff and support people), and in doing this we ensure students spend in excess of the expected study time. It's effective, collaborative, targeted and supported. It's optional (I tell parents to not force students to come if they do not want to - I don't have resources available for behaviour management) and we have had a clear quarter of the students in the school seeking assistance and not resenting it.