Since I have have had some recent parent inquiries about homework and grades, I thought I should share my philosophy as an educator on how homework is used in my class. This was discussed in the class contract that was sent home at the beginning of the year, and you can find under the "Assignments" tab for your student's class.
Why don't you count "homework" towards grades?
The reason I do this is NOT to minimize the importance of doing practice work. The reason I do not grade it is because of what the name implies – it is practice that is intended to help you learn the material. Often, I will even provide the answer key to help guide your practice. My philosophy is that your grade should not depend on what you do while you are learning something new, only after you have had an opportunity to practice and become proficient.
To understand what I mean, think back to when we all learned to walk or ride a bike. You were not judged harshly on your first few failed attempts. Why? Because you were still learning something new. You needed that practice as a chance to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes. Sometimes it was frustrating, and sometimes it was downright painful, but eventually you learned. It took some of us longer to figure it out than others.
If homework is not graded, how does my student know how they are doing on the material?
To put it bluntly, by being a true student. The word "student" comes from Latin student- ‘applying oneself to,’ the verb studere , related to studium meaning ‘painstaking application.’ In other words, the student has to become an active participant in their own learning, to apply themselves to the material. For too many years we have made the teacher the center of all learning - the teacher delivers the material, grades the assignments, tells students what they are doing right or wrong. We have created students who depend on the teacher for everything. My goal is to create independent learners who can ultimately function on their own and reflect on their own learning process.
Why don't you count "homework" towards grades?
The reason I do this is NOT to minimize the importance of doing practice work. The reason I do not grade it is because of what the name implies – it is practice that is intended to help you learn the material. Often, I will even provide the answer key to help guide your practice. My philosophy is that your grade should not depend on what you do while you are learning something new, only after you have had an opportunity to practice and become proficient.
To understand what I mean, think back to when we all learned to walk or ride a bike. You were not judged harshly on your first few failed attempts. Why? Because you were still learning something new. You needed that practice as a chance to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes. Sometimes it was frustrating, and sometimes it was downright painful, but eventually you learned. It took some of us longer to figure it out than others.
If you were being graded for your walking performance, should those early mistakes as a toddler be counted towards the final assessment of whether you have mastered walking? Should you be penalized for taking a longer time to learn than some others? Should you be rewarded for picking it up faster than others? In my opinion, NO. What matters is that you persevered and you learned.
By the way, I don't even like the term "homework". I call it practice because that's really what it is. And a lot of it is not intended to be done at home. I give a lot of time to do practice work in my class.
If homework is not graded, how does my student know how they are doing on the material?
To put it bluntly, by being a true student. The word "student" comes from Latin student- ‘applying oneself to,’ the verb studere , related to studium meaning ‘painstaking application.’ In other words, the student has to become an active participant in their own learning, to apply themselves to the material. For too many years we have made the teacher the center of all learning - the teacher delivers the material, grades the assignments, tells students what they are doing right or wrong. We have created students who depend on the teacher for everything. My goal is to create independent learners who can ultimately function on their own and reflect on their own learning process.
How does this happen in my class? When a practice assignment is due, I will call on students to check off the assignment. I am simply recording whether they completed the assignment or not, according to instructions. If they have, I record the completion in the grade book and give them access to an answer key. It is the responsibility of the student to compare their work to the key and make any corrections. If they are still struggling, they can work with another student - I give a LOT of time for "peer review" in my class - or see me if that doesn't help. I also allot time in class to cover assignments and material students are struggling with.
In addition, I administer regular formative assessments and quizzes in which students get more formal feedback in the form of grades and comments to further direct their learning.
In addition, I administer regular formative assessments and quizzes in which students get more formal feedback in the form of grades and comments to further direct their learning.
If you don't grade homework, students won't think it's important and won't do it.
To be honest, there are a few, rare students who do not need to do homework to understand the material. But those come far and few between, and even then are usually misplaced in a class that is below their abilities. Successful students tend to pursue the practice work because they are trying to master the content. They are trying to be learners.
To be honest, there are a few, rare students who do not need to do homework to understand the material. But those come far and few between, and even then are usually misplaced in a class that is below their abilities. Successful students tend to pursue the practice work because they are trying to master the content. They are trying to be learners.
Which leads me to another reason I don't assign a grade to practice work: I want the focus to be the learning of the content, not the mere accumulation of points. Decades of heavy reliance on points and percentages has produced students and parents who are very good at accounting. They count points and percentages, pluses and minuses. But my job is not to produce "classroom accountants" or "classroom lawyers", it's to produce classroom physicists.
Some students need more practice to grasp new material than others. Students and parents should use the performance on practice work and formative assessments as a guide on whether you need more practice or not.
This is probably more than most of you wanted as an answer, but I hope it helps. At least it gives you a better idea about my philosophy and where I am coming from. I am open to questions, contact me anytime via email or Twitter.
Mr. Mason