Homework

Reasons for Homework?

Homework creates a bridge between school and home. Parents rarely get to spend much time with you while you're at school. Homework allows them to keep up with what you're doing in your classes on a daily basis. Often, the brief period of time you have during class to learn something new is simply not enough.

Homework teaches students to work independently and develop self-discipline. It encourages students to take initiative and responsibility for completing a task. Homework allows parents to have an active role in their child's education and helps them to evaluate their child's progress.

Homework improves student achievement. Studies show that homework improves student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend university. Homework helps to reinforce learning and develop good study habits and life skills.

It also hones your child's skill in research by using resources, such as reference materials to access information. It integrates different skills in activities such as science projects or book reviews. Homework can spark the student's interest and prepares him or her for the next class

The most direct positive effect of homework is that it can improve retention and understanding. More indirectly, homework can improve students' study skills and attitudes toward school, and teach students that learning can take place anywhere, not just in school buildings.

 

To summarise here are some reasons we give homework:

  • It improves your child’s thinking and memory
  • It helps your child develop positive study skills and habits that will serve him or her well throughout life
  • Homework encourages your child to use time wisely
  • It teaches your child to work independently
  • Homework teaches your child to take responsibility for his or her work
  • It allows your child to review and practice what has been covered in class
  • It helps your child to get ready for the next day’s class
  • Homework helps your child learn to use resources, such as libraries, reference materials, and computer    - Websites to find information
  • It encourages your child to explores subjects more fully than classroom time permits
  • It allows your child to extend learning by applying skills to new situations
  • It helps your child integrate learning by applying many different skills to a single task, such as book reports or science projects
  • Homework helps parents learn more about what your child is learning in school
  • It allows parents to communicate about what he or she is learning
  • It encourages parents to spark your child’s enthusiasm
Flipped learning

Is a pedagogical approach in which the conventional notion of classroom-based learning is inverted, so that students are introduced to the learning material before class, with classroom time then being used to deepen understanding through discussion with peers and problem-solving activities facilitated.

Outside of class, students watch videos and other multimedia materials along with books that explain concepts much as a teacher does during lesson time.

One of the main advantages of Flipped Classroom is that it makes students move away from traditional learning. It gets them closer to active dynamic learning wherein both teachers and students can collaborate actively.

The flipped classroom is a very effective, hands-on approach to improving student achievement and involving them in their own education.

 

Here are some tips to support your child with completing homework:

  • Know the teachers — and what they're looking for. Attend school events, such as parent-teacher conferences, to meet your child's teachers. Ask about their homework policies and how you should be involved.
  • Set up a homework-friendly area. Make sure your child have a well-lit place to complete homework. Keep supplies — paper, pencils, glue, scissors — within reach.
  • Schedule a regular study time. Some children work best in the afternoon, following a snack and play period; others may prefer to wait until after dinner.
  • Help them make a plan. On heavy homework nights or when there's an especially hefty assignment to tackle, encourage your child break up the work into manageable chunks. Create a work schedule for the night if necessary — and take time for a 15-minute break every hour, if possible.
  • Keep distractions to a minimum. This means no TV, loud music, no phones. (Occasionally, though, a phone call to a classmate about an assignment can be helpful.)
  • Make sure your child does their own work. They won't learn if they don't think for themselves and make their own mistakes. Parents can make suggestions and help with directions. But it's a child’s job to do the learning.
  • Be a motivator and monitor. Ask about assignments, quizzes, and tests. Give encouragement, check completed homework, and make yourself available for questions and concerns.
  • Set a good example. Do your children ever see you reading a book? Children are more likely to follow their parents' examples than their advice.
  • Praise their work and efforts. Post an aced test or art project on the fridge.
  • If there are continuing problems with homework, get help. Talk about it with your child's teacher.
  • Login to Show My Homework. All pupils have access to this also. You can check homework set and when it is due. Teachers often add support material to facilitate completing the homework. Homework is set every week by teachers. For KS3 it is once a week. For KS4 and KS5 it is often set twice a week.
  • Sometimes students in these key stages will be set targets each week to complete over a longer length of time if completing coursework or essays.