Homework Dilemma Teacher Response Questions

                We are back again with the homework dilemma! A little while ago we got in contact with the teachers of the school. The questions we asked and a few of the responses are listed below:

What were you like as a student?

• Good student, always did my work, and liked school.
• I was a fairly average student who earned mostly A’s and B’s. I had to work hard to receive good grades in school, which my parents expected from me. I was involved in any and all activities and athletic events possible. I always tried to be respectful and work hard at everything I did.
• I like to get started on my work right away. I did not like homework.
• Average.
• I completed my homework on time and prepared accordingly for projects and tests.

How would you explain the purpose of homework?

• Practicing new skills and reviewing previous work necessary for long-term learning.
• Homework is a great tool to teach students responsibility and key skills necessary to succeed in post-secondary education and beyond.
• Reinforcement of the lesson; a change to prove to the instructor that you understood the content of the lesson.
• It should be called finish work…to complete work that you didn’t complete during the day. Kids have enough stress on them that they shouldn’t be given more work to do at home.
• Give the opportunity to practice what was being covered in class to help the instructor know it the students understand the material. Having to complete work outside of class forces the student to show what they can do on their own without assistance.

What do you expect from your students?

• Homework completed at the beginning of class on the date due (usually the next day)
• I expect students to give their best effort at whatever they do, respect themselves, and respect others.
• I expect mutual respect. I expect on topic questions and comments. I expect them to lean and be successful.
• I expect my students to compete an assignment that they didn’t complete throughout the day. If a student uses their time well and still has work to complete, I feel teachers should look at what needs to be completed and make proper adjustments to the assignment. It is not about quantity of work it is about quality.
• To work hard and try their very best on anything done for the class.

How would you challenge slow learners and advanced learners within the same class?

• Tough to do, sometimes will pair up a slower student with a more advanced student.
• Projects and hands on learning allows students to work at their own pace and push themselves as far as they want. This allows students that learn slower to work at a slower pace and advanced learners to push their learning to higher levels.
• I would, first, be aware of the extended learning activities and the special needs of the students and then make assignment individualized to meet the needs of each student. The goal is for every student to understand the lesson and be successful.
• Expectation vary as well as assignments for each student.
• It would be great if I could assign different things to different students based on their individual needs. However, try explaining to a struggling student why they have to do more problems than their friend….

How do you keep your students on task?

• Expectation is that students will manage their time wisely. Poor choices have consequences (lose privileges, make up time later, etc.)
• Any way possible. It depends on the class and the individual student as far as what motivates them to stay on task.
• Make it interesting and fun. Relate it to real world problems and situations.
• Incentives and rewards for completing tasks...weekly rewards!
• Encouragement.

Please tell us about your experiences working with students at this age level.

• Some students really care and work hard. These are the ones that excel. Others just do the minimum to get by. They don't usually do as well.
• It is much more difficult to get High School students excited and engaged in learning. It is very fulfilling to see High School students reach or strive to reach their full potential as a student and move on to successful careers, post-secondary education after high school.
• I have year’s experience, at least 10 working with k-12

Describe three of your weaknesses and three strengths as a teacher.

• w1: need to be more patient w2: sometimes allow students to waste class time instead of maximizing learning time w3: doing too much for students (instead of letting them do the work) s1: good classroom management/discipline plan s2: good knowledge of content area s3: I really care about student learning for the long term, not just tomorrow
• Weaknesses: 1. fairly new to teaching 2. Still learning how to be the most effective teacher possible and enhance student learning to the best of my ability. Strengths: 1. Experience in a wide variety of careers & education 2. Willingness to learn and become better
• I am organized. I am detailed oriented. I love to talk and have conversations within a lecture. I find that this gets me off task often. I have trouble seeing the big picture because I am focused on the tiny details, and sometimes I get flustered if I don't know my environment.
• Strengths: desire to see students succeed, always looking for new ways to present content, available to students when they need help weaknesses: can struggle to explain concepts in multiple ways (beyond 2  ways), can be slow on feedback of work (correcting), can seem demanding when I'm trying to push students to do better

 How do you make learning fun with your students? Or how do you get students interested/motivated in learning?

• Looking at the big picture: they will be expected to know this when they get to the next level. I make it fun/interesting whenever possible by using activities and hands-on work. But sometimes you just have to gut your way through it. Just like life.
• I try to incorporate a lot of hands on learning and projects.
• Having conversations with them, treating them with respect while allowing them to questions why we are doing what we are doing. I like to relate the learning to things that they already know, real world examples.
• Be Creative, Reward students that use their time and work hard while in class.
• I try to show my own excitement for the subject matter as well as link it to things in their own life.

How much homework do you typically give?

• 30-45 minutes per day
• Very little
• I like to give homework to be sure that the students know the content. It can be in class work or take home work. I try not to do it every night but most nights. At least a question or two to reinforce what we are discussing.
• I only have my students take home work if they wasted their time during the day.
• A large number of the homework assignments in my class are started in class so what they take home as homework depends on how well they use class time.
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