Homework Sucks! No Really, it Does!

      As many of you already know, I have an unhealthy obsession for Saved By the Bell. I can name and describe an entire episode within the first 15 seconds of the show (even if they almost always start with Zack entering The Max. When I watch episodes, I tend to notice all the little quirks about Zack and the gang such as Slater's hilarious stonewashed jeans or how Jessie was off and on the cheerleading squad. I also notice that you never see any of the characters doing homework. Sure, some episodes have them studying for tests, but there's never a point where they are doing math problems or filling out a workbook for Spanish. There's no worksheets for their history classes to complete or vocabulary flashcards in an English class. I obviously realize that the show was not going to waste time and film "homework" scenes, but it makes me think...

       In my last post, I mentioned that I tried an experiment of not giving homework to my students (in case you are curious, I did this in my 7th Grade World and 8th Grade US History classes). I had come to a point where I seriously doubted the positive impact homework has. I wanted to see if not doing homework would lead to lower test scores and less comprehension. Occasionally there were times when I needed my students to finish something at home that we just didn't complete in class, and students did need to work on projects at home, but I decided that answering questions out of a textbook or making flashcards on important people were a waste of time (after all, I never seriously graded the work, kids usually just got points for doing the work no matter the quality!). I started thinking: if I want to see if they understand the material, why can't I ask them questions in class or discuss the main ideas of the chapters? Why do I need to give them mindless work at home?

        Now I'll stop for a moment and mention that I am not an expert in other class subjects. Perhaps there is a valid reason for assigning homework in a math or foreign language class where daily practice may be necessary to master skills...I do not want to come off as judgmental. Each teacher knows their class best. But after reading portions of "The Case Against Homework" and "The Homework Myth," I feel there is more than enough evidence that proves a scaled-down homework model leads to healthier students and furthermore, students who don't get burned out on learning.

       My four-year-old daughter sometimes gets homework worksheets from her preschool teacher. These worksheets are all about coloring, learning her letters, tracing, and practicing cutting...and she loves them! After waking up from a nap, she will often ask to do her homework. I joke with my wife that when she gets older and despises doing homework, we should show her video evidence that she once was excited about homework. But this phenomenon makes me wonder: what happens to a child that makes them go from enthusiasm to dread when it comes to homework? My theory is that there is a passion and love for learning new things in every student, from preschool age to high school senior. But kids resent work (both in class and at home) that teachers give out just to keep them busy. I never want be responsible for squashing a child's interest in history and social studies. If that means sacrificing homework than so be it.

       My no homework experiment is still a work in progress. I need to continue to monitor my students to make sure their comprehension does not suffer and make adjustments accordingly. I work at a school where academic standards are high and not giving homework might bring suspicious parents this next year. But I think teachers sometimes give homework because they think its a natural part of school for students ("if we had to suffer through homework than you kids do too!")...a rite of passage you might say. Well, sometimes change is a good thing and perhaps even a necessary thing.

Please Don't Call Me Rob...

     First of all, allow me to apologize for taking a hiatus from this blog. Obviously I am not under the impression that those who read this have been tirelessly waiting on pins and needles for my next entry, but I do appreciate those that have shared with me that they have missed my posts. Its nice to know that there are some of you out there who take interest in my rambling thoughts. Think of my time off as the “Tori” episodes on Saved By the Bell where Kelly and Jessie disappeared without any mention or explanation (even a die-hard fan like myself tries to ignore those episodes as if they do not exist). I don’t have a good reason for not writing lately, just like there was no good reason to have Tori on the show (well, except for her help in delivering Mrs. Belding’s baby in an elevator without any mess).

     Over the last few months, I have done a lot of thinking about how I teach and what I teach. Self-reflection is always a good idea for teachers to participate in every once in a while, but my reflections have been real challenges to what I consider to be important in the classroom. I really began to focus on what was wrong with my traditional approach, and what skills are really necessary for students to achieve before they leave high school. So one night I stayed up really late and scribbled down random thoughts about changes I could make to my classroom. And then to take it to the next level, I decided to experiment with a new approach for the last quarter of the year in some of my classes.

       I stopped giving homework. I realized that what I made the students do was busywork (worksheets, flashcards, questions from the textbook) that I never really graded…it was more like I just gave them points for doing it. I realize that you could make the argument that homework teaches responsibility and that in future careers, my students will be asked to complete spreadsheets, projects, or whatever else after work hours, but I was swayed by the fact that I was often giving them “mindless” work that did not increase their understanding of the material. Instead, I started a class blog where students would have to critically think and respond to a question I posted (and reply to each other). This would force them to use the details we learned in class to form their own opinions and have an “online” discussion with the class.

     I stopped giving tests. I realized that especially in a history class, students simply memorize as much as possible the days leading up to the test (names, dates, vocabulary, events), and then once the test is over, forget it all. They would clear their mind of the old information to make room for the new information. This made me think that if I really want to find out what they know, I should not tell them when tests were so they can’t prepare and “fake” what they know. So I started giving pop quizzes that focused on important information and placed less emphasis on memorization. I understand that this goes against the model of standardized tests that are a major part of our school system in America, but I don’t agree with them anyway…

     I’ve always known that unless my students become history teachers or find themselves on Jeopardy, the “facts” of history are not very important or useful to them. Will they be a poor doctor, engineer, small business owner, lawyer, or citizen if they do not know when the Missouri Compromise was or who wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin? Of course not. So I began to emphasize more important skills like collaboration with others, purposeful writing, critical thinking, and problem solving. I found that I could still give them the details of history but in the context of the bigger picture. To me, I was changing the focus of my class from what, when, where, who to the how and why

      If you have time, I would like to ask for feedback for this post. I guess you could say that I am asking you to participate in a “survey” style blog entry, either by commenting directly or sending me a message/comment through Facebook. Am I crazy about the homework or tests thing? Is this realistic for an entire school year? Am I just falling into a trap of the latest “fad” in education? I realize that all of this makes me seem like Mr. Belding’s brother, Rob, who showed up as a substitute teacher and became everyone’s favorite because he allowed students to choose their own grade and threw out tests. I hope I never become that extreme (nor do I want to hook up with Ingrid the stewardess…my wife wouldn’t like that very much). But I realize that I better hear from students, parents, and fellow teachers before I go thinking that this is a good idea

The Lesson of Maroon-Covered Faces

     Sometimes, kids have the best ideas. We adults don't always want to admit this, because we assume we know better than the younger generation, but kids can sometimes impress and amaze with their creativity, ingenuity, and bright ideas. I mean, just watch a few episodes of Saved By the Bell and you'll see firsthand how Zack and the gang came up with some pretty great ideas. Who could forget "Zit Off" (Crater-face Coburn couldn't)? Or the video yearbook/video dating service concept to enhance the school yearbook? How about Zack's scheme to utilize subliminal advertising to hypnotize Belding and Kelly (at least he learned to apply the lesson)? And of course, perhaps the most genius idea of all...Buddy Bands! ("hey, they work")

     I found out recently that its no different in my classroom. I have been constantly trying to improve my AP US History class ever since I started teaching the subject four years ago. I can never seem to be satisfied with how I teach the class and how I can best prepare my students for the AP exam at the end of the year. This year, I noticed students struggling on tests and having difficulty staying engaged during the class (hard to blame them since it is a 7 AM class!) So last week I decided to ask the students...how can I better serve you? I asked them what they would add to, or take away from the current class structure to make it the most ideal class for them. This led to a spirited discussion where students shared opinions, learning preferences, and wishes. Obviously not all their ideas were realistic, but there were enough suggestions that I could easily comply with: more review for tests, daily practice questions, shorter lectures (not a real surprise there), recorded lecture podcasts, small discussions/debates. My hope is that as I begin to implement this personalized approach, it will lead to results in my students' performance.

     Time will tell if these are great ideas, but it has made me think recently about how accountable I am to my students. I truly believe that I work for my students so that they can reach their greatest potential. Like many teachers, I repeat lessons and activities each year because I think they work and are effective. At the same time, however, I know that my students are different each year. There's no guarantee that last year's lessons will result in this year's success. I get new ideas from my colleagues but sometimes they don't translate in my classroom and with my personality/teaching style. I know administrators occasionally come in to evaluate my teaching, but I usually pre-determine what they see and purposefully demonstrate one of my better lessons that utilize multiple good teaching strategies.

       The trick is for teachers to be vulnerable with the very group of people they're supposed to act "perfect" in front of...our students! Since they are in the classroom each day and have a great deal of responsibility in the learning process, shouldn't they know what's best? This doesn't mean that I turn the entire class over to my students' whims (I can only imagine the "study hall" every day experience). But when it comes to becoming a better teacher, sometimes my students have a "Buddy Bands" idea that needs to be allowed to come out.

Kelly and Screech!!??

     I installed a new kitchen faucet the other day in my house all by myself. I'm sure that my wife is tired of me bragging about this "do it yourself" project, and some of you may even wonder why this is a big deal. Well you have to understand, I am usually horrible when it comes to home improvement stuff. I get easily frustrated, or get stuck at the easiest of steps, or have to call in help from someone with "handy-man" experience, or do things wrong and have to start all over (sometimes a combination of all four). Usually I doubt myself before I even begin. So when we decided to finally purchase a new faucet, I couldn't sleep the night before I was going to install it! Now it wasn't a Jessie Spano hyperventilation because she got a "B"...but it was pretty close.

     After 3 hours (hey I'm not Ty Pennington!), I was done and I have to admit that I did a little happy dance in the living room when water came out with no leaks. I had this incredible sense of pride that I was able to accomplish something that normally, I fail at. My wife has always believed in and encouraged me, but I had to see for myself that I could do it! It reminded me of Kelly's struggles with science on Saved By the Bell. She turned to Screech for tutoring help and after some Barbie and popcorn demonstrations and some late-night sessions with Kevin the Robot, Kelly understood the material and passed her next test. You could literally see the thrill in her eyes when she knew the answers to Screech's questions about radio activity. I felt the same way with my kitchen faucet.

      This, in turn, made me think of my students. As a history teacher, I see plenty of frustration at students who have a hard time with memorization, or essay writing, or test-taking. I'm sure teachers of other subjects can relate. I've been wondering if I give students opportunities to have their "kitchen faucet" moments. Too often I encourage them with only words. What if I gave them a makeup or modified test, or daily practice questions to prepare in advance, or talked through an essay with them before they wrote one? What if we play a review game where students can actually see for themselves that they can memorize the amendments to the Constitution or the chronological order of events in China's history? This is going to sound obvious, but students are inspired the most when they see results. Discouraged and frustrated students are usually those who have struggled before and are quick to give up and not try.

     I know some teachers are hesitant to make things too easy for students. We have a natural tendency to want to push our students, challenge them, set high goals and have them go out and reach them. My suggestion is that we create small milestones along the way that students can reach, realize their potential, avoid making excuses, and push on towards the bigger goals we have for them.