Extreme Homework Make-over for Secondary Students

I often hear from secondary educators that getting students to do homework is challenging. "The students just won't do it, so why bother assigning it." The focus in these conversations is typically on the students ----they are irresponsible, they are unmotivated, but I wonder if the problem could be in the actual assignments given. Perhaps students aren't doing homework because they don't see the relevance.  It doesn't inspire them. Maybe after a day of sitting at desks doing work, when they get home, the last thing they want to do is sit at a table and do more work. That being said, if students are going to succeed in college, they need to develop responsibility and study skills.  Completing independent assignments outside of class can spur that growth. How can we as educators inspire secondary students to extend their learning beyond the school day?

I recently read two blog posts about re-thinking the idea of homework:

• 5 Steps to Re-branding Homework by Tony Sinanis
• The best homework ever by Bethany Hill

I agree with Bethany Hill's suggestions for homework for elementary students, but it caused me to reflect on how these same principles could transfer into meaningful, engaging homework for Middle School and High School students while also preparing them for college. 

Some engaging variations on traditional homework at the secondary level could be:

• Free Writes and Free Reads - give students the choice of completing either a 15 minute time of free writing or free reading relevant to what you are studying and come prepared to share in class the next day. If necessary, provide a list of topics or articles, but give students the freedom to choose. 
• Interviewing a person or leading a family discussion about a reading passage or topic and then writing a blog post about it. 
• Having students plan a mini-lesson to teach students the next day. This can be particularly useful for vocabulary words. Every day a different student leads the class in reviewing concepts and terms relevant to your current topic of study or reviewing past units. 
• Complete a relevant service project.
• Watching videos, movies, or TV shows. 
• Students make a video demonstrating skills or re-enacting historic events. 
• Do research - Assign students a topic or concept you will be studying the next day. Ask them to spend 10 minutes researching and then be prepared to share at least 3 things they learned the next day. (Or make it FREESEARCH - students choose the topic to research and you choose the way they share the information through writing, presenting, etc.)
• Twitter Chat - have students participate with one another in a Twitter chat about the current topic of study. One person leads with questions, the others answer. They turn in the chat transcript to the teacher to review. 

Two wacky ideas I'd love to try:

• Make homework optional - Give assignments regularly, but let students know they can choose whether to complete it outside of class or inside of class. Students who choose to complete the homework spend the first part of class engaging in an interactive, energetic extension activity while those who did not do it, complete the assignment independently at their desks.  I wonder if eventually students would all choose to complete the assignments? 
• Establish a homework council. Meet with a panel of students weekly or monthly to plan homework for the upcoming unit of study. Students determine and even design the assignments. Each homework council member is assigned to a group of students. They provide accountability, encouragement and support to peers about completing assignments ---in essence, a study group or cohort. Rotate council membership every few weeks, so all students can participate. 

There are many who would like to just get rid of homework entirely. The problem is that type of drastic change can only work if it happens across the board (from college down to elementary). The better option is to work on developing homework strategies that are purposeful, engaging, and manageable by all. 

Other articles to consider:

• The Homework Debate: How Homework benefits Students
• The Case Against Homework
• Ending the Homework Debate: Expert Advice that Works
• Is Homework bad?