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The following guidelines are suggested to assist teachers in the development of classroom practices in assigning homework so students and parents have a clear understanding of what is expected. Homework should help students develop good study habits, foster positive attitudes toward school, and communicate the idea that learning takes work at home as well as at school.
Two main purposes
Practice: Homework should be structured around content which students have a high degree of familiarity. Learning new content does not happen quickly. It requires practice spread out over time. While students are learning a skill, it is not the time for students to perform a skill with speed. Once students have learned the skill then you want them to perform quickly and accurately. The idea of "focused practice" is important when students are learning a complex skill or process such as the research process, scientific inquiry, or writing process. If there is some aspect of the process that is difficult for students they might be given assignments that focus their practice on that specific aspect.
Preparation or elaboration: Homework should prepare students for new content or have them elaborate on content that has been introduced. For example a teacher might assign homework to have students start thinking about the concept of the cell prior to studying it in class. Then, after the concept has been introduced, the homework could be to ask students to elaborate on what they have learned. It is not necessary that the student have an in-depth understanding of the content, as is the case when homework is used for practice.
At the beginning of the school year students and parents need to be aware of how homework will be graded and what percentage of their grade is based on homework.
Clear consequences need to be established for failure to complete homework. Students and parents need to know in advance what the consequences are for not completing homework. Teachers should be sensitive to what other teachers in the school, in the department and/or on the team have set for consequences. This can be a confusing issue for students and parents when there is a perceived discrepancy in consequences.
Parents should be encouraged to "facilitate" homework, but not complete the
homework for students. Parents should designate a study spot. Students should study in the same place each night, where they have at hand all the necessary materials. Parents should help students establish either a consistent schedule for completing homework or help them create a schedule each Sunday that reflects that particular week's activities.