Homework, No Homework: My adventure so far...

There is a lot of information out there about whether to give homework or not. A quick search will yield many differing opinions on the topic. I know this because I spent a great deal of time researching the subject on Facebook, Twitter, books, articles found on Google searches, etc. The conclusion I came to was that I just needed to try something that seemed to agree with my philosophy and see where it lead me. I better back up and share my journey from the beginning. I have been teaching for 19 years. During that time, I have had various stances on homework. However, one thing remained consistent, I never gave it much value in my grade book. I have always felt assessments and projects were of higher value and demonstrated greater student understanding. Then I made the switch to teaching 5th grade math in a departmentalized setting. Now I had to blend my philosophies with 3 other teachers. Together, we all seemed to make one teacher with one philosophy. This has its advantages and disadvantages. One unwitting disadvantage was I found myself wrestling with homework and its value and imperative need. The first year coincided with our district's adoption of the Engage NY math curriculum. While I believe in the curriculum and feel it is powerful for kids, the homework element made my life and my students lives not so pleasant. After a year of tears and frustration, I realized that year two would need to be different. I adopted an online homework approach. Surely this would be much better. Students would have videos to help them with their homework. They would have instant feedback on their work. While it was a much bigger success, I was still not happy. I still felt I was spending far too much of my time chasing down homework for 5% of the student's grade; the mandated maximum set by the district. I had students who never completed a single online assignment, and still managed to pull and A in my class. I was sending them a message that they were a failure because they didn't do their homework, yet we all knew this was not the case. This lead me to my current plan. I decided to do away with weekly assigned homework. Students would no longer be required to complete weekly homework assignments. Instead, they would have the opportunity to practice online, if they wished to. I still provided the practice, but it wasn't mandatory. This did have a catch though. The philosophy was that if a student could be successful and not do any homework, then the homework wasn't really needed or useful. However, if a student was not successful, then they couldn't just move on and not learn. So, if a student received a 74% or lower on a unit assessment, the student was required to complete a retake contract, in which they would be "required" to complete online assignments to prepare for the retake. When this was explained at the beginning of the year, both students and parents were over the moon about it. I was the greatest teacher that ever lived. Then came the first wave of mandatory retake contracts. Oh boy...I was no longer as popular as I was in the first week of school. Both parents and students were kind, but overwhelmed. Now they had mandatory homework, instead of chosen homework. They now had to demonstrate mastery, instead of just practice until they felt good about it. Most of them eventually figured out that it is better to practice up front than go through the retake process, which was my goal in the first place :0) What have I learned through this experience? I would like to say that all of my students have fallen in line and the system is 100% successful in getting them to practice when they need it. To date, this is just not the case. There are still those that, even though I have labeled the retake process "mandatory", have realized that I have very little power to force them to do the work. The ethic to be successful and learn the math, just isn't present yet, and they are making other choices. I also have those that have taken the whole practice thing and run with it. It is currently half way through the year, and I have at least 5 students who have nearly completed the 5th grade mission on Khan Academy, and 1 who has and is moving into the 6th grade. So, I guess what I have really learned was what I knew all along...some will and some won't, no matter what your system is. I am happy with the results of my new system. There is far less parent complaints about homework. I no longer must enter grades in a grade book for meaningless homework. My students are much happier and less stressed. Many students are learning the value of practice instead of the drudgery of forced labor. Is the journey over? I think not. I know better. My philosophies and experiences are constantly evolving in my quest to reach each student. I want all of my students to be successful and instill a lifelong drive to learn. I am quite certain that my classroom practices will have evolved into an entirely different look 10-20 years from now. This is a good thing. I look forward to seeing what that will be. However, for now, I know that this group of students is getting what they need, and my approach to "homework" is where it needs to be.