Homework Done Right
Powerful Learning in Real-Life Situations
- Janet Alleman
- Jere Brophy
- Barbara Knighton - Winans Elementary School, Michigan, US
- Rob Ley - Murphy Elementary School
- Ben Botwinski - Lowell Area Schools, US
- Sarah Middlestead - Owosso Middle School
Written in an accessible, practical style, this resource provides a general overview of homework and a brief look at traditional approaches, along with concrete examples of how homework can be made meaningful. The authors take an in-depth look at authentic homework—assignments that are engaging, motivational, and promote real-life applications of knowledge leading to deeper levels of learning.
The book is filled with concrete examples across grade levels that demonstrate the process of matching assignments to the goals and major understandings associated with specific course content. The authors invite classroom teachers and building leaders to rethink out-of-school time and reclaim at least part of it as learning time in order to regain spirit and passion for teaching and learning. Readers will find:
- Guidance for designing out-of-school assignments that are authentic, meaningful, and tied to real-life experience
- Sample homework assignments for various grade levels and subject areas, examples of student work, reflection questions, discussion prompts, protocols, and reproducible forms
- Richly-detailed vignettes describing teachers' evolving beliefs and practices around homework.
"Homework Done Right takes a fresh look at how to create homework assignments that students will be motivated to complete, not based on the grade alone, but on the real-life applications of the assignments. I have already begun using the information presented in this text to tweak existing assignments to make them more intellectually rewarding for my students!"
“The topic of homework is an important discussion for educators to be having in this age of increased competition and higher standards. What is the best way to extend learning for students of all ages? This book, based on a set of beliefs about teaching and learning, manages to address this topic in a well-considered and carefully researched format that will be useful to educators who are looking to improve their results with students.”
"The book caused me to reevaluate my own homework assignments in a new light and begin to think about what I can do to get my own homework 'done right'!"
"Just like their students, modern teachers want to know how what they learn is going to help them. Homework Done Right shows readers exactly why meaningful homework is best for students and provides teachers with answers to those perennial student questions: ‘Why do we need to know that?’ and ‘When am I ever going to use this?’”
