Blog #10 Homework Rationale

Teachers and schools are held accountable for increasing instruction and accountability and days in school are packed full of activity and testing. Meaningful homework is a way to check understanding and mastery of concepts and skills, giving teachers information to help them make instructional decisions. Although Alfie Kohn states, "no study has ever found a correlation between homework and academic achievement in elementary school, and there is little reason to believe that homework is necessary in high school," he makes several suggestions to help educators and administrators change their view of homework. Kohn's suggestions consist of the following:

• Educate yourself and share with teachers, parents and other administrators what the research says about homework.
• Rethink homework policies.
• Reduce the amount of homework but also remain realistic when estimating the time it takes to complete the work; considering the students who work slowest, not basing estimations on the students who work fastest.
• After realistic time estimates, reflect on whether the assignment will help students think deeply and/or more critically about the subject matter.
• Change the default and require students to take homework home only when there is a high likelihood that it will be completed and beneficial to most students.
• Ask kids what their thoughts are on homework to find out what their thoughts are on the subject. Make questionnaires anonymous and find out how they feel and why they feel a particular way about homework.
• Teachers should assign only what they've designed. In other words, giving pre-made worksheets as homework may not be the best practice. Creating several assignments based on student needs and abilities is more beneficial to students, giving them an opportunity to work on specific skills they need to practice or master.
• Last but not least, experiment. Try different strategies to see what fits your personality, teaching style, and the needs of your students. It is more work to begin with and may take some time to refine but you might find that in the long run it is better for you and your students.

I do not give homework at my particular grade level and am not required to give it, but I send home work with students who need more practice on specific skills with complete instructions for parents. At times this works very well and at other times we find that nothing is done at home. When work is sent home, students' mastery of skills is checked with activities and assessments at school and progress is monitored regularly. This practice gives me information and input to inform my instruction and intervention practices.

Technology is an issue that we all deal with and one that will become more and more prominent in our society. There are great tools for students and parents to use at home that can make learning fun and different. Tools such as RAZ-Kids allow students to read online and teachers can then listen to the recording and inform their instruction for students in order to give individual feedback.

(quotes and information from www.education.com/print/The_Homework_Debate/ and www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/rethinkinghomework.htm)

Blog #6 Learning vs Acquisition

The students:

Learning	Both	Acquisition
Look up words in the dictionary to write definitions	Make a Venn diagram to compare two stories	Write rhyming poetry and then discuss different spellings for the same sound
Practice sounding out words	Correct peers when they make a mistake during reading	Identify words on a big book page that start with the same sound
Read in round-robin fashion	Group cards with classmates’ names by a criterion such as first or last letter	Read a language experience story they have created with the teacher
Ask teacher how to spell any word they don’t know	Work in pairs to arrange words from a familiar chant into sentences
Divide words into syllables	Make alphabet books on different topics
On a worksheet, draw a line from each word to the picture that starts with the same sound

The teacher:

Learning	Both	Acquisition
Makes sure that students read only books that fit their level	Preteaches vocabulary	Does a shared reading with a big book
Conducts phonics drills	Has students segment words into phonemes	Writes words the students dictate for a story and has students help with the spelling of difficult words
Uses a variety of worksheets to teach different skills	Asks students to look around the room and find words starting with a certain letter	Teaches Latin and Greek roots
Sets aside time for SSR (sustained silent reading) each day	Uses decodable texts	Has students meet in literature circles
	Chooses predictable texts	Teaches students different comprehension strategies
		Does a picture walk of a new book

In the chart above, I noted activities that involve learning, acquisition or both. I used the following criteria to determine which activity involved each method:

      "Learning is a conscious process that involves studying rules and vocabulary. (Freeman, 2004, p. 35)

      "Acquisition is subconscious. Acquisition occurs as students use language for a variety of              purposes. (Freeman, 2004, p. 35)

Several of the activities could be either learning or acquisition or a combination of both. Much depends on the intent of the teacher and the type of activity involved in using decodable texts for example. If the teacher is meeting with small groups of students or using decodable texts in connection with science this could constitute learning or acquisition or both. 

In teaching Latin and Greek roots and comprehension strategies, teachers are giving students tools they can use in many settings and acquisition will take place as students take part in these activities.

Lessons and activities that involve students and allow them to interact with text and with each other give students the opportunity to acquire and therefore hold onto language and information better than activities simply involving drill and skills.

Blog #9 - Fiction/Non-fiction

The Curious Garden                                                       

By Peter Brown

·      Fiction

·      Narrative

·      Illustrations enhance

         story

·      Illustrations may

         hinder comprehension

·      Figurative language

   hinders comprehension

From Seed to Pumpkin

By Wendy Pfeffer

·      Nonfiction

·      Facts

·      Drawings show growth process

·      Drawings aid comprehension

·      Language is clear and helps with comprehension

·      Book includes activities for hands-on experience

Although both of these selections are about plants From Seed to Pumpkin would be easier for diverse learners to understand. The clear language and illustrations would aid comprehension. Activities are also included which give hands-on experience.

The Curious Garden is a delightful book but would be difficult for diverse learners to comprehend due to the figurative language and illustrations which would cause confusion. There is too much that would need to be explained, these explanations would take away from the story and diverse learners would not get much out of it.