Thursday, September 17, 2015
Discussion #3: Role of Homework
When (if ever) is homework appropriate for a foreign language class? How should it be used? Do you feel it is ever improperly used? Should homework be given before or after the lesson is taught? Exchange ideas with your peers and be sure to use examples to support your opinions.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
The role of homework in a foreign language class is a great giant question which all foreign language teachers must face, however I do believe homework can be used improperly. Even though I have not yet put this perspective into action in my own class I believe the one teacher who has successfully harnessed the benefits of homework teaches at UNH in the foreign language department, her name is Ruwa Pokorny. Ruwa has the belief that you, the student, must complete the homework which solidifies the classwork of the day at hand yet your job as a student does not end there. You must, for your own benefit, read ahead of the class on average three to four pages after completing your homework. This may seem like a lot of work to some, which it may be, some may say well that's not assigned homework, and they would be correct, however the proof is in the lesson being taught the next day in class. Those who read ahead a few pages and put in the extra effort, which is simply understood by Ruwa as 'effort' and nothing extra about it, are the students who are actively participating in class discussion.
ReplyDeleteBut how could this be? Well, those students were exposed to the material on their own terms and on their own time, leaving them to attempt to make sense of the work ahead before the teacher ever opens her mouth to teach. I cannot explain the reasons by which this approach makes sense, but it just does; my best scientific explanation is that when you expose your brain to information it takes times to process it and if you take the time to sleep on it before a class where the lesson is actually taught, your brain has already begun creating connections and correlations so that you can recall the information at a later date. This is the reason why it is more productive for students to study over a prolonged period of time... 15 minutes a night of studying will bode much better for the young pupil than 2 hours the night before the big exam.
So yes homework is appropriate to give students and I think the best time to give the homework would be before the lesson is taught. This not only exposes the students to the material, but the benefits to the student go beyond the academics; the student has to use critical thinking to attempt to find patterns and follow along, the student will use research skills to attempt to figure out the homework and most importantly even if the student understands only a quarter or a half of the lesson... they will be proud of their own accomplishments and instead of learning and entire lesson all at once they are fine tuning their own self-teaching to produce a polished finished product.
Tim,
DeleteWhat you’ve discussed as far as Ruwa Pokorny’s approach to homework is critical to the topic of homework in all foreign language classes. Recommending or strongly encouraging students to put the extra effort in and read a few pages ahead (which would not be mandatory) helps students to organize their thoughts on new material and, in turn, allows them to contribute more effectively to class discussion. As you indicated, students maximize their language learning in this way.
I’m curious to know, do you plan to put this method into action in your French classes? Do you think your French students would respond positively and be better prepared to learn the next day’s material?
Tim,
DeleteI feel that Ruwa Pokorny's approach sounds great but I also feel that many students would say "well it isnt assigned so I am not doing it." How would you go about motivating your students to participate in this extra effort? Although some may read ahead and do the extra bit I believe a majority would not. I have seen proof that this approach does work but I am not entirely sure how to get the majority of students on board with it. Did this teacher do something to motivate the class to reading ahead a few pages? How do you plan to get the importance of this across to your students?
Tim & Kelly,
DeleteKelly brings up some good points about your insight into this approach at homework, just as you do. Those students that read ahead are often the ones who will read ahead regardless if they are encouraged by a teacher or not, it is the the nature of the student that is put into question. But what I am more interested in is the situation that arises within the classroom when some students move ahead and others do what is bare-minimally required. Will the benefit of some students reading ahead and already feeling familiar with the content be worth the gap in the student level it can create, even if they were the ones who made them? Also, if a student does read ahead regularly, and they get the concepts more quickly, will the class where not all of the students are prepared, bore the advanced student, as well as over-challenge the unprepared?
Tim,
DeleteI think Ruwa's approach is excellent, and proves to work well with students that take part in it. I had classes with a professor here at UNH in the Spanish department that used a similar approach when teaching grammar. In my classes, I found that the students that read ahead and did assignments before instruction was provided took a firm grasp of the concepts right from the beginning, and the students that didn't experienced difficulties. I used this approach in my basic classes last year, hoping to garner the same success that my professor had, but it didn't pan out that way. I think Kelly has raised an important issue in her comment- pertaining to students' motivation. How do we help students become motivated to do this type of work outside of class, before the concept is introduced, especially in basic levels where students may not have the same level of self-motivation as students in advanced levels? In my experience, this was a difficult hurdle to get over, especially at the beginning of the year.
To some extent, I believe that homework is appropriate for a foreign language course, specifically my Spanish language courses, and I believe it should be used not only to reinforce daily classroom material, but to connect previous material and to expose students to future material. Giving homework before lessons gets students to consider how to approach new material and giving homework after lessons are taught allows students to synthesize material.
ReplyDeleteFor example, students in foreign language classrooms might benefit from a writing task that will help them to concentrate on writing skills, incorporate relevant vocabulary, and further understand grammar structures. Listening exercises (which could include having foreign language students watch Spanish news channels or listen to podcasts in Spanish) could help students develop their listening comprehension abilities and their oral proficiency after they come in to discuss what they’ve listened to. Furthermore, reading is a great way to expose students to languages and allowing them choose to read and reflect on literature that they find interesting will inspire them to be excited about languages.
I feel that homework is improperly used in foreign language classes when it is being assigned as “busywork.” Asking students to complete exercises from the text, in my opinion, is not necessarily the best way to promote language learning and retention (especially because most textbooks are problematic in and of themselves). In order for students to be inspired to make an effort in language classes, they must perceive languages as being relevant. That’s not to say that students shouldn’t be responsible for learning vocabulary and other grammar that might involve mechanical learning processes, but I don’t think that assigning textbook exercises every day keeps all students engaged.
Finally, the key to giving homework in foreign language classrooms is to provide feedback instead of metrics-based grades. Students should be graded on whether or not they’ve done the assignment and not on how many answers they may have gotten incorrect or how many mistakes they’ve made in written pieces. It is discouraging, especially in foreign language classrooms, for teachers to assign homework grades based on correct and incorrect answers. It’s much more beneficial for students to receive constructive comments that highlight areas they can focus on for the next assignments.
Candace,
DeleteI agree that homework can be a great tool to connect previous materials. It can also help make connections to the real world. I do disagree however with it being used to present new material. I feel that this can cause stress and confusion in many students. This was also my personal opinion in my lower level spanish courses, teachers using homework about grammar rules I did not yet understand lead to me feeling lost and confused.
Listening exercises are a great tool! I feel that listening homework if it is not to advanced for the student, is a great way to improve comprehension and help get students used to different accents. I also agree that using homework as "busywork" is a improper use of it. Assigning random exercises just so that you have something to assign is not going to be of help to the students. Making homework mean something and using it to improve skills or make connections is a great way to help students want to learn more.
Feed back on homework is something that is lacking in my school systems. Teachers assign homework and walk around to see if it was done. Many teachers do not go over all of it or provide students with a way to check answers. This means that many students could have done it completely wrong but will never know. This being said, I agree that it should not be graded on a percent correct basis. It would be more useful to the students to see where they made mistakes and still give them credit for the effort put in to try the homework.
Kelly,
DeleteIt wouldn’t be my intention to send students home with new material that they are being asked to complete for a grade. I was hoping, however, that I would be able to encourage some (if not, all) of my students to elect to look ahead at the new material so that they can begin get familiar with the subject matter to come. Since language courses often build on previous skills (similar to math courses for example) students could rely on what they’ve already learned to consider what they’ll be learning next.
Candace,
DeleteI completely agree with you on the fact that homework is such a versatile tool to anchor our curriculum as it expands. However, like Kelly, I don't see the use of it as a "method of teaching" necessarily. Homework screams reinforcement to me, rather than assertion, and I have doubts on how sheets of paper or a computer program can effectively inform a student how to speak a language. I also wanted to point out, like Kelly mentioned, that your point about listening exercises is where teaching with homework and building skill with homework is a necessary evil. Listening homework is an easier objective because it is so much more independent of other variables, and students can access and use it according to their own needs and speeds, whether that means slower, faster, louder, quieter, etc. As a note, have either of you ever heard of lyricstraining.com?? It's a wonderful tool for aural learners and people looking to raise their skill level in listening comprehension!!
Candace,
DeleteI agree 100% with your post. I think that it is extremely important for homework to be varied in order to be as effective as possible. By assigning tasks that help a student enrich their reading, writing, listening and conversational skills is the best approach to take, in my opinion to having the most success in helping students to acquire a language. Like you touch on in your post, I believe that homework can serve as an important bridge between previous, current and new material, and tie everything together. I also believe, like you said in your post, that homework is not very beneficial when it is assigned as busy work. In my experience, I think students become unmotivated when teachers start doing this.
Homework, to me is both one of our most valuable resources as a teacher, as well as one of the most dangerous games to play with. Everyday in class we, as teachers, can monitor how a student seems to be doing on quizzes, participation, and just in how they behave in the classroom setting, but without homework, we have no clue to how they work with material at home/ in a non-classroom setting. Some students may be able to conjugate every form of a verb in the blink of an eye in class, but at home they can't even remember what a conjugation IS, while others show that they know the information and prove that they have the knowledge required for the class, but their performance in class is scattered, weak, or needs improvement.
ReplyDeleteI see homework as both a reinforcement of information given in class, as well as an evaluation of what students absorbed from my lessons. Homework is important, no doubt, but there are lines that need to be drawn for using homework properly as teachers, just as much as there should be lines drawn for how students use homework. If a student is simply google translating the homework, is cheating off of others, having someone else do it for them, or not doing it all, there is no development or solidification of material. Yet, from position, I have to make sure that whatever is being done for homework is valuable. If I am just using busy work, or the homework is on things I know the students have a solid grasp on to put grades in, it retracts from my students respect for me, my effectiveness as a teacher, and simply wastes time for all involved. They have to waste time doing this homework and I have to waste time grading it.
Homework doesn't have to always be a chore, be a nightmare, or something that makes a student resent the class or subject. Why would I give my students homework on anything we haven't fully covered in class? I see homework as an alternative to in class quizzes on many occasions as it is a form of informal evaluation for them. If they are using resources like dictionaries (not google) and their notes, that is even better, because they are both accurate and correct, as well as using resources and picking up information along the way. And that being said, how I evaluate them should be more based on trying it and getting the work done with effort in a timely manner. If they get things wrong consistently, it's on me, not them, for not conveying the information effectively in class. I want to know where I messed up, so that I can better prepare them and myself for the future. Homework, seems to me, to be the key to this.
Morgan,
DeleteIt’s interesting that you’ve made the point about treating homework as a tool for teachers to assess learning occurring (or not occurring) outside of foreign language classrooms. Furthermore, I agree with what you’ve said about the danger of homework becoming a waste of time for all parties involved if it is improperly used. It is my opinion that, like you suggested in your post, “busywork” might cause students to lose respect for teachers and, as a result, disengage from the language learning process.
I’d also like to comment on your thoughts about the grading of homework. You brought up the fact that evaluating homework provides insight about a teacher’s performance. If, as you mentioned, students are not getting the correct answers on homework, then the students are not the only people coming to realizations concerning the language class. The teacher should be reflecting on their own practices based on how students are achieving on homework.
Morgan,
DeleteI agree that homework is important but it really boils down to what the students are getting from their homework assignments. If the homework is being translated through google translate then the student is not going to actually learn from them. If the assignment is meaningful and helps the students language skills grow then it is valuable. Like you had mentioned if they are pulling information from their notes or looking up vocabulary from word reference then they are learning something from their homework.
I also appreciate your point that if students are struggling over and over again then it might be a problem with the teacher not the students. This is something I feel many teachers forget, that they can also be at fault.
Homework is important and appropriate when it is necessary and is going to be beneficial to the learning and progress of the class as a whole. I think it obviously depends on what grade and age we are considering but, for me personally I always learn the content better when I know I am going to be quizzed on it when I get to class. I think it is most definitely improperly used at times, for example when teachers give you a text book and it has the answers in the back of the book and it is just a grammar exerciser, I think that for most students, that is definitely pointless. Also, the younger you go, the more they are just going to evade actually executing their learned knowledge and just want to get it done so they can go have a snack or play with their friends or whatever. I think if you give homework out after the lesson that is alright, but make sure you are sure that everyone understands the assignment and why it is important and such.
ReplyDeleteMax,
DeleteI definitely feel like you hit something important with your comment about the age of your students and the homework they receive. My biggest issue when I see first year language students versus older more experienced and proficient learners, is that the homework is disproportionate. Do you see 3rd graders going home with piles of papers and exercises to solidify their different coursework and subjects? No. So when I see 401 level students in the library for hours, their heads rolling over 20 exercises a night for an almost everyday class, I feel there needs to be some modification their. They need time to process, and time for the structure to build, so that it doesn't collapse with the amount of information on top of it.
Max,
DeleteYou addressed an important thing that I think is all too common in lower levels with younger students. I've tutored a lot of high school students in Spanish, and when I've met with them and we review the homework they are assigned, often times they are given pointless exercises in their textbook that don't foster their learning in any way. A lot of the students I have worked with have become disconnected from their classes, and one of the biggest complaints I've heard from them has been useless homework assignments that they either end up not doing, or put very little effort into. I think that given how big technology is in education today, teachers working with younger students in lower levels need to make assignments interactive and useful in a sense, which I believe would create a more fun and desirable learning environment.
Max,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment about making sure that all students understand the importance of the homework being assigned in a foreign language classroom. In my opinion, it’s the teacher’s job to not only provide a reason for the homework being given to students, but to back up their classroom activities as well. If students do not understand the importance of an assignment or why they are being asked to do what the teacher is asking of them, then they might not feel as though they need to do it. In that case, homework in foreign language classrooms is not beneficial for anybody.
Homework is a very debated topic amongst all teachers. I feel as though homework is valuable but it should not be the only way material is presented. Homework such as vocabulary review or reading with comprehension questions is great for reenforcing topics that have already been learnt. I do not, however, feel that homework should be the first time a student is presented with new material. This is unfair and very stressful for the student. Learning a new language can be stressful but when you are sent home to do an assignment for a grade on something you have never even heard of this brings stress to a whole new level. This is how I feel homework is improperly used. Many teachers in high school and even in college will give homework to students with directions in a language they don't fully comprehend and on a brand new topic. This not only makes it less likely that the student will be able to do their homework with any success but it will also cause students to get discouraged and give up. In my opinion homework is a great tool. If the homework is given after a lesson has been taught and is used to review in class lesson it can be very useful. Homework is ( in my opinion ) supposed to be used to help a student stay on top of what was taught it class, it should help them not forget everything they learnt during the day. It should not be a way to have students teach them selves. I also feel especially at lower level language courses the instructions should be presented in both languages or gone over in class to make sure what is being asked for is clear.
ReplyDeleteKelly,
DeleteI agree with what you’re saying about homework being a tool to reinforce class material in foreign language courses. I also agree with your comment that sending students home with new material and having them complete related assignments for grades is unrealistic as well as ineffective. Additionally, like you’ve said, it would cause students to be stressed out.
However, I think that the part at the end of your post where you mentioned how students can, in a way, use homework to teach themselves might be connected to what I was saying before. Having students read ahead (if they choose to and without the fear of being graded) to explore a little bit of new material on their own time and to start considering what’s coming up in the foreign language class is, in my opinion, beneficial for those who decide to do it.
Kelly,
DeleteI fully agree with your commentary, and it frustrates me as well, as I was saying with Max's comment, to see people working with materials and in a way that is not meant for their level. The point of basic language classes are to accumulate the pieces, start putting together this skyscraper of a thing in our heads, and yet the words they use on the instructions alone contain grammar and vocabulary that is sometimes more rigorous than the actual vocabulary on the sheet you're giving them!!!
Homework is a very useful tool in a foreign language class, which I believe can bolster a student's skills and enrich their learning; however, I think many times a lot of questions circle this particular topic as to what is the best way to implement this so it is successful, and what are appropriate methods that should be taken when assigning work outside of class. I have had the opportunity to be on both ends of the homework spectrum; as a student and as a teacher, and I have found that I have had mixed feelings about homework etiquette depending on my role. As a student, I have had teachers throughout my academic career that have assigned homework in a way that has fostered my learning and been quite beneficial, and on the other hand, I have had teachers that haven't done so great when assigning out of class assignments, where they used it as busy work or to fill gaps.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience as a student, I have found homework to be very beneficial when it is assigned before a new concept is introduced by the instructor. Even though this may seem pointless to some because people have wondered “How can a student complete an assignment when they haven’t received instruction?”, I have found that when a reading assignment on the new topic accompanies the assignment, students are able to perform better than they think. After receiving in class instruction and practice, follow up assignments should follow in order to reinforce what the student learned in class. In my career as a Spanish student, most of my teachers did not follow this approach. It wasn’t until I got to UNH that I saw this method being implemented. I would say that I have progressed more in my grammar studies here at UNH than at any other moment in my academic career. I did all of my advanced grammar classes at UNH with John Chaston, and he implemented this method in introducing and teaching grammar in his classes. Throughout the time I’ve spent in his classes, I noticed that I, along with my peers, progressed at an exponential rate. Also, students did not tend to become as frustrated or impatient in his classes because most of them were doing the work outside of class, and coming to class and participating on a regular basis.
As a teacher of Spanish 401 and 402, we used this method when assigning homework tasks. Unfortunately, it did not go off without a hitch as it did in John Chaston’s classes, but many students were still learning the material, actively participating in class, and performing well on evaluations. Being on this end of homework as a teacher and working with a basic level, I was able to determine certain issues and difficulties students were having with homework assignments and work with them in order to correct them. I think that it is important, as a teacher especially with basic levels, to not overload students with too many assignments. I have noticed that when students are overloaded with homework assignments and they become frustrated, this has an adverse effect on their motivation. Also, presentation and implementation of homework is very important. I think that textbook assignments are good for in-class practice, but not for out of class work. Also, if an online-based homework module is being used, it is important that it is user-friendly.
DeleteAcquiring and learning a language is a very mechanical task. I equate it to learning how to play an instrument. Students can do all the reading and receive all the instruction they desire, but without an appropriate platform to practice, the reading and instruction are useless. I think one of the biggest downfalls when it comes to assigning homework is that all too often teachers try to do too much, and cram too much into lessons. Just like a student that crams for a test, when teachers try to cram a curriculum and assign too much work that is all over the place, students become overwhelmed, unmotivated, and decide to give up. An important aspect of learning a language that I believe gets overlooked all too often, is that students need to practice reading, writing, listening comprehension and speaking. A student can be able to conjugate every verb, but if they don’t receive the appropriate practice and learn how to implement specific grammar aspects in speech or writing, then what is the point? I think it is important that when assigning homework, the instructor varies the assignments to work on different abilities (speaking, listening, reading, writing) in order to adopt a well-rounded approach. Also, not cramming the curriculum is important in order to maintain students’ interest and motivation.