Page 297 - Powerful Social Studies for Elementary Students 4th Edition

CHAPTER 13
How Can the Curriculum Be Expanded and Made More Powerful through Homework? 269
homework (Alleman, et. al., 2010). This approach obviously disadvantages a lot of learners and often becomes a de-motivator because these students may not have support at home or may be unclear about the directions. We do not believe that homework, especially for students at the lower elementary grades, should be used for part of their grade. We believe that families should be involved with homework. Thus, we view homework as an impor- tant extension of the in-school lessons but do not believe it should be used to evaluate whether children have met lesson and unit goals.
While the debate continues about the impact of homework on student achievement, we believe homework is and will continue to be an integral part of the schooling process. Our approach calls for the realm of possibilities for homework with an emphasis on qualitative changes in the way students view themselves in relation to the task (Kohn, 2007). Authentic homework focuses students on what they are doing, what they are learn- ing in school, and how they can create meaning and apply or extend it in their lives out of school (Alleman, et. al., 2010). In our opinion, homework should be geared toward high- quality learning that fosters in individual students a continuing desire to gain knowledge. Moreover by its very nature authentic homework allows for natural differentiation.
We do not believe that the quality of homework assignments should be evaluated only as good or bad, or as either meaningful or not meaningful. Instead, we suggest that homework practice be viewed on a continuum from less meaningful, focusing on compli- ance with little or no meaning beyond the classroom, to more meaningful, focusing on extensive learning with meaning beyond the classroom (Table 13.1). Even incremental changes toward meaningfulness and authenticity have merit and should be encouraged and supported. We do recognize that there is a need and place for basic skills practice (rote/reinforcement) at home. This type of homework is different from assignments and
Principle 2: Opportunity to Learn: Students learn more when most of the available time is allocated to curriculum-related activities and the classroom management system emphasizes maintaining students’ engagement in those activities. Research shows the more time spent on instructional tasks, the more children learn. Thus, homework should similarly be focused on content rather than on busywork. Children need opportunities to apply what they’ve learned in meaningful situations. Please see Chapter 14 for a more in-depth description of this principle.
Opportunity to Learn
TABLE 13.1 FOCUS ON COMPLIANCE VS. FOCUS ON LEARNING
Focus on Compliance: Little or Focus on Learning: Meaning No Meaning Beyond Classroom Beyond the Classroom
Complete the questions (related to democracy) at the end of the chapter.
Participate in a scavenger hunt (with members of your family, if possible) and look for all the ways democracy plays out in your community. Document your observations.
Complete the worksheet that focuses on the Five Themes of Geography.
Study your local community and find an example of each of the Five Themes of Geography. Document your responses. Make sure the exam- ples are explicit.
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