A repeating theme that comes up in discussions with teachers at all levels revolves around the necessity / value of homework: whether it should be assigned at all, whether it should be graded, whether it should be mandatory or optional, what types of questions should be asked, and how much should be assigned. As usual on a topic like this, there is a fairly broad spectrum. For new readers to this blog, please know that this is primarily a math blog and that the author’s experiences are in teaching mathematics and computer science. As such, the opinions provided are in relation to teaching a quantitative course.

To cut to the chase, here is my stance on homework at the time of writing this post.

Value

Homework can be valuable to both the instructor and the student. Homework allows the instructor to further explore topics covered in class. The instructor has an opportunity to provide feedback and recognize what weaknesses and strengths a student or the class has in general.

Homework can also give the student a sense of personal accomplishment and can help to boost confidence. When a topic that may have been difficult in the classroom suddenly becomes easy, it is immediate feedback to the student that she has learned something.

Additionally, homework gives the student a structured, but unsupervised opportunity to learn and do without the fear of someone looking over their shoulder and telling them that they are “wrong”. Some students are a little shy about showing their work when they are not confident about it. By letting them work things out on their own, they can build their confidence on their own. Some students just like to be able to iteratively figure things out on their own rather than iterate with the instructor — not everyone needs or wants a helping hand.

Grading and Assigning Homework?

Homework should not be graded nor should it be mandatory.

I really see no point in grading homework. Grading homework is a form of nanny-ism in my book. It is a fallacy to assume that students are supposed to all learn the same content at the same pace. Some students require many “redos” before they fully grasp what is going on. Other students understand almost immediately. Grading homework just punishes those who don’t learn at the designated pace. See this for a possibly better way to evaluate students.

Mandatory homework is also a form of nanny-ism. I understand why some would argue that homework should be mandatory (heck, this is a pro-homework article, so why shouldn’t homework be mandatory if it is good?). By making homework mandatory the instructor directly controls the student’s out-of-class time. What the student does outside of class is the student’s business. If I can foster an environment of learning that carries through outside of the classroom, then I have really done my job, but I shouldn’t have to force a student to learn. Additionally, there may be other classes that the student is taking where he has to spend more out-of-class time than in, say, my class.

By making homework optional, students can prioritize their out-of-class learning. As much as I think that the classes I teach are vitally important, and they may very well be, the student has other concerns (social, home life, other classes, etc.) to which I am not privy — and this is true for practically all ages.

As homework ought to neither be mandatory nor graded, “how much” to assign is irrelevant. The instructor can assign a broad amount of homework and set general expectations for the student who chooses to do it.

Making homework optional also puts the responsibility of learning on the student. People often forget that a teacher cannot simply talk or otherwise infuse knowledge into a student’s brain. The student must do his fair share at some point.

Drill Baby, Drill!

Worksheets are often the sore point in the homework debate. It is easy to rail against the soulless problem sets that are just mass produced. We imagine a robotic setting of semi-lobotomized students with their eyes glazed over doing problem after problem in lock step. And, yes, this is not good. But how can worksheets be good?

Worksheets can be good if coupled with an ungraded, non-mandatory setting with regard to homework. Worksheets give students the ability to practice their mechanics in much the same way that a piano student will have to practice his scales or the voice student will have to practice singing or the athlete will have to simply run.

Math worksheets are just another form of practice. By making them ungraded and optional, the student can do as much as she feels necessary. The instructor can always gauge where the student or the class is through in-class formative or summative assessments.

But only giving worksheets is not a good idea. Thought-provoking homework can be good, since one of the purposes of education is to promote thinking. Thought-provoking homework can be in many forms and a common form is project-based work.

Projects give the student a hands-on experience with the course content. For some students, a proper context helps to solidify concepts. Projects can also help to engage the advanced, but bored student or the disengaged and uninterested student. Some people learn kinesthetically.

Feedback

Homework should be allowed / strongly recommended to be “turned in” for feedback from the instructor (and the instructor should provide meaningful feedback).

There is nothing worse for the student who has spent time and effort working on something to simply get a \(\checkmark\) followed up with “100” on the assignment.

One of the main responsibilities of a classroom instructor is to give feedback! So provide it where appropriate. The instructor doesn’t have to write a novel for every assignment to every student, but at the same time a big red “X” doesn’t help much either. In the spirit of balance, there are times when that big red “X” is necessary, there are times when some prose is necessary, and there times when a simple “Great job!” is enough. Much like the body needs to be replenished with the appropriate nutrition after a hard, physical workout, the student needs to be replenished with feedback — it’s education nutrition.

Deadlines should not be imposed, but at the same time a non-negligible proportion of students want / need structure. As such, the instructor should provide reasonable guidelines for what a “good pace” is. This is just so that for those students that need milestones, they will have them. The instructor should not impose these guidelines as rules for other students. When an instructor recognizes that a student is progressing more slowly or more quickly than “normal”, the instructor can intervene and provide appropriate feedback to help the student continue to learn. Setting deadlines gives the wrong kind of feedback — it says, “You’re stupid for not learning this by now.” or “You’re not allowed to learn this quickly.”

It’s not synchronized swimming!

In conclusion, I do think that homework is a valuable part of learning. How homework is used to promote learning defines its necessity.

These are my thoughts. What are your thoughts?