STEPS TO BETTER HOMEWORKAuthor(s): Elizabeth McLeanSource: The Mathematics Teacher, Vol. 86, No. 3 (MARCH 1993), p. 212Published by: National Council of Teachers of MathematicsStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27968248 .

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STEPS TO BETTER HOMEWORK Homework can often be an exercise in frustration for both teacher and students. The students do not know what the teacher really wants and do not

agree with the grades they receive. The teacher cannot understand why the students communicate so little in their work. But with a little care, home work can enrich our students' understanding and can help us teach better.

Motivation

The first step is to motivate our students by making homework assignments an important part of the

course, with grades constituting a significant part of the total grade. If we use homework grades to decide borderline course grades or as only minor extra credit, many students will not bother to do the assignments. They will conclude that the home work is not worth the effort. Most students do not realize that they will not learn the material with out doing the homework. If they believe that

neglecting the homework will adversely affect their

grade, they are much more likely to work consis

tently on the exercises. Thus, we should decide in advance how much the homework will be worth

(i.e., percent of the total grade) and inform the stu dents at the beginning of the grading period.

Planning Second, we must take care in planning assign ments. Problems should be selected that expose students to different aspects of a given topic. Assigning every problem in the section may not be

appropriate. Excessive repetition is not necessarily a good learning tool and can sour students' atti tudes. If we expect students to work every exercise in the problem set, then we should grade every one.

Otherwise, if we intend to grade only five or six rep resentative exercises, we need not assign forty. Stu dents are more likely to complete an assignment that can be worked in a reasonable amount of time.

Standards

Third, we must make the grading standards clear and precise and discuss them in advance. Many teachers complain about their students' poor writ

ing, but how many students have studied any work other than their own or have ever been taught how to improve their writing? The solution to this major problem is simple, but demanding. At the beginning

of the grading period, we should give the students a

listing of standards, along with a few examples of

unacceptable and acceptable work. During the

grading period, we must work precisely and clearly at the chalkboard and tell the students that we

expect the same care in their homework. That is, we expect them to rewrite the problem as stated in the book (except story problems); to write their

steps clearly, one line after another; and to write

neatly across the page so that their reasoning is obvious. Their computations should be complete, and their steps must be connected by grammatical ly correct English sentences. Final answers are to be marked clearly. Graphs are to be drawn neatly and on an appropriate scale, using a straightedge and proper labeling for the axes. Then we must

grade according to the requirements we have set. For instance, points should be taken off if a student shows no work and gives only a numerical solution, even if the given number is correct. Stress that

properly worked-out homework problems are good study aids for tests. Once the students become accustomed to the new standards, the quality of their work will pick up considerably.

Consistency

The last step is consistency. We must maintain our standards for the entire grading period, including on quizzes and tests. The resulting information will

help us to better diagnose and then correct our stu dents' problems. The students will also gain a mea sure of discipline and a comprehension of mathe

matics that they might not otherwise attain. Make the homework important. Give assign

ments that teach. Tell the students what is

required, and then grade according to the prede fined standards. Maintain these standards consis

tently for the entire grading period. These four

steps can be time-consuming, but the reward in the

improvement of our students' depth of understand

ing and performance is well worth the effort.

Elizabeth McLean

Wright State University Dayton, OH 45435

"Tips for Beginners" offers ways to present lessons, strate gies for homework assignments or grading, techniques for classroom management, and other ideas helpful to the beginning mathematics teacher.

212 THE MATHEMATICS TEACHER

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