The Pennsylvania State University
The Graduate School
College of Education
Homework, Busywork, & Missing Work
An exploration of how homework relates to, inhibits, and supports learning
in the classroom.
Master’s Paper
Third Draft: 06/08/2013
Jeff M. Luttermoser
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Contents
Context…………………………………………………..2
Research.………………………………………………...6
Inquiry………………………………………………....13
Theory & Practice…………………………………….15
Conclusion..………………………………………...….27
Works Cited……………………………………………29
“For anyone willing to shake things up in order to do what makes sense,
beginning a conversation about homework is a very good place to start.”
-Alfie Kohn
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Context
At this very instant, a student in the American public education system is sitting at
home, taking out an assignment for school, and repeating a problem that has been
developing for decades. The notion of homework has evolved from a rarity to an
expectation, and beyond. Homework is often assigned work meant to keep a student
busy, to validate a lesson, or to fulfill a standard. I had never thought much about it
before my year-long internship at State College Area School District. I now have
interactions with homework on a daily basis, and what I know from my limited
experience is this: while homework may be causing a struggle for many, it also holds
benefits for many. The problem lies in the purpose, which more often than not, seems to
be elusive, if not empty.
This question of homework is the result of many years and different experiences
in the realm of education. My career as a primary and secondary student in Hartland
School District in rural Michigan was much like any other, I suppose. I received
homework of every variety, every day. I went home after school, and worked for a few
more hours on my own. When I could not get through an assignment without help, I did
not do it. When I had an assignment that was meaningless practice (repeating skills I
already had), I completed it, resentfully. The interesting part of this reflection is how my
resentment developed towards those classes in which I received work meant to keep me
busy. I disengaged from those subjects, and chose not to follow any path that began with
them. My confidence in those subjects waned and morphed from insecurity to apathy.
Ultimately, I lost interest in learning about those subjects, and they seemed unimportant.
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Naturally, I followed what I excelled in. My humanities teacher in high school
gave me wonderful assignments, and rarely did I need to work on them outside of school.
She opened my mind to new ideas through literature, and respected my time and
intelligence. She had a purpose, which she communicated to us, in doing everything she
did. At the time, I was not aware of how the way information was given to me would
influence who I would become.
I went from high school into college, where I was immediately involved with the
theatre department through a service award scholarship. The department challenged my
way of thinking. It gave me purposeful, exploratory assignments, and valued my time and
energy. My major changed swiftly from English Language and Literature to Theatre Arts,
under the reasoning of maintaining my scholarship. Truthfully, my path continued to
unfold towards the area that gave me the most opportunity and purpose.
Theatre provided an interesting professional lifestyle, moving from place to place
and paycheck to paycheck. While it was exciting and fulfilling being able to live
artistically and do what I loved to do, as I got older I began to wish for more stability. In
my last professional theatre position, I helped to teach an after-school program. My first
introduction to teaching immediately made me question this idea of homework. My
supervisor was giving small children worksheets in which they were asked to review
what they had just learned. This bothered me, because I thought it was unnecessary for
first graders to bother with. I brought this up to my former supervisor, and was given the
reason that homework was expected by the parents, and somehow makes us seem more
legitimate as teachers. I did not completely buy this, but I was a novice, and tended not to
argue for something I knew very little about.
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As I began to teach in-school residencies, more after-school programs for older
students, weekend workshops, and eventually a college course at Harrisburg Area
Community College, I really began to explore this idea of meaningful homework.
Unfortunately, it would be a while before I would be anywhere near successful with
assigning it. In order to get to that point, I would have to uncover several assumptions
that were holding me back.
My first assumption: reading should be done outside of class. Initially, I assigned
the majority of THTR 101 reading to be done outside of class. I was operating under the
assumption that having students read in class wasted precious time I could be using to
instruct, introduce new material, and lead group discussions. Even at the seventh grade
level in the beginning of my internship, I had pushed my students to do reading outside of
class, and this was when I noticed the lack of understanding, comprehension, and general
disengagement the students were experiencing. I began to explore ways to use reading in
the classroom, but I was still a far cry from considering getting rid of work outside of
school altogether.
My second assumption: students need to practice what they learn so they can
learn it “better”. ‘Practice makes perfect’ was my motto, and how I was conditioned as a
student. What I failed to consider was that many students are asked to practice what they
are already skilled at, usually with meaningless busy work which makes them resentful
and sometimes hostile toward the subject. While I do believe that practicing what you
know is important for continual understanding, growth, and success as a student, I do not
think asking our students to complete a task for the sake of completing the task is
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necessarily helpful for anyone. I will explore this notion in depth throughout this
analysis.
My third assumption: assigning homework makes me look like I have high
standards. This was my thought from the first time I taught. I need to assign homework
for the students to respect my class, work hard, and sadly, for the parents to consider me
as a serious educator. Apparently, as a culture, we generally view academia, even at the
elementary level, with an expectation that homework should be given. If it is not, parents
tend to think the teacher is not working hard enough. It took me many years to slowly and
securely move away from this idea, and realize that the work I assign is only helpful
when it is actually helpful.
My final assumption: my students benefit from homework. Unfortunately for my
ego, this is simply not always true. I was often not paying attention to the purpose for the
homework I assigned. I was blindly following some unwritten code for teachers,
sometimes scrambling to come up with homework to assign. Even if my assignment was
well thought out, who was I to tell the students that it made them better students?
I have worked to begin uncovering these assumptions through the research that
follows. This data provides me with a wealth of research and policy-making regarding
homework that exists across the world. Despite my own conclusions and assumptions,
there are districts, educational philosophers, and even politicians that strongly believe in
an extreme end of the issue: homework every day, or no homework. Ever.
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Research
Many educators, administrators, politicians, and parents agree with the idea that
sparked my inquiry: that there is an apparent problem with the majority of homework
policies, or lack thereof, currently in use today. The main ideas being debated in public
education systems across the world are the same questions I have been exploring
throughout my internship. Studies indicate homework does not necessarily help students
achieve success, and it especially does harm to those students who belong to a lower
socio-economic class. As this was not a part of my personal research, I found it
interesting when considering districts around Harrisburg, PA, where I hope to continue
my career. Harrisburg is a debt-ridden municipality, and their school district has suffered
greatly from communal poverty. “Poverty has a major impact on whether pupils are able
to complete their homework. However, many teachers and schools have argued that
homework is the ‘public face’ of the school and is demanded by many parents” (Barker,
2).
Connecting back to my assumption that homework makes me look like I have
high standards, research shows that parents in higher socio-economic classes often
demand homework, because it is their daily insight into how their child’s school
functions, what they offer the student, and what level of learning the student should be at.
Unfortunately, this causes many issues for the students, and for the teacher. Alfie Kohn,
an educational researcher, states “The negative effects of homework are well known.
They include children’s frustration and exhaustion, lack of time for other activities, and
possible loss of interest in learning” (Kohn, Rethinking Homework).
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Unfortunately, the majority of parents are operating under the same assumption I
had: that homework is always, and routinely beneficial for their child. I encountered
several of these kinds of parents at Park Forest Middle School, and they are part of what
prompted the original team meetings about homework policy. These parents campaign
for rigor and strict homework policies without all of the information. “Why is there such
a disconnect? One reason is that many parents have faith in the school system and assume
that educators have good reasons for subjecting our kids to so much work. But we suspect
that these parents—and lots more—will be up in arms when they learn the truth: that the
overwhelming majority of teachers have never taken a course in homework, and that,
contrary to popular belief, there is little solid research demonstrating benefits from the
current homework system—if we can even call it a system” (Bennett, Kalish, 3).
My assumption that homework was beneficial for my students was challenged by
research that shows it has shown no significant positive impact for younger students, and
little impact for high-level students. While my personal research involved secondary
students, the problem of homework is especially troubling for primary students.
According to Kohn, “There is absolutely no evidence of any academic benefit from
assigning homework in elementary or middle school. At the high school level, the
correlation is weak and tends to disappear when more sophisticated statistical measures
are applied. Meanwhile, no study has ever substantiated the belief that homework builds
character or teaches good study habits” (Kohn, Rethinking Homework).
Other educators disagree with Kohn, saying his radical beliefs are bad for
education. The opposing side cites the positive affect of student achievement response to
incentives and rewards that come from homework completion. “Rewards can reduce
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motivation, but only when motivation was somewhat high to start with. If the student is
unmotivated to perform some task, rewarding him will not hurt his motivation. Praise can
be controlling and exact a psychological cost, but its effect on the recipient depends on
how it’s construed” (Willingham, 2).
After looking at both sides of this issue, I began to research how we initially got
into this culture of homework. Parents expect it, demand it, and administrators listen.
Above the local level, governmental initiatives have heavily influenced the education
system’s response to homework policy. “Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton, for
example, proposed federally mandated curricula as well as standardized national tests to
measure progress. Most recently, on Jan. 8, 2002, the second President Bush signed into
law the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which requires states to develop academic
standards for schools. If the schools can’t show they are meeting those standards by
having their students pass annual tests tied to the standards, parents can move their
children to alternative public schools and take their federal education funds with them”
(Marshall, 995).
In response to my assumption that students learn something better if they have
homework to reinforce it is commonly shared, and these standards have pushed
homework policies to the point where we have to, as a society, take a look at what we are
doing to the students we aim to serve. The truth, which has been relatively universal
across multiple generations of public education students, is that those who are
economically disadvantaged will not benefit from a more rigorous policy, or any policy at
all. “School policies that aim to give parents more responsibility for their children’s
learning, unintentionally contribute to a situation where the quality of education differs
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across pupils from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Giving homework to children
only improves the achievement of pupils from advantaged family backgrounds”
(Ronning, 54).
Yet, homework remains almost a tradition, and part of most teachers’ planning.
The issue of busywork and ineffective homework can be dealt with, according to Alfie
Kohn, with examining our purposes in giving the homework. “It’s not enough just to
have less homework or even better homework. We should change the expectation in our
schools that students are asked to take schoolwork home only when a there’s a reasonable
likelihood that a particular assignment will be beneficial to most of them. No homework
except on those occasions when it’s truly necessary” (Kohn, Rethinking Homework).
Breaking it down this far, to the point where homework is only given when it is
absolutely necessary, can solve some of the issues and fears of those campaigning for nohomework policies. Having too much can affect a child’s desire to learn, and restrict
their freedom and personal relationships. “Too much homework, some researchers and
educators argue, can kill a child's love of learning while forcing him or her to sacrifice
time for family, sports, extracurricular activities and learning experiences outside of
school work” (Lindstrom, 2).
Is getting rid of homework altogether too extreme? Alfie Kohn, as a proponent of
revamping the entire system of grades and homework policies, believes we can meet in
the middle, and offer the students some opportunity to decide for themselves. “If, on the
other hand, students groan about, or try to avoid, homework, it’s generally because they
get too much of it, or because it’s assigned thoughtlessly and continuously, or simply
because they had nothing to say about it” (Kohn, The Homework Myth).
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Of course, there are those who strongly support assigning daily homework,
especially with the recent push for schools to perform well on standardized exams. The
stakes have gotten higher for districts trying to meet the seemingly impossible
achievement windows the government has set for them. “There is no consistent
significant relationship between time spent on homework and grades, but a consistently
positive significant relationship between homework and performance on standardized
exams” (Maltese, 1).
Research suggests homework that is designed to benefit an individual student,
according to their level, learning style, and personal academic strengths, should be the
goal when examining and developing homework policies and assignments in school.
“Individualized homework assigned to appropriate grade levels seems to help students
develop the disciplined study skills that result in increased scholastic achievement”
(Eddy, 1).
Even with all of this attention to high scores, compared to other countries, the
United States ranks 17th in education. For an advanced first world country with the largest
economy in the world, this is a low ranking. Some educators believe this gap can be
closed with more homework and individualized assignments. Many parents tend to agree
with this sentiment, given the relatively small amount of time students have with their
teacher’s instruction in school. “But the U.S. sends children to school many days fewer
than some of the top performing countries and some parents insist extra practice could
only help” (Lindstrom, 3). Other parents just wish to cooperate with the teacher, and
share their concern for the student’s learning and work quality. "When my child brings
home an A, is it really an A or is it B work? You need homework, and it needs to be the
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good kind of homework, not just busy work. I want the teachers to be able to do what
they feel is best in the classroom" (Kurutz, 1).
Like any issue, the concern for the future of education and what we can do about
it has generated a polarized community. While getting rid of homework altogether, or
piling it on even more are both radical concepts, the way we educate our students may
render both of these ideas obsolete. What makes it different, is the utilization of modern
technology, which frankly, comes with its own large set of concerns. With the advent of
networking communications, technology is already rapidly shifting the way information
is imparted to students in many districts. In the United Kingdom, many districts are using
a new “flipped instruction” model, in which the student watches the lesson from home,
and applies skills and practice in school with the aid of the instructor.
In my experience in State College, we have used similar techniques with the
SCoodle forums during our novel units, which I will discuss in detail later in this paper.
“Technology might be quietly transforming the type of work that is set and the
willingness of pupils to complete tasks at home. It may also relieve teachers of marking
while still allowing them to analyze how well their pupils are doing. It was initially set up
to help pupils revise for exams but has since been rolled out in primary schools. Teachers
set tasks online, which pupils complete at home, receiving their grades instantly with no
marking from the teacher. Staff can see how many tries it took pupils to get the correct
answer and adapt their teaching accordingly” (Barker, 2).
The United Kingdom is one of many countries who are responding to the issue
with progressive, modern solutions. France’s newly elected president, Francois Hollande
is an avid socialist, and openly believes homework to be inappropriate for students in
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primary school. “As part of overarching education reforms, he [Francois Hollande] wants
to ban homework for all primary school pupils in a bid to make the system fairer for
pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds who do not have support at home. Instead, pupils
will complete their ‘personal work’ in designated class time, overseen by a teacher,
between 3.30pm and 4pm. Campaigners in Britain have cheered the move, which is in
effect the enforcement of a 1956 French law banning written homework in primaries that
has largely been ignored by teachers” (Barker, 2).
State laws in America have yet to reach an over-arching level of policy, but many
districts, like State College Area School District, are forming committees to examine the
role of homework in their schools. These committees aim to incorporate the varied
concerns and opinions of parents, teachers, students, and administrators into a policy that
is fitting for their specific district. Given the research on this issue, at the very least, all
districts should be taking this important, progressive step toward bettering the education
they offer their children.
Additionally, based on my research from units on the novels The Kite Runner and
Bel Canto, in the absence of a homework policy, teachers should develop their own.
Serious consideration should be given to purpose, length, amount, and student time when
developing and assigning homework at any level. The professional research supports this,
and based on the subject, our societal, cultural, and technological advances may help
introduce new ways of imparting information and practicing skills.
The research led me to respond to the homework problem in a unit on the novel
The Kite Runner, with another unit on the novel Bel Canto. I collected data on the quality
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of, completion rates, and student attitudes toward homework in the course, and in
general.
Inquiry
As I stated earlier, the homework problem did not come into full view until I
began my internship at Park Forest Middle School through the State College Area School
District and the Pennsylvania State University. In the Fall of 2013, I joined a team of
educators in the 7th grade, and began a very interesting, turbulent, and often exhausting
journey into the world of education, and inherently, homework. It came up during team
meetings, parent meetings, planning sessions, and even in class. Assigning too much
homework, what should be assigned for homework, the concern for not assigning enough
homework, and the inevitable amount of missing work, were all issues we explored and
discussed. As a team, we addressed these topics to appease parents and administrators, as
well as see how we could help our students without taking over their lives. This was how
my inquiry was formed.
Through a series of events beyond my control, I was moved from the 7th grade at
Park Forest Middle School, to the 12th grade at State College Area High School, and
spent the second half of the year working with seniors in a course called Modern
Classics. This course involved a lot of outside reading and writing… for a class of
Seniors months away from graduating. During this time, I was introduced to some
educational theories on “no homework” policies, such as the policy implemented by
France’s president, Francois Hollande. I also read parent testimonials from across the
country demanding must-have homework policies, and I began to wonder what the truth
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was, and how I could use it in my own classroom, especially in response to my first
assumption that reading should be done outside of class.
As I geared up for an extended research project on this inquiry, I began by first
exploring the questions which resulted from my work on homework policies with my
team at Park Forest Middle School:
1. What types of homework are getting done more frequently than others?
I have seen all kind of assignments working in an English classroom, as a student,
and as a teacher of theatre. All of them fall under the realms of either homework or
busywork. These are general terms, but each assignment’s worth is determined by its
purpose, and the quality and relevance of that purpose determines whether or not it will
ever be completed or turned in.
2. Is there a meaningful connection between homework and what is learned?
I looked at the work being assigned. I began to question if the students were
developing a clearer understanding of what we were discussing in class because of it.
Were they able to make that connection, to find meaning and purpose in the time and
work we asked them to do outside of our classroom? Were they, in fact, learning?
3.What happens when you make the classroom a productive space?
The notion of turning the classroom into a productive workspace, rather than a
lecture hall or a place where students are given materials and directions, bothered me.
What would it look like? How would the students respond? Would they be accountable,
responsible, and enthusiastic? Would offering a unit without homework be beneficial for
their literary education?
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I decided to explore the answers to these questions with the time, space, and
students that I had to work with. The experience was eye-opening, refreshing, and in the
end, left me more confused than I was to begin with. What I found drove me towards a
more individualized style of teaching, allowing me to focus on what the individual
student needs, rather than what the group may need. For example, I gave differentiated
choice homework assignments asking students to view the text through different lenses,
allowing students to play to their strengths and interest. Through interviews, direct
instruction, and conversation, I attempted to get to know what their life outside of school
entailed, and how homework fit into a schedule that includes school, work, family,
friends, and planning for the future. I wanted to know if homework really helped them
progress an succeed as students, or if it did the opposite. I knew that there was never
going to be a correct way to go about the problem of homework in a system that expects
it.
Theory & Practice
At this point, based on the personal and professional research I have done, I
believe several things I did not believe before: that homework must be specific and
purposeful, busy work is essentially worthless, and grades, student engagement, and
assignment completion will all rise across the board when the work is purposeful and that
purpose is conveyed to, and relevant for, the student. I collected patterns, observations,
grade data, and student experiences to help form these theories, as well as the articles,
books, and theoretical media for and against homework policies. Ultimately, with the
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information I have collected, I cannot prove anything. However, the development of my
theories has strengthened, and I aim to support them with the research that follows.
To get a better understanding of my students’ thinking, I interviewed several
students about their general experience with homework, and about the role of homework
in their high school careers. Adam, Bella, and Carl (pseudonyms), are three very different
students, ranging in ability level, social responsibility, and extracurricular involvement.
Adam is an advanced student, moving on to an Ivy League University, who spent much
of his senior year preparing applications and essays for college entrance. Bella is an
average student, attending Penn State University, and earned average grades. She
maintained a healthy social life and participated in extracurricular programs. Carl has
trouble with motivation and maintains average to low grades, while participating in
school athletics. I interviewed them each privately, and here is how they responded to the
following questions:
Do you find the homework you are assigned to be useful in your learning?
Adam: Probably not as much as I would like it to be. I’m not going to say its
useless, because that’s not true, but for the amount of homework that I have, I don’t
think the usefulness measures up.
Bella: I think its useful in some classes, but not in others. In general I think that
you need to practice what you learn in class. There should be a limit.
Carl: Yes, because it helps you reinforce the things you learn. That day.
All three students strengthened the idea that “homework” is a general term and
cannot be dissected as a singular concept. Its usefulness varies according to its
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practicality and applicability. It is also interesting to note that the higher level students
view it as more of a nuisance than the lower performing student.
How does being assigned homework affect your desire to learn?
Adam: I think the negative consequences of homework present a bigger factor than
the positive in a lot of cases. Like with a lot of busywork type homework, I will
procrastinate doing them, especially as a senior, I’ll say, but it… I just…. Its pretty
awful. I feel, like, really resentful towards it, and I kind of just do it just to do it,
especially homework that’s graded on completion.
Bella: I think that when I feel that the homework is fair it helps me, and I generally
am a good student, I get good grades, and I feel that the homework I get helps me
to achieve those grades, but when I get too much, I get fed up, and I don’t do it.
Like, one of my teachers this year is really rough, she just piles it on, and that
totally turned me off of wanting to learn anything from her.
Carl: I think that homework should be given, but as an optional practice, so it
doesn’t punish you when you don’t do it.
These answers show more about how the whole idea of homework is affecting
student motivation and engagement. Again, this varies according to class, level, and
purpose. This led me toward the conclusion that there is not a definitive answer, or
solution to homework, but rather, it was relative to a variety of factors.
How does homework affect your social and family life?
Adam: Homework definitely takes up a lot of time, but it is a factor in my life, and
I wish it weren’t as much of a factor. There were nights where I couldn’t take time
to talk to my sister because I had to get things done. There were days I realized I
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hadn’t spoken to my dad in 72 hours, and he lives with me. The fact that I had the
homework to do, really took a chunk out of my time which I could have otherwise
used to spend with family.
Bella: No comment was given.
Carl: I am in track, so after school I stay here for about two hours, so by the time I
get home its 6, and with dinner, and other stuff, sometime you feel like you don’t
have enough time to do homework. So for people who have stuff outside of school,
if they don’t have enough time to do homework, and the next day they’re punished
for not doing homework, its kind of not fair.
These students all supported the idea that our system’s current take on homework
has been, in a general sense, detrimental to student engagement, and does not present a
valuable advantage. Based on the data I collected through observations, grading, patterns,
surveys, and interviews, I feel that homework is only valuable when it is necessary. Busy
work, or work that is assigned just to be assigned and graded simply for completion, has
no substantial value in the English classroom. I developed these ideas further as I cotaught the next two units in Modern Classics class.
The Kite Runner
In March of 2013, we began a new novel unit in Modern Classics on the Khaled
Houssani book, The Kite Runner. This was not a unit I taught alone, but I am using it as
an example of a typical unit in this class. ‘Typical’ meaning that there was reading,
analysis, and various other assignments for the students to complete outside of the time
we had together in class.
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Every Modern Classics unit taught in the course included work to be done on the
district’s moodle site, SCoodle. The Kite Runner’s assignments, readings, and activities
were all listed and scheduled on this moodle, and the students were asked to interact with
each other via the moodle throughout the unit.
The SCoodle menu for “The Kite Runner” unit
Journal activities were done in this online forum format, so the students could see
each other’s work, and respond to it. This connects back to Barker’s research that shows
how the face of homework is changing with the advent of technology, and connects to my
assumption that homework makes me seem like I have high standards. One of the
benefits of these online course forums, is the transparency and immediacy for parents, as
well as students.
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In this online forum, the students were asked, with the exception of one
assignment, to respond to journal prompts as homework. The background information
research and discussion preparation, as well as all of the reading, were also to be done as
homework. We used the online moodle to organize the materials for the students, and
allow for constant accessibility, and while I believe this helped students stay up to date
and organized with the course, we did not utilize the technology to lessen our students’
homework burden.
In class, we spent time discussing and analyzing the novel as a group, and
connecting it to supplemental texts of non-fiction and thematically similar pieces. The
student work was varied, and generally average in quality and standards, meaning much
of the analysis was shallow and rushed. Below is an example of an average student’s
journal response. This student, who I will call Dan, wrote the entry responding to the
following prompt:
“The man is a Pashtun to the root. He has nang and namoos. Nang. Namoos.
Honor and pride” (Housseni 126). Explain how Nang and Namoos appear in the
text. Use specific examples to support your claims.
Dan’s response:
“Baba was always speaking about how important it was for a man to have pride and
honor. This theme is always running throughout the book. For example Amir at the
request of rahim khan returns to afghanistan to visit. when he meets him he learns
that hassan and he were half brothers. He also learns that hassan has been killed
and leaves behind an orphaned boy.”
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Dan makes several careless grammatical and mechanical errors, and chooses to
write a prompt lacking length, substance, and development. He mentions themes of pride
and honor, yet fails to elaborate on what that theme is and how exactly it is ever present
in the novel for Amir and Baba. The length of the entry suggests there is not enough
substance to the claim the student is making about Baba’s sense of pride and honor. The
requirement to work outside of class for this student generated this kind of response,
which fell below this student’s ability and below my own expectations as their teacher. I
spoke with my mentor teacher about adjusting the outside class work and turning the
classroom into a productive space for the next unit after receiving work like this, to see
what the difference would be.
The Kite Runner unit also asked students to complete a discussion preparation
form for each chapter. Every student was given one chapter to be responsible for. They
were asked to bring in one quote that truly represented the chapter, one question aimed at
deeper thinking and critical analysis, and one insightful connection to their own life, our
world, or another piece of literature. This was done outside of class. The following image
is an average student’s discussion assignment. I will refer to this student as Ellie.
Ellie’s discussion response for Chapter 4 of “The Kite Runner”
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This response is lacking logic in the questioning, insight, and depth. As a teacher,
I found no critical depth to the reader’s interpretation and analysis of the chapter. The
chapter describes the complicated relationship between the main character, Amir, and his
father, Baba. The student, who I would almost assume did not read the chapter, chose a
quote that did not touch on this idea. The question is literal and does not ask the reader to
think critically about the implications of Hassan’s emotional state. The insight is a
simplified claim without data to support it. I will refer back to this student’s work as we
explore the next unit.
Of course, the above samples only represent two students. I reviewed the grade
sheets for the entire class, examining the grades earned, when assignments were turned in
on time, when the assignments were turned in late, and when they were never completed.
The results for The Kite Runner unit, based on a total of 48 students, were:
82% of student work was turned in on time.
9% of student work was not turned in.
9% of student work was turned in late.
While these results were relatively respectable for a senior level advanced
literature course, they only fueled my inquiry further. If I could design a unit without
homework, and turn the classroom into a productive work space, would these numbers
improve? Would the quality and substance of the student work improve? Would student
engagement improve? During this unit, many students expressed their dislike of the
novel, and participation in group discussion was low, as we were constantly prodding the
students to respond to questions and insights about the story. I hoped to improve the
situation with the unit that followed.
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Bel Canto
The unit that followed The Kite Runner was based on the novel Bel Canto by Ann
Patchett. This novel explored human nature, and the universal truth about the need for
connection, communication, and hope despite all kinds of physical, intellectual, social,
and emotional barriers. It dealt with opera, terrorism, politics, and mature love. It was not
an immediate success with 48 seventeen year-old students. However, when I informed
them they would have little to no outside of class work, they burst into applause. The Bel
Canto unit was scheduled out to include time for in-class reading, in-class journaling, and
small group discussions to critically analyze each chapter in the novel.
With reading and student work being done in class, a few things began to shift in
comparison to The Kite Runner. I started to notice how the student writing improved
with entries like the one posted below. Written work became deeper, more considerate,
and specific. Dan, who turned in a mediocre journal response as homework for The Kite
Runner, began to improve his writing during Bel Canto, as an instructor was there to
Luttermoser 24
make suggestions and answer questions. Here is an example of Dan’s responses in the
Bel Canto unit to the following prompt:
There are numerous instances in the story where Mr. Hosokawa blames himself for
the hostage situation. He explains this to Roxanne, who also believes she is to
blame. Is either one to blame? If not, who do you think is ultimately responsible?
Dan’s Response:
I believe that the situation is so complex that you cannot assign all the blame to one
person or a group of people. The terrorists were motivated to do this by grievances
they have against the government. Because they have issues with the government
does not necessarily justify their actions but it allows the reader to sympathize with
them. At the same time you can blame the president of the country, he neglects to
give the country the type of strong leadership it needs. He instead of lobbying a
high level investor, Mr. Hosokawa decides to stay home and watch his soap operas.
So with so much going on you cannot accurately and fairly place the blame
squarely on any one person or persons.
This response, while still needing development and containing minor mechanical
errors, displays critical thinking and analysis. The response shows the student was able to
synthesize levels of blame while backing up their claim with specific examples from the
text, referencing the original cause of the terrorism. Dan was accountable for reading the
novel, as he participated in a small group discussion on every chapter. Each discussion
asked the members of the group to prepare different information from the chapter. These
included critical discussion questions, thematic synthesis, character development, and
vocabulary (the text contained Spanish words, opera terminology, etc.). After each group
Luttermoser 25
discussion, the roles and assigned tasks would change, so the students were asked to view
the text in a myriad of ways. In comparison to The Kite Runner, students were not
presenting to the whole class. They were not responsible for presenting only one time.
Instead, they were presenting their findings for every chapter to their small group.
Holding them accountable in this way may have motivated them to produce quality work
more frequently. Developing clear, purposeful prompts which guide the students toward a
deeper analysis made the quality higher, and the end result successful.
Ellie’s lack of depth and insight for her chapter discussion form during The Kite
Runner changed as well. This student had time in class to work, read, and have questions
answered, supporting the idea that turning the classroom into a productive workspace
yields a higher quality in student work. Here is an example of Ellie’s group discussion
contribution from chapter 3 of Bel Canto:
Philosophies, Themes, Ideas, Insights, and Symbols
*It is revealed that the terrorists are trying to liberate the people - they are a group
that is named after a little boy was shot by the government for passing out a flier
for a rally.
*The terrorists are being considered as “reasonable people” - why haven’t they
killed anyone? Does it seem that they will truly be able to carry through on their
threats and such if their demands aren’t met? - especially after letting all the
women, children, workers, priests, and sick people leave. I find it hard to believe
that these terrorists really want to kill anyone. They are just stuck in a weird
position since the president wasn’t actually at the party and so they had to
improvise.
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*Roxanne Coss is extremely idolized and many characters are mentioned to be
thinking of her during this time. It is strange to me that people are thinking of
anyone’s safety other than their own or that of their loved ones in such a time... I
think this might be sort of foreshadowing her importance to the story.
Ellie improved her critical thinking by writing her own opinion and interpretation
of events, and how the Roxanne and the terrorists respond to the hostage situation. She is
making predictions and inferences based on the information she has. This student
maintained this pattern throughout the unit. Overall, the unit went well. I collected the
same data as I did during The Kite Runner, and according to the information I had, the
percentages of completion were:
90% of work turned in on time.
4% of work not turned in at all.
6% of work turned in late.
While the data here does not show a significant increase in percentages for
student productivity, it does show some minor improvement across the board in all three
areas.
Consequently, throughout the unit there were several problems with attempting to
have no homework. Reading became an issue. I scheduled time in class to read, but as
seniors months away from graduation, they rarely chose to use the time to read.
Generally, most students did not complete the assigned reading in class. Several students
responded to this inquiry noting that they cannot read critically in class due to the
distractive environment. Several other students noted the time of day (8:00 AM) was not
optimal for reading in depth. In reaction to this, I began to fill the scheduled reading time
Luttermoser 27
with valuable activities and supplemental assignments to be done in class, and asked
students to read outside of class. This was apparently not a problem for them, judging
from the results of the assignment completion above. The reading was valuable
homework, because its purpose was to inform the work we doing in class.
Conclusion
Homework is not new. It has been assigned, developed, and expected for
generations, and for someone to come in now and deem it ineffective and inappropriate,
borders on the extreme. My personal data is only relevant to a portion of the students I
have worked with. The research I have done shows conflicting evidence of the positive
and negative effects of all types of homework, at all levels. And the only possible, honest
conclusion I can come to after all of this, is that everyone is right. Cheap, I know, but let
me explain.
This issue, like most, is relative. Any formal policy developed on homework must
take into consideration the variables in whatever formula these committees use. Socioeconomic class, age, ability level, district resources, language skills, literacy, physical
condition, homework type, length, purpose, design, and value are difficult variables to
measure and keep track of. Additionally, the ideal policy is not something everyone will
ever agree on.
My inquiry spawns further inquiry as I continue my work in public education. Is it
feasible to avoid giving homework and still accomplish all that is required of the teacher
and the students by the state standards? Is it feasible to design different kinds of
homework for different students for different lessons? How much authority can we give
Luttermoser 28
to our students regarding their own education and growth, without doing them a
disservice or misguiding them?
My original goal with this inquiry was to find evidence that assigning homework,
essentially, was not a good practice for teachers to keep doing. That it forced students to
shut down. That it negatively impacted their lives. I cannot say that this is true, but rather,
I can specifically see which kinds of homework succeed, and for which types of students.
Worksheets, busywork, and rote memorization may give a student practice, but the value
is outweighed by the negative consequences: waning motivation, declining morale, and
the absence of practical application.
Culturally, assigned homework is expected by everyone involved in a student’s
education. It is hopeful that more and more districts, counties, and even countries are
reexamining its purpose in their schools. And as we further develop our technological and
educational standards, and more resources become available, the face of homework may
change dramatically, and much faster than we expect.
Luttermoser 29
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