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This year I prioritized improve the turnin rate for assignments. To accomplish this, I focused on making homework more meaningful for students. I found it was actually a process and there were not real quick fixes. This was an integral guide which helped shape this years homework policy.

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Meaningful Homework

When is homework beneficial and what makes a homework assignment effective and meaningful? Kohn (2007) offers the following suggestions to principals when working with their teachers on guidelines for assigning meaningful homework:

1. Educate yourself and share what you've learned with teachers, parents, and central office administrators.

2. Rethink standardized "homework policies."

3. Reduce the amount-and don't stop there.

4. Change the default.

5. Ask the kids.

6. Suggest that teachers assign only what they design.

7. Use homework as an opportunity to involve students in decision-making.

8. Help teachers move away from grading.

9. Experiment.

You can read the explanations for each of these suggestions in Kohn's article Rethinking Homework.

Research regarding homework has been ongoing for decades. If you look long enough, you can find evidence that supports homework as well as evidence refuting its effectiveness. Marzano and Pickering (2007) developed the following guidelines based on their review of homework research:

Assign purposeful homework. Legitimate purposes for homework include introducing new content, practicing a skill or process that students can do independently yet with which they need more practice, elaborating on information that has been addressed in class to deepen students' knowledge, and providing opportunities for students to explore topics of their own interest.

Design homework to maximize the chances that students will complete it. For example, ensure that homework is at the appropriate level of difficulty. Students should be able to complete homework assignments independently with relatively high success rates, but they should still find the assignments challenging enough to be interesting.

Involve parents in appropriate ways-for example, as a sounding board to help students summarize what they learned from the homework-without requiring parents to act as teachers or to police students' homework completion.

Carefully monitor the amount of homework assigned so that it is appropriate to students' age levels and does not take too much time away from other home activities.

Notice that these guidelines do not suggest whether or not the teacher should actually grade homework. Some research shows that when students are afforded feedback on assigned work, their achievement improves-while other research suggests that not all homework needs to be graded (Marzano & Pickering, 2007).

Since the research varies, what should you do? The answer to the homework question probably lies somewhere in the middle: Always assign homework with purpose and meaning, not simply because you have always assigned it.

Homework doesn't have to be the same for all students, either. When students have some choice about what they learn, how they learn it, or how they show what they know, they tend to invest more and learn more. What the choices are can be up to the students themselves. If you create a couple of potential pathways for learning, you empower interested students to create learning contracts that allow them to determine the learning path and rationalize how it meets specific learning objectives.

Kohn, A. (2007, January/February). Rethinking homework. Principal. Retrieved March 19, 2012, from http://www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/rethinkinghomework.htm

Marzano, R. J., & Pickering, D. J. (2007, March). Special topic / The case for and against homework. Educational Leadership, 64(6). Retrieved March 19, 2012, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar07/vol64/num06/The-Case-For-and-Against-Homework.aspx

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When is homework beneficial and what makes a homework assignment effective and meaningful? Kohn (2007) offers the following suggestions to principals when working with their teachers on guidelines for assigning meaningful homework: Educate yourself and share what you've learned with teachers, parents, and central office administrators. Rethink standardized "homework policies."

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Unfortunately, I will need to give up significant portions of my summer do to a collaboration that we have with Pete's Grammar school. During the summer I will be sharing resources, lesson plans, curriculum with all heads of Pete's grammar school in the UK. I wouldn't say I am thrilled about it, but I will get insights into how a well establish school runs IGCSE and A level English courses.

Goals are to revamp IGCSE and AS curriculums taught in our school. To better incorporate Pete's methodology of project based learning and students center approaches in the IGCSE and English curriculum.

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I made a scavenger hunt on a serious of items they need to find based on key events that happened in 2021-2022. One of the events was related to finding an item that symbolized a critical life skill that was learned during the lockdowns. Here was one of the images sent to me. One of my G11 students had stated that she perfected the usage of a hair drier. Thus saving her valuable time for other things like completing her personal statement. I am not sure if having the hairdryier unplugged is part of the technique, it is getting harder for me to keep up with technology. Seems she values efficiency though which truly is a valuable life skill.

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As an assignment based on wellbeing, students created posters identifying how their needs were meet based on the people around them. The goal was to promote wellbeing among all the students and help students become more aware of the resources in our school in relation to each students needs.

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I would like to add all the accomplishments made by Gen X; the best generation!

Video games
MTV (That needs to come back)
Blogs
Taking on positions of authority!
Innovation (Welcoe to the digital world)

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My boss and I are enjoying the outdoors a lot more. A lot of us started sending pictures of us outside after lockdowns.

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I survived another school year.

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After reading the novel, the art of money getting, I've lost a bit of faith in the education system; things feel a lot easier; too much instant gratification. You've got to struggle to understand the value of things. If things are always given but never earned, there is a lack of understanding about how valuable things are. You can lose everything. I think I look to help students embrace the struggle, accept hardships, and work through them.

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My e-portfolio

https://sites.google.com/d/1uLo2sj-jy2zYvfAiHDqhChUi3ElmDDGV/p/1JUYzNUlWm18JJ7Zd_f1mLrssXrPi6PsA/edit

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Access Google Drive with a Google account (for personal use) or Google Workspace account (for business use).