Homework

 I think that homework is definitely an appropriate choice of assessment for a foreign language class. I understand that many students may view homework as busywork but the fact is that most teachers don’t intend for it to be. I strongly believe that giving homework reinforces the day’s lesson and allows students to work and learn the new material without help from their peers (ideally…) or the teacher. I don’t necessarily believe that it’s important to get the correct answers throughout an entire assignment, but the effort that a student puts in to learn the lesson on their own is important. That way, you can sort through the questions and confusion the next day and then move on. Learning a foreign language is something that needs to be practiced constantly so if there isn’t any work to be done outside of the classroom, then the students will come into class mindless every day because they know it’ll all over in 45 minutes.

            In terms of how homework should be utilized in a foreign language class, it is important that the lesson is, again, reinforced and highlights the most critical points of the day. Whether it is a writing assignment or a simple worksheet, the assignment content should always be relevant to what the students are learning about in class. If a teacher does not give homework every day, perhaps it should be used as a study tool or extra practice in case a student(s) is struggling but above all, it should be useful. In my opinion, I suppose homework could be used improperly if it is just busywork and doesn’t support any of the objectives for the course. One thing that really bothers me is when teachers will assign challenging homework and they do not even address it the next day in class. Essentially, if the homework does not strengthen the students’ academic skills, it is probably useless.

            I think that homework should be given both before and after a lesson is taught. It’s not a bad idea to have students do an activity that will introduce a new topic, even if they struggle through it or cannot complete it. I remember in SPAN 632, we would have to research our next discussion topic before we were introduced to it the next day in class. It was great exercise because we already had an idea about what was going to be discussed and researched before we had a chance to collaborate. Obviously, it is more common to get homework after a lesson is taught so the students have an opportunity to do the work correctly according to what they have learned. I personally believe that if there is homework assigned before a lesson, it should also be assigned after the lesson so students can see the changes they made after they learn the information, or so they can expand on and change their original thoughts/assumptions.

            As for the video, I don’t think I would should my students it because there are too many useless, vague suggestions for proper studying habits. Realistically, not all of those things are essential for a productive homework session. Everyone studies differently and all require a certain, ideal environment to work efficiently. The best way to explain how to properly get your homework done is probably through trial and error; if the student realizes that they can’t get anything done with music on then they should probably shut it off. Giving your students suggestions never hurt but it’s a little unrealistic to say that all of those things lead to successful completion of work.