Meaningful Homework
Are you fed up with homework? Are your students? Change your mindset on homework, what it is, or what it could be. Consider utilizing some, or all, of the following written response questions that come from Jo Boaler, Professor of Mathematics Education at the Stanford Graduate School of Education with a focus on brain research and growth mindset.
The questions below are suggestions to provide more meaningful homework. Not only more meaningful a student, to be able to reflect, feel success, and analyze what they are learning and how they are learning it, but also meaningful for teachers to guide instruction and get to know your students beyond the content. Many of the questions can also help to foster a growth mindset by honoring mistakes, justification and more.
Questions to consider using as homework include the following from Mathematical Mindsets by Jo Boaler:
The questions below are suggestions to provide more meaningful homework. Not only more meaningful a student, to be able to reflect, feel success, and analyze what they are learning and how they are learning it, but also meaningful for teachers to guide instruction and get to know your students beyond the content. Many of the questions can also help to foster a growth mindset by honoring mistakes, justification and more.
Questions to consider using as homework include the following from Mathematical Mindsets by Jo Boaler:
- What were the main concepts or ideas that you learned today or that we discussed in class today?
- What questions do you still have about ________. If you don't have a question, write a similar problem/question, and solve it or provide an answer instead.
- Describe a mistake or misconception that you or a classmate had in class today. What did you learn from this mistake or misconception?
- How did you or your group approach today's work? What did you learn from your approach?
- Describe in detail how someone else in class approached a problem. How is their approach similar or different to the way you approached the problem?
- What new vocabulary words or terms were introduced today? What do you believe each new word means? Give an example/picture of each word.
- What was the big debate about in class today? What did you learn from the debate?
- How is ____ similar to or different from ________?
- What would happen if you/we changed _______?
- What were some of your strengths and weaknesses in this unit? What is your plan to improve in your areas of weakness?