Joseph Posante

Reinventing Homework Joseph Posante

Homework is broken. Universally dreaded, of dubious academic value (especially in lower grades), and a factor in educational inequity; homework is overdue for an overhaul. And yet, in all the debates about school reform and improvement, homework gets scant attention or worse; more of the same. This book proposes a change in our approach toward homework. The idea for this book came from an epiphany I had while teaching middle school science in Detroit: homework doesn't have to be this way. In the years following that realization, I developed a new approach to homework that takes into account students' interests, their learning needs, and the fundamentals of a positive classroom culture. This book is a guide for teachers, administrators, academic coaches, and parents who want to make homework better, for those who want to give their students something more than a pile of worksheets. The heart of the book is a set of examples and strategies that teachers can use tomorrow to make homework a better experience for students, families, and themselves. Some say that this sort of change is impossible, that the barriers are too high -- barriers like rigid rules and expectations about homework, school systems that resist change, and kids and parents who don't have time or motivation. This book will show that these barriers can be overcome. This book proposes strategies to not only improve homework, but as a foundation for the students to build upon. Building their self-efficacy, their motivational levels, their meta-cognitive development, their expectations and their ability to build off their failures through applicable learning opportunities.