Grading....it's Grating

Down in Dallas they're having a great debate over what homework should mean and how grading should be done. The whole thing has echoes of a similar conversation from Arlington, WA earlier this year.

If a kid doesn't do homework, whaddyado?

In related news, I think I'm going to majorly overhaul how I do homework this year. Previously I've sent home a homework packet every Monday, the same for each kid, but I think this year I'm going to send home more targetted assignments that the parents and child can complete (or not) at their discretion.

Read more here, if any.

Today’s Homework: The Generation Gap

From the April 2008 issue of the NAESP Communicator:

Veteran teachers (21-plus years of experience) were more likely than new teachers (five years or less) to believe homework helped children learn more in school (60 percent versus 36 percent).

I think the older teachers have it right.

That said, I’m also thinking of experimenting with having no homework this year and seeing how the parents react. Right now I have one homework packet I give to everyone; if I did a better job of targeting the work I did send home, ideally it would make a difference.

Summer is a good time for thinking.

Read more here, if any.