By Timi Alabi
In this piece, I will be focusing on how to set homework effectively within the primary school setting. I would however like to clarify that the purpose of this blog isn’t to dictate which subjects teachers should or shouldn’t assign homework for. It is to establish some key principles to consider, regardless of the subject.
Having observed how homework is set in primary schools, it is clear that different schools use different approaches and that’s ok; schools don’t have to use the same approach. However, it’s essential to understand some fundamental principles that contribute to effective homework practices and adopt strategies that make a meaningful impact on learning.
I would like to share 2 of 5 key factors to consider when setting homework (the other 3 will be shared in my next blog):
- Understand the Purpose of Homework
The primary goal of homework should be to consolidate learning that has already been taught in class, not to introduce new concepts. While this might seem obvious, it’s worth emphasising to ensure clarity.
Homework should be set in order to give pupils the opportunity to practise and reinforce what they’ve learned, helping embed knowledge into their long-term memory. This is why I personally have my reservations about homework that require pupils to go home and research something they haven’t been taught. For example: the teacher might say something like: ‘Our next topic in Science is ‘forces’. I would like you to research as much information about forces as you can and be prepared to share in the next lesson.’
The danger with this is that pupils will encounter conflicting information or develop misconceptions during their research about forces. As a result, the class teacher may need to spend majority of the first lesson correcting misconceptions – time that could have been better spent building foundational knowledge.
Instead, it’s more effective to first teach the topic in class and then assign homework to reinforce and consolidate the learning. This ensures pupils have a clear, accurate understanding to build upon.
- Set Homework with intention and Purpose
It is important to be very intentional about the focus of homework in order to ensure it is meaningful and impactful; keep the focus tight, clear and purposeful.
Homework is a valuable tool for strengthening foundational knowledge; making learning more solid and creating a strong base to build upon.
I think of homework as building the foundation of a house. If the foundation is solid and strong, the structure built upon it will be sturdy and reliable. On the contrary, if the foundation is weak, the entire structure is at risk of crumbling, regardless of how pretty the building might look. Similarly, purposeful homework lays the groundwork for more complex learning in the classroom.
For example: If children are learning to multiply two 2-digit numbers in class, and the teacher notices that timestable fluency is a barrier to making the learning accessible, assigning homework to practise timestables would be more effective than homework set to multiply two-digit numbers. This approach reinforces the basics, making the more complex task of multiplication easier to grasp. Schools can leverage online times table platforms to support this practice.
Here is another example about Grammar homework. If the children are learning about noun phrases in class, they need to have a good understanding of nouns and adjectives in order to access the learning. Even if these concepts have been previously taught, , if they are still a barrier to the learning of noun phrases, reinforcing them through focused homework can address any lingering gaps. Assigning Homework that help children identify and use nouns and adjectives will better prepare them to construct noun phrases confidently.
Homework is also a useful tool for tackling misconceptions. When a specific misconception is identified in class, address it during the lesson and then design homework that targets it. This reinforces the correct understanding and allows children to consolidate their learning.
This then leads me to my thoughts on termly homework projects. Homework projects such as making an Egyptian pyramid or a volcano all sounds nice and creative. While I’m not here to dictate whether such homework should be set or not, I would like to share a few things to think about before assigning these types projects:
- Who is doing the work? Is it really the children doing the project or are the parents doing majority of the work because they want their child’s project to stand out?
- How do we account for children from disadvantaged families who may lack the necessary resources such as paint, paint brushes, colouring pencils or other materials, needed to complete the project?
- If the project involves making an Egyptian pyramid linked to a History topic, is it truly reinforcing History knowledge or primarily Art skills? They probably require more knowledge about Art than History to make the pyramid. And If the focus is Art, have the children been explicitly taught and practised the art techniques needed to do this at school? If the answer is ‘No’, then what learning are they actually consolidating?
- Does the impact outweigh the effort? Does the educational value of the project outweigh the time and effort invested? If children (and parents) spend hours on the task but gain minimal learning in return, it’s worth reevaluating whether the activity is truly beneficial.
Ultimately, the key is to keep the focus of homework tight and purposeful. By being intentional about why we set homework, we ensure it supports and enhances classroom learning effectively.
