Home Practice: Is Homework Synonymous with Stress?
Dr. Tiffani Richardson
When you hear the word “Homework”, what feeling does it evoke? I can imagine that for many students and parents, the feelings may not be positive. But why is this the case? Why is homework something many kids shutter at or parents sigh about? Homework should not be synonymous with “stress, angst, or avoidance”. So, let’s first change what we call the activities we do after school, which has long been called “homework” to “HOME PRACTICE”. Be warned, though: just changing the name may not immediately change your feelings or viewpoint, but it can be the first step to taking the dread out of home practice.
Why Home Practice Anyway? Didn’t You Just Spend Hours at School?
Yes, students spend hours at school, but it is possible that they only spend one hour of instruction on each specific subject. Whether we agree or not, the reality of education is that students have a load of content to learn to prepare them for future endeavors. Like anything we achieve, practice is needed. Athletes spend countless hours on the court or field, musicians practice their instruments daily. Even inexperienced drivers must have a specific number of on-the-road hours to obtain a license. Anyone who wants to become better at anything will have practice as part of the success equation. Let’s explore the following stress-easing strategies.
Home Practice Tips for Parents
As students grow and methods change, home practice may be intimidating. Parents may feel like they need to be in class learning to help their child or frantically Googling how to solve the problem or looking for video tutorials to find the answer. Well, if this describes you, take a breath and try the following:
Have your child share their class notes and ask them to tell you what they do not understand.
Minimize distractions-keeping others such as siblings from the area and keeping
background noise to a minimum.
Monitor and Motivate! You do not have to be an expert, be your child’s motivator. Encourage your child to do their best.
Stay calm. When parents are frustrated children become frustrated. If this happens, the purpose of the home practice is lost.
Home Practice Tips for Students
Students have the responsibility of learning, retaining, and applying information from various subject areas. After a long day at school, students are expected to continue the work at home. If you ask a student how they feel about homework, I will bargain that their face will answer before they speak. So how can students make home practice less daunting? How can students gain value from home practice? If you are waiting for answers, continue reading.
Minimize your distractions. Work away from the television or turn it off. Put your phone away so you are not distracted by texts or social media.
Give yourself a time limit. Set a time for yourself to complete your assignments.
Work in an area that is dedicated to home practice. When you have a specific place to work, this may help you stay focused on your assignment.
Have a growth mindset about home practice. Move away from saying “I don’t get it” or “I don’t understand it” to asking, “How should I think about this?”, “What do I need to ask my teacher to get a better understanding?”, “what do I already know from my memory and notes that can help me?”.
Most importantly - Do your absolute best!
Overall, home practice is a part of many students’ and families’ daily lives. So, why should it be a source of dread when it can become a way to discover and uncover what has been learned and what practice is needed for success.
Home practice doesn’t have to be a battle. Use these tips this week and tell us how it goes—we’re here to help, and we’ll keep sharing tools to make learning at home more peaceful and productive.