Never No Homework

NEVER NO HOMEWORK

JANUARY 26TH, 2010

As administrators, one thing we hear in parent conferences is that their children do not talk about their homework, or they claim that they do not have any homework.  If this sounds familiar, the following information will help you with this issue.

This year, the staff at Suffern Middle School was introduced to the “Never No Homework” concept.  Ms. Whiting, the 8th grade Health and AVID elective teacher, came up with this concept as a way to help students fine-tune their skills to work “smarter” instead of working “harder.” The theory behind the concept is that if students invest small amounts of time every evening reflecting on their daily coursework, the end result will be greater success.  According to Ms. Whiting, the most surprising part of implementing this policy in her classroom was that there was very little resistance to the concept and the students saw the rewards of their work quickly.

Many teachers have adopted this concept and use it in their classrooms.  However, if your child’s teacher has not adopted it, there is no reason why you can’t make it a policy at home.  Below is a list of suggestions for “Never No Homework” that you can post on your refrigerator, study area, or even in the bathroom on the mirror!  The next time your child tells you that he or she “does not have any homework,” point them to the “Never No Homework” policy and you will never have to ask again.

“Never No Homework”

·         highlight important information in notes
·         create vocabulary cards from the day’s lesson
·         organize binder/folders
·         read (independent reading book, magazine, newspaper article)
·         summarize class notes in 3 – 5 sentences
·         describe today’s main idea in 3 sentences
·         create 3 questions based on your notes
·         list 3 things you learned today
·         list 3 things you still need to know about today’s topic
·         write one thing you wanted to contribute to the class today but didn’t