How can we increase student homework productivity?
WebQuest created by Casey Donohue
PS/MS 123
INTRODUCTION:
There is a social problem within the MS 123 community: students are not completing homework assignments! While there is much controversy about the amount of homework given and what type of assignments are actually useful for homework, there is little research to determine how much homework is given in ratio to students who are actually trying to complete all of the assignments. This lack of research has left our community with a larger issue: why are students not completing their homework and how can we help support students to get these assignments done?
You will be the first classes of investigators to set out to investigate this issue and to develop, as well as execute and evaluate solutions.
TASKS:
In groups of 2 to 3 researchers you will develop and execute ways to increase student homework productivity. You will then evaluate the effectiveness of your solution.
--->Delegate responsibilities by selecting each member’s role.
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Role1: Facilitator |
Role 2: Timekeeper |
Role 3: Taskmaster |
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The facilitator is responsible for ensuring that each member of the group has a chance to participate. EVERYONE must equally contribute in reading, writing, and presenting the research. To ensure this, the facilitator will delegate who reads, writes, and presents at the beginning of the project by recording each member’s role in each step. |
The timekeeper is responsible for checking in with the instructor about where they are in the project, as well as ensuring that their group meets each day’s deadline. The timekeeper will be proactive by recording the group’s goal at the beginning of each period next to the step. |
The task master is responsible for keeping everyone on task. If the group is off-task, they will be the ones responsible for managing this and taking any repercussions that the group may incur for being off task. |
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PROCESS/RESOURCES:
Step 1: Determine Roles for this step below
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Recorder |
Reader 1 |
Reader 2 |
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Goal: |
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To be completed by teacher at the end of session: |
Off - Task |
On - Task |
Step 1: Define the Problem ---> Complete this Form [Evidence of Learning]
Use the following resources to complete the form.
I. Screenshot of 7th Grade Writing Homework Tracker Quarter 1
II. Screenshot of 8th Grade Writing Homework Tracker Quarter 2
III. Narrative from current educators Teacher
Step 2: Determine Roles for this step below
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Recorder |
Reader 1 |
Reader 2 |
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Goal: |
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To be completed by teacher at the end of session: |
Off - Task |
On - Task |
Part A: Gather Evidence ---> Complete this Form [Evidence of Learning]
Use the following resources to complete the form.
I. The Problem With Penalties [Article]
II. What Research Says About the Power of Homework [Article]
III. Reading Ten Minutes a Day [Article]
IV. Why Should I Read? [Video]
Step 2: Determine Roles for this step below
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Recorder |
Reader 1 |
Reader 2 |
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Goal: |
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To be completed by teacher at the end of session: |
Off - Task |
On - Task |
Part B: Gather Evidence ---> _______________________________________ [Evidence of Learning]
You will need to choose one of the following ways to collect your own data:
A. Create an online survey for students to complete. Instructional Article for Google Forms or use Instructional Video for Google Form [Via Google Forms]
B. Create a parent survey to be handed out to parents of students to complete. [Will Later input into a Google Form]
C. Create a case study of 1 - 2 students which documents their homework endeavors for a month. [Student will create case study template with 5 daily questions to ask their case study participant.]
Step 3: Determine Roles for this step below
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Recorder |
Reader 1 |
Reader 2 |
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Goal: |
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To be completed by teacher at the end of session: |
Off - Task |
On - Task |
Step 3: Identify Causes ---> Complete this Form [Evidence of Learning]
Use the following resources to complete the form.
I. Utilize the evidence from Step 2, Part A and Part B to draw conclusions!
II. Other reasons students may not be completing homework [Article]
Step 4: Determine Roles for this step below
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Recorder |
Reader 1 |
Reader 2 |
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Goal: |
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To be completed by teacher at the end of session: |
Off - Task |
On - Task |
Step 4: Evaluate Current Policies ---> Complete this Form [Evidence of Learning]
Use the following resources to complete the form.
I. See Homework Policy [Website]
II. See Homework Policy [Flyer]
III. Supporting Stats to Homework Policy from Website (Click on “Academics Tab”) [Website]
IV. See Grading Policy from an Instructor’s or student’s Handbook
Step 5: Determine Roles for this step below
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Recorder |
Reader 1 |
Reader 2 |
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Goal: |
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To be completed by teacher at the end of session: |
Off - Task |
On - Task |
Step 5: Develop Solutions ---> Complete this Form [Evidence of Learning]
Use the following resources to complete the form.
I. Flipped Classrooms [Video]
II. Flipped Classrooms [Article]
III. Time Management an Issue? [Video]
IV. Other Ideas [Article]
V. View Step 7 Implementation Ideas
Step 6: Determine Roles for this step below
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Recorder |
Reader 1 |
Reader 2 |
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Goal: |
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To be completed by teacher at the end of session: |
Off - Task |
On - Task |
Step 6:Select the Best Solution ---> Complete this Form [Evidence of Learning]
Step 7:
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Recorder |
Reader 1 |
Reader 2 |
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Goal: |
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To be completed by teacher at the end of session: |
Off - Task |
On - Task |
Step 7: Implement Your Solution [Evidence of Learning]
You will choose one of the following ways to implement your solution:
A. Develop a public service campaign for our school by creating a PowerPoint presentation which explains your research and why it’s important to complete homework to be presented to the entire middle school. Additionally, create 1 - 2 flyers to be distributed once a week as a reminder to students. Finally, create one large poster per group member to be permanently hung up around the school.
B. Writer a newsletter to the parent and student body which presents your findings and why it is important to complete homework to be distributed once. Additionally, you will write a brief 5 minute phone script which relays the same information to be used for consistent robocalls to parents weekly.
C. You will write a journal article which relays your findings. Then, you will provide your instructors with alternative homework protocols/assignments by:
- Choosing and explaining 2 new ways or 2 new assignments you feel students would complete.
- Provide instructors with a rationale as to why these assignments would be more effective.
- Create the materials for these two assignments.
D. Have another idea? Confer with your instructor for approval!
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Step 8: Determine Roles for this step below
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Recorder |
Reader 1 |
Reader 2 |
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Goal: |
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To be completed by teacher at the end of session: |
Off - Task |
On - Task |
Step 8: Evaluate Your Solution [Evidence of Learning]
--->After one month has passed, you will recollect data in the same way you originally collected data from step 2, parts A and B.
--->Then, you will analyze the data by creating a chart which shows before and after your solution was implemented.
---->Finally, you will write a summary analysis of your data as referred to the chart.
EVALUATION:
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Project Completion |
Students completed 4 steps or less. |
Students completed 5 steps or less; some steps were thoroughly done. |
Students completed 6 steps or less; some steps were thoroughly done. |
Students completed 7 steps which met or exceeded expectations. |
Students completed 8 steps which exceeded expectations. |
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Gathering Evidence |
Students used personal experience to gather evidence as opposed to research. |
Students used some of the resources/articles to gather evidence. |
Students completed gathering evidence Part A or Part B only. |
Students completed gathering evidence sections, but did not implement their action research component. |
Students were able to gather evidence and implement their action research component. |
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Development of Solution |
Students developed solutions based on intuition. |
Students developed solutions based on limited research. (missing 3 or more steps) |
Students developed solutions with some analytics of current policies and causes. (missing 2 or more steps) |
Students included analytics of current policies and causes to develop innovative solutions. (missing 1 step) |
Students included analytics of current policies and causes to develop innovative solutions. |
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Execution of Solution |
Students did not implement solution. |
Students developed materials for solution but did not implement the solution. |
Students developed solution materials and implemented some of the solution. |
Students developed materials for solution and implemented solution meeting expectations. |
Students developed materials for solution and implemented solution exceeding expectations. |
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Evaluating Solution |
Students did not evaluate solution. |
Students evaluated solution without critical thought. Students only collected the data. |
Students evaluated solution using some of the data with some bias analysis. |
Students evaluated solution based on most of the data with some bias analysis. |
Students evaluated solution based on all of the data and provided an analysis which addressed the issue in a non- bias perspective. |
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Collaboration |
Students did not collaborate. |
Students worked together with many arguments. |
Students worked together with some teacher interventions. |
Students collaborated to solve disagreements. Students struggled to alternate roles. |
Students collaborated to solve disagreements and equally delegated roles. |
CONCLUSION:
Congratulations! You have contributed to the scientific community by helping to compile more research on how to help students complete homework whether your idea worked or did not! Let’s continue to be active researchers and problem solvers this year by implementing alternative solutions! (If you do this, you may even get some bonus points!)
STANDARDS:
Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation.
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.