Homework

I used to complain about having to grade homework to students.

Wrong audience.

Their standard response, "Well, why do you assign it then?"

Why, indeed....

I used to give a lot of homework. I shudder at the trees I killed with the packets I handed out to students to practice what we'd been doing in class. And I graded everything.

EVERYTHING.

• Five points for bringing a sheet back with a parent signature.
• Ten points for writing a paragraph with active nouns
• Complete the crossword puzzle with vocab words...twenty five points
• Extra credit for bringing tissues to class (just what standard did that cover?)

I reasoned that it helped kids. Kept them from failing my class. Gave them many opportunities to learn the information.

How overwhelmed some of them must have been.

What a joke their grade was.

I also used to give lots and lots of completion points. Finish a practice introduction? Five points. It didn't have to be well done, just "finished".  Next day, five points for the conclusion.  And worse...sometimes I gave points for turning in a sheet I had no intention of grading.

If it wasn't important enough for me to grade, why the heck was I assigning it AND expecting it to be turned in.

I'm hanging my head in shame.

I'm not sure what brought about the change in my philosophy. Maybe it was looking closer at the standards I'm teaching and realizing that many of the points I so proudly gave didn't have anything to do with a standard.  But more than likely, it's conversations with the Libby. We've talked many times about homework. How some rely so heavily on it. On whether or not you have to grade everything. On the cheating we know that students do when it's assigned.

Another thing that got me thinking about this...my contest speech kids...
Tuesdays and Thursdays after school, my room fills up with my improv kids. November throughFebruary, the routine doesn’t change much. 
So, I've given up assigning homework and not because students hate it, not because students cheat on it, and definitely not because I hate to grade it. I gave up homework because it's practice. And you don't grade practice. 

Now, this is not my term, not my idea. But it makes sense.


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From Libby: 

I don't do homework.  I haven't for two years.  I won't again.

Yes, like Deb, I hated grading homework.  But that's exactly what I did....assigned it and graded it.  

8 out of 10. 
5 out of 10.  
0 out of 10.  

Just numbers. And I did many of the same things Deb admitted to doing.  Because bringing a box of Kleenex really relates to Spanish. (that was sarcasm)  

The numbers at the top of the page meant nothing.  When a student looks at the numbers and then asks if he can throw the paper away, there's a problem.  Part of the reason I graded everything was because I thought I had to if I wanted students to complete it in order to learn it.

After I had been teaching Spanish for a year (taught English for 9 years and now in 3rd year of teaching Spanish), I noticed that I had numerous students who had an A in Spanish, but who in all actuality had retained only little amounts of knowledge.

This troubled me.  It troubled me deeply. 

So, I was pissed for awhile.  I cried....thinking I was not good enough.  Then I got over it.  And I restructured my class....new ideas, new activities.  (For the record, I still have improvements to make.  Don't we all? I constantly make changes and try new things, new ways.)

And I really thought about what I wanted a student's grade to be.  Really. thought. about. it.

I wanted students' grades to reflect how much of the content they learned during that unit and how well they could apply it.  I stopped grading homework.  I only graded assessments and I allowed students to reassess any activity in the assessment category.  Literally, my gradebook has two categories: 100% assessment and 0% practice.

Let's discuss the 0% practice category.  I still ask students to complete practice.  These are writing, listening, reading, and speaking activities that are completed throughout the unit of study.  I keep track of if students completed them, not how well students completed them.  I give FEEDBACK on this practice:  words of praise, words of correction, words of improvement, words of encouragement.  Hopefully this feedback means more than silly numbers at the top of a page.  The feedback during learning should be the purpose and reason for practice or homework. My theory:  If I ask students to complete something, it had better be worthwhile and meaningful and they will receive feedback.  If it isn't worthwhile and meaningful, then why are they doing it?  But I don't grade it....ever....period.  It's practice.  I want students to try things, to be okay with not being perfect, or being confused initially.  I want them to work through it without fear of punishment.  I want students to ask questions.  Reason #1.   

Reason #2.  Were the activities I was putting points on before really that meaningful and worthwhile that I needed to steal students' time outside of class?  99% of the time....nope.  Let's face it....teenagers are busy.  Heck kids of all ages are busy.  They don't need to be spending 7+ hours at school only to go home and do endless hours of work that more often than not isn't meaningful.  Some students are involved in activities or volunteering or work or have responsibilities at home and don't have the time and shouldn't have to make the time.  And bottom line, kids deserve to be kids and have the time to do kid-things.  My oldest daughter is a first grader.  When she gets home at night, the last thing I want her doing is homework.  I want to talk to her.  I want her to relax and play and do things she loves.  (Note this doesn't mean that she doesn't do homework if she has it.  I just dislike it when she does....not that I tell her that.)

Reason #3:  I teach Spanish in northeast, mainly Caucasian, Iowa.  If I assign homework and students have questions or don't understand the concept, there is no one to help them at home. So they get frustrated and just simply don't do it...and receive 0 out of 10.  Again, if the activities are meaningful and worthwhile, then they are worth class time where students can collaborate with each other and receive my guidance...you know the thing I'm getting paid to do.  I would argue this is true about any subject at any grade level.

Last point:  Remember I said I ask students to complete practice.  I don't require it. Occasionally there comes a student who doesn't think she needs to do the practice, or only some of it.  She picks and chooses.  And that's fine.  That's her choice.  Legitimately some students don't need as much practice as others.  There are those students who never do practice and still complete the summative assessment extremely well.  Some students don't think they need to do the practice and will learn that it really will benefit them.  But I firmly believe that is something students need to figure out themselves.  Is it more meaningful to them to discover that on their own or to have me harping on them, breathing down their necks, and telling them so?  

What is the purpose of homework in your room?  Why do you give it...if you do?  We would love to hear from you.

One of the things we have talked about before is the fact that Flipping helps with students who are gone- they can catch up easier etc.  However, its still VERY important for a student to be in our classrooms.  Flipping is not a replacement for the classroom.  It's not a replacement for the peer interaction or the help from a teacher.

With flipping it gives us more time for one on one student help- it gives us more time to focus on what the students don't understand, it gives more time for student interaction, it gives more opportunities for those "teachable moments".   If they are not here they miss all of that!  I can't cover everything in the videos- I won't- students need to struggle and try to figure things out on their own- they need to ask questions.  Those are skills that help them be successful in any class or job.

In the classes that I have flipped I have had a handful of students who were gone more than they were here- what happened- the same thing that would have happened if my class wasn't flipped.  They got behind, so behind the videos didn't help- they were lost when they came to class because they missed all of the little hints and personal moments they would have gotten in class.

Here is a link to the press release from our public relations person regarding Flipped Learning in our district.

News Article

Yes I said it- my smallest class ever- 8 yes 8- mostly giggly freshman girls and two boys.  Its crazy- first semester I had Drawing and Design classes of 25- not a seat left for anyone to sit in and now 8.  I'm not complaining- think of everything I can do with this class!!!!  But it would have been nice to even out the two semesters a little bit.  How fun- so do I flip it?  They are going to get plenty of one on one time- they have my undivided attention for the entire hour- do I need to flip it?

My answer- I don't know!  That's why I'm writing this post- to hash it out on screen (not paper).  Should I do it?  My 2nd hour is going to be flipped so I could just use the info from that class- however I won't teach it the same way and they may have different projects because I can do more with them.  Maybe, it will focus those giggly girls- hmmmmm- it might be good to see how it works with a small class vs a large class.  I'm going to be gone in a couple of weeks for 4 days so I will be flipping those lessons so it will be a good test to see how they do........ Things that make you go Hmmmmmm............ (I quote songs often- especially 90's music).

So like my small class I'm keeping this post short and sweet.......so tell me what you think!

In my classroom, I have 25 "collaborative" desks grouped into 6 groups of 4 with 1 "Steven Glansberg" desk in the back of the room.  I don't use a seating chart for any of my classes, and therefore let my students pick where they want to sit.  At the beginning of the school year, I give the traditional "make sure you find a place to sit where you can succeed, and sometimes that means sitting by people you normally won't sit by" speech.  I have only had to move one student this year to an assigned seat due to misbehavior.  I have been lucky this year in that regard.  But what is more interesting to me is how the "seating chart" changes on its own throughout the course of a semester.

I am one of those people that really enjoys watching how students interact with one another, so I pay special attention to how the "group dynamics" of the desks effect different students.  At the start of each semester, students usually select their spot based on what friends they have in the class.  I will see sophomores stick together, football players, girlfriends/boyfriends, girl tables, boy tables, etc. the typical "clique" groups.  That seating arrangement usually lasts about 2 to 3 weeks, or until the first tests/quizzes get passed back.  Then there usually is a changing of the guard per se.  It's is kind of amazing how much kids realize who they can and can't work with.  Now granted a bad grade can influence that realization, but kids do understand it.  It's just a matter of whether or not they act on that realization or not.  I encourage them to find what works best for them and then stick with it.  I will see a lot of mixing and matching over the next couple of weeks as they try and figure out what combinations work the best.  Not all of the moves are math related, cause this is high school, but it is fascinating to watch how the group dynamics change throughout the course of the semester.
 
We are currently in week 2 of a new semester, and because a lot of my classes had students change from period to period, we are back in the "feeling out" stage.  Some students who still have same members from last semester stick together, and bring some "newbies" in.  Some reverted back to 1st semester thinking and sat immediately with friends.  It's only a matter of time until a group of 4 turns into a group of 6 or 7, or the conversations that start with "Is it okay if I sit here today?" happen.  I am excited to see how the new group dynamics impact each student and in turn how the dynamics impact the overall feel of the class.

Yesterday we had a two-hour late start due to the Polar Vortex that's hitting the entire country.

A two-hour late start means shortened class periods.  Therefore I thought the perfect activity for during the 20 minutes of class was some student reflection and feedback, which then prompts teacher feedback.

I had my Spanish I students, the class I'm flipping, answer two questions:

1.  What do I need to do this semester in Spanish I to be successful?  Consider things that you should continue doing from last semester and things that you should change from last semester.

2.  What does Mrs. Schwade need to do this semester to help me be successful?  Consider things that Mrs. Schwade has done in the past to help you and things that she needs to change to help you learn better.

I went old-school.  I printed them out on paper (*gasp) simply so I could sort and rearrange as necessary.

I simply asked students for honest and serious answers.  I promised they wouldn't offend me (not so easy to offend really) and I did ask them to write their names on the sheet simply so that I could ask them follow-up questions if need be. (And I did email some students for some follow-up responses.)

After the students answered, we discussed.  I asked students if anyone would be willing to share their answers, discussing one question at a time.  Common themes were found for both questions...students procrastinating, balancing their time better, actually completing the work.  Mrs. Schwade could continue to provide paper copies of things for those students who prefer paper, incorporate more group work, move at a slower pace.

All valuable comments.

During the discussion of the second question regarding what I could do to help students, one sophomore student blurted out, "And keep doing these."

Me:  What do you mean?

Her:  Keep asking us what is working and what isn't.  We give you honest answers because we trust that you will change what needs to be changed to help us better.......I appreciate being able to give input.

Me:  No problem.  I appreciate the feedback....this classroom is for you and your learning.  It's not about me.

Her comments and the comments from other students sharing how they would like certain things, usually simple things, changed remind me of the importance of stopping to reflect and having students give honest feedback.  Granted some students won't be entirely honest, but most will.  And it's important to listen to them.  I mean it is about them and their learning.

Also I think because this is my first year flipping that I'm more aware of wanting student feedback regarding how I can improve what I do in my classroom.  I've always asked for student feedback but usually not until the end of the year.  This year I've done it frequently...either as large group conversations or I sit down with a group of students and ask them questions about activities, structure, etc.  I'm not saying I'm doing everything well or even good, but student feedback helps me reflect on how to improve my practice.

Greetings and Salutations,

My name is Justin, and I am the last, and only male, member of this flipping family.  If you ask Mom, Tanya, Libby, and Kirstin why they call me #theoops they will all say it is because I "wasn't planned."  But if you ask me, I think that they are just too afraid to admit that I bring greatness, good looks, stunning charm, and many other charismatic features to the family that were lacking before I came along.

In all seriousness, I bring a lot of sarcasm and movie quotes to the family.  This is my second year teaching, and I teach 3 different math courses and a Project Lead the Way course here at Howard-Winn.  I coach football during the fall, wrestling during the winter, and help out in the weight room during the spring and summer.

I was first introduced to "flipping" a couple years ago when I was in college and the idea of it intrigued me, but I wasn't really sure I wanted to with that intrigue because I was just starting out my teaching career.  When I got here to Howard-Winn I got matched up with Deb, Tanya, and Libby and we attended a "Flipped" workshop with Ramsey Musmallam.  I was hooked, and because I am one of those people that will jump in right away when I believe in something, I immediately flipped my next unit in Algebra 1.  I learned a lot of things from that experience, and one of them was that I wanted to do it again.  After attending FlipCon13, I committed myself to flipping my Algebra 1 and Applied Business Math classes.

It has been a lot of work and a shock to the system, but I really have had a lot of fun this year.  Not only do I get to communicate with this sweet family a lot more about making things better, I have also had a lot more fun teaching as well.  I really enjoy the banter that goes on during my classes.  As a math nerd it really excites me when I hear students arguing with each other about problems and how to do them.

I am looking forward to continuing to grow and learn as a teacher and leader, and hopefully help others along the way.

Well, here I am.  The "other" middle child. My name is Kirstin and I like to consider myself a vital part of this flipping family.  I add those "Ohh, Kirstin" moments where we all laugh.

Just a little background on me...I love a few things:
1) "The Office"
2) Candy
3) Teaching
4) My ridiculously lovable dog, Knox....oh, and my fiance :)

In my previous years of teaching, I was in 4th grade.  When I made the jump to 7th grade and HS reading, I was introduced to this flipping family.  They are great.  They have made my transition to the "secondary level" manageable.  They have "shown me the ropes", "taught me the lay of the land", and basically helped me survive.

It was through them that I learned of flipping.  Through everyday conversations, PLC days with the fam, and my own research, I have also become a fan of flipping.  While I have not been flipping for as long as they have, nor do I know as much about it, I have found ways to make it extremely useful in my classrooms. What do I love the most? The independence it instills in our students.  Instead of "Miss Kerian, what did we do yesterday?" or "Miss Kerian, how do I do this?" (for the 100th time that day), I now have a point of reference for their questions.  I am there to aid in and provide opportunities for learning, while generating independence and responsibility.  Flipping lends itself to just that.  It has aided in my skills and vocabulary lessons immensely.

So without going on and on, I want you to remember a few things: I teach JS and HS reading, I flip to the best of my ability but am not "fully flipped out", I love candy and am obsessed with Michael Scott.  #thatswhatshesaid .....Oh, and I use #hashtags often.

As Mom mentioned in the first post, I'm the #responsiblemiddlechild.  I'm the one who organizes stuff for the family and helps keep us in line....organizationally.  The other aspects (like keeping the reins tight on #theoops) are mom's job.

I first learned about flipping via Twitter, colleagues, the web.  I then began investigating....methods, research, etc.  I visited classrooms where I saw it in practice; I attended workshops and flip con.

When it comes to new things in my classroom, I'm like a squirrel.

I like to gather facts, examples, and articles.  I like to read and ponder.  To weigh the benefits and disadvantages before I jump.  However, once I commit, I jump.

In April 2013, I attended an amazing workshop with Ramsey Musmallam.  Amazing.  I was hooked.  I committed.

So, the 2013-2014 school year was my first year flipping.  I teach Spanish I and Spanish II.  After following the sage advice of those who have gone before (Jon Bergmann, Heather Witten), I started by flipping one class---my Spanish I class.  After one semester, I like it more than I dislike it.  (A post about that in the future.)  In fact, the flipped method of instruction so matched what I wanted to happen in my classroom with student learning that I will flip Spanish II second semester.

One of the biggest factors in my initial flip and my satisfaction with this choice in my classroom is the group of those teachers flipping around me---the crazy family.