My homework system challenges students to be independent learners
I like this. But many of my students don’t know how to study particularly effectively. Most students, period, don’t know how to study particularly effectively, but it’s particularly challenging to do it as an adult with competing responsibilities.
This year, I challenged them to try some different study goals and formats. I gave out a list, added it to their homework folder, and asked them to initial/date when they achieved each.
(In the future, I might find a way to integrate my homework log and this list, but I’m not there yet)
Here’s the current version of our ‘Level Up’ Homework Challenge
(The title was inspired by the power of ‘leveling up’ in Chip and Dan Heath’s The Power of Moments)
The goal was to encourage them to work more at home, in general. But in particular, to help them become better independent learners by experimenting with different formats (to see which worked for them and/or do something new)
My impression as we went along was that students’ mostly forgot about the list, and certainly weren’t challenged or inspired by it.
Yet.
(that powerful word)
There are some advantages to our frequent first days. Lots of fresh starts and chances to improve.
As we change terms, I’m asking students to review their progress and set some goals for the next trimester.
And I’ve already made a note on my term plan: in a few weeks, we’ll be checking in on our progress, and I’ll be returning a copy of their goals to them as a reminder.
Here’s the check in we used (PDF)
