Bringing Homework Into Focus: Tools and Tips to Enhance Practices, Design, and Feedback

In many classrooms, teachers assign homework out of habit. Learn to design quality, purposeful homework instead. The author urges educators to reflect on the purpose of student assignments to determine if and when homework is valuable. Prepare students and measure their comprehension by assigning purposeful work, setting clear expectations, and providing feedback as the unit of study unfolds.

Benefits:

• Recognize that different kinds of homework assignments advance students' knowledge and promote their understanding during all stages of the learning process.
• Learn the components that influence quality homework design.
• Interpret examples of assignments for multiple school subjects to understand how to create impactful questions on any topic.
• Develop rubrics and checklists to clearly assess the accuracy of completed homework and better communicate feedback.
• Create learning environments in which students recognize that well-designed homework can help them reach their own goals for personal growth.

Contents:
Chapter 1: Types of Work and Their Purposes
Chapter 2: Four Components to Ensure Quality Homework
Chapter 3: Quality Homework: The Result of Quality Design
Chapter 4: Homework: To Give or Not to Give, That Is the Question!
Chapter 5: Grading and Homework: The Two Worlds Can Coexist
Chapter 6: Next Steps: Evaluating and Changing Practices

Eileen Depka, PhD, has a background in assessment, common assessment design, rubric development, standards-based assessment, question design, classroom questioning practices, positive practices in grading and reporting, and the implementation of standards-based grading and reporting. She is the author of books including Bringing Homework Into Focus, Formative Assessment in the RTI Framework, Designing Rubrics for Mathematics, Designing Assessment for Mathematics, and The Data Guidebook for Teachers and Leaders: Tools for Continuous Improvement.

Dr. Depka has supervised and coordinated curriculum, instruction, assessment, special education, educational technology, and continuous-improvement efforts. She has taught all subjects at the elementary and middle levels as well as graduate-level courses. She provides professional development for K-16 educators and, as a consultant, has worked across the country, focusing on creating engaging workshops tailored to meet the individual needs of schools and districts.

Dr. Depka earned a bachelor's degree in elementary and middle-level education from the University of Wisconsin and a master's and doctoral degree from Cardinal Stritch University.