OBJECITVE
Homework has three main objectives:
- Giving students the opportunity to reinforce skills, knowledge and attitudes which have been taught at school.
- Checking whether they are able to apply what they have learnt to other examples, exercises and tasks.
- Engaging students in valuable preliminary work to prepare them for future learning material.
Homework, therefore, has to be relevant and meaningful, and learners should perceive it as such.
GUIDELINES
Teachers teaching a specific grade from Grade 3 to Grade 12 should draw up a collective plan which indicates the exercises, assignments and tasks expected to be given as class work and homework, including the time students are expected to spend on each subject.
The homework time table should form part of the class time table, and the class / subject teacher should see that it is carried out. This is important for monitoring continuous assessment in all subjects / learning areas.
Teachers need to explain clearly to students the homework requirements set out in the departmental directives. Students need to know what the outcomes of homework are and what is expected of them. Clear guidelines will prevent confusion. Teachers should note that not all parents are capable of assisting students.
Homework for students in Grade 1 and Grade 2 is not compulsory.
However, teachers should encourage these students to participate in the programme organizers for Literacy, Numeracy and Life Skills by bringing learning materials to class.
These may include picture cuttings, empty containers, plant samples and other articles which will greatly enhance their learning experience.
Special need students should receive individual attention when teachers hand out homework. Teachers should adjust the scope and intensity of the task to make it manageable for these students.
PARENTS RESPONSIBILITY
Teachers constantly inform parents of their children’s homework requirements so that the parents may monitor their children’s progress and co-operate with teachers.
Informed parents will be better equipped to help students with their homework. Parents should have regular opportunities to discuss their role in their children’s education with teachers (especially homework, where they play an important role), and also to discuss their children’s performance.
Parents can monitor their children’s homework in various ways. They may ask their children whether they have received homework and how they are coping with it. They may read to their children and ask their children to read to them. Parents teach their children important values concerning responsibility, schooling and education by discussing matters with them in a non-judgemental way.
The control of homework should be structured in such a way that the students eventually accepts responsibility for doing it without parental control. The use of a homework diary can help inculcate sound study habits and make it easier for parents to help younger children.
TIME ALLOCATION
Teachers should be realistic when commissioning homework. Teachers teaching the same grade should plan and co-ordinate the amount of homework to ensure that they can check the work within a reasonable time.
The handing out of projects and lengthy assignments should be staggered so that students and parents are not placed under undue pressure. For example, three projects / assignments should never be due in one week.
Homework develops the students education and fosters a work ethic in the student. Too little or no homework can deny a student these benefits, and too much homework can frustrate students, particularly if the homework is primarily of a written nature or appears to be imposed as punishment.
CONSTRUCTION OF HOMEWORK TIME TABLE
The homework time allocated to a certain class or subject is difficult to determine for the following reasons:
- The range and degree of difficulty of subjects differ
- The level of advancement of the students differs
- The intellectual ability of the students differs
- Home circumstances and educational background of the parents differ
- Other psycho-physical factors may also exist
When determining the time to be allowed for homework, and with the planning of any homework assigned, the following should be decided on beforehand:
- Amount of homework
- What kind of homework
- For which students
- On what condition
- For what reason (aims)
GENERAL
Homework is based on the work taught in class for consolidation. Homework should be given to the senior classes every day except Friday. Subject teachers should co-operate so that students are not overburdened with homework on one day and have none on the next day. It is important that all homework be strictly supervised and marked. DO NOT give students homework to do if you have no intention of marking or correcting it.
All homework must be written down in a homework diary and should be countersigned by the parents. It is advisable for the students to enter “no homework” in their diaries on days when homework is not given
Please take note that preparation for tests or special assignments will require extra time over and above daily homework.