Homework Tips – Getting Students to Complete Homework

Homework, if used correctly, can be quite an effective tool in increasing student achievement.

Unfortunately, as many teachers know, getting students to complete homework can be a frustrating task, to say the least.

Teachers try all kinds of strategies to help students complete homework. We ask them to write homework in their planners/diaries, we have them start homework in class to clear up any confusion, we post homework on websites and/or blogs, etc.

Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, when it comes to checking/collecting homework the next day, we see the same old thing…many students simply don’t do homework or complete it.

Usually at this point, teachers start assigning detention, making phone calls home, etc.

However, one often overlooked homework strategy is to involve parents in your homework policy from the start. No, I am not referring to simply letting them know the percentage of the grade and the consequences for incomplete homework, but rather what parents can do to help their child complete homework.

Here is a list of some homework strategies that teachers can share with their students’ parents:

1. Establish a consistent place to do homework. Homework should be done in the same place every night, not on the couch one night, at the dinner table the next, and in the bedroom the next night.

2. Organize your homework space to maximize efficiency. Have a box with everything your child might need to complete any given task…pencils, erasers, glue, scissors, markers, paper, etc. This will greatly reduce homework procrastination.

3. Help your child establish a consistent time to complete homework. Depending on the child’s after-school schedule, it may not be possible to do homework at the same time every night. Therefore, it may be wise to sit down on Sunday night each week and create the homework schedule for the coming week.

4. Don’t sit with your child and do homework together. The purpose of homework is for your child to practice what he has learned in class. If your child is unable to do the homework on their own, they should contact the teacher.

5. After your child completes the homework, discuss it… What did he or she learn from the homework? What steps were easy? Hard?

6. Your child should spend approximately 10 minutes per grade level on homework. For example, a second grader should spend 20 minutes on homework, while an eighth grader should spend 80 minutes. Again, if your child continues to consistently spend more time than this on homework, be sure to contact your child’s teacher.

Many parents simply don’t know the best way to help their children complete homework. By providing a list of helpful homework tips for parents, teachers will see an increase in homework completion and therefore an increase in academic achievement.