what kind of homework is this

7 Types of Homework for Students

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

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There are seven types of homework. These are practice, preparation, extension, integration, research, application, and flipped homework.

Each type of homework has its own role for students learning. The important task for teachers is to select homework that will best provide holistic support to a student.

This doesn’t mean just supporting students for the upcoming exams but also ensuring students are not overwhelmed by homework and that they can still live a balanced life outside of school.

Types of Homework

1. practice.

Practice is the most common task students have when they are given homework. It entails attempting to reinforce information learned in school so that students will commit it to long-term memory.

An example of practice homework is math workbooks. Usually, a teacher will complete the math task in class so students know how to do it, then give them a workbook of 20 – 50 tasks to complete overnight to reinforce the task.

The benefit of practice homework is that it can certainly help students commit what they learned in class to memory. This is especially the case if teachers used spaced repetition. This is a strategy whereby the teacher re-introduces things learned in previous weeks and months during homework revision so the information is not lost over time.

The downside of practice homework is that the child is learning on their own during this period. This means that, if the child hasn’t sufficiently learned the content in class, they don’t have anyone to help them during homework time. This can lead to a great deal of frustration and despair for students staring at a piece of paper feeling lost and confused.

Related: Homework Statistics

2. Preparation

Preparation homework is given to students before a lesson so they have the important information at hand before class.

Commonly, this occurs when teachers provide reading materials for students to look over between class. They then come to class having read the materials so they are ready to discuss and debate the topics.

It’s also commonly used in language learning, where it’s called pre-teaching of vocabulary. The teacher provides vocabulary to learn before class so the students can come to class and practice it together.

The benefit of preparation homework is that it bunches a lot of the didactic (non-interactive) parts of learning into the pre-class time so students can spend most of their time in class interacting with the teacher and peers.

The downside of preparation homework is that it rarely works as expected. Teachers often spend the first 10 to 15 minutes of class re-teaching what was supposed to be done for homework either because students found it too hard or they didn’t do the tasks.

3. Extension

Extension homework involves providing students with tasks that are based upon what was learned in class, but goes over and above those tasks.

It is the equivalent of teaching a student to swim then letting them out into the ocean. The students have to apply their knowledge in a new context without the support or ‘ scaffolding ’ of a teacher hovering over their shoulders.

The benefit of extension homework is it can give students a lot of confidence. They can go home and feel as if they’re excelling at their work when they find that they’re doing it without the support of a teacher.

The downside of extension homework is that it can be risky: by definition, students are extending themselves beyond what was learned in class, meaning they will come across new information and new contexts where they might need help that’s not available at the time.

Related: Homework Pros and Cons

4. Integration

Integration homework requires students to bring together, or ‘integrate’, knowledge from various subjects and knowledge areas into one project.

The homework may involve the integration of history lessons with writing lessons to create a book report, or the integration of math with business studies to create a business plan.

Integration is great for students to draw connections between things they have learned in various different classes at school. However, it also involves a lot of complexity that may make students feel confused or overwhelmed.

5. Research

Research homework involves using your time after school and on weekends to gather data that will be discussed in class.

Often, this can involve interviewing family members, taking photos around your community, or looking up information on the internet.

The benefit of research homework is that students often come to class with exciting things to share. They will also come with questions to help stimulate conversation in class.

However, it’s important for teachers to be aware that not all students have access to high-speed internet and other resources to conduct research. In fact, in my homework statistics article, I discussed how a staggering 24% of low-income American teens regularly fail to complete homework due to lack of access to technology.

6. Application

Application homework involves taking knowledge learned in class and applying it to real-world settings.

This is common in immersive language learning settings, for example, when teachers ask students to go out into the streets and practice new vocabulary when ordering a drink or buying food.

The benefit of application homework is that it gives real-world context to what was learned in class. By applying your knowledge, you can more effectively commit it to memory than simply rote learning it at your kitchen table.

Application in a real-world setting provides a context and a story that you can easily pull from your memory in the future, helping you to retain information long-term.

7. Flipped Homework

The flipped learning movement is a movement that involves making students learn at home on their own then come to class to practice it.

For teachers, this means thinking about school as the space for ‘traditional’ homework and home as the space for instruction.

This is increasingly popular with technology and hybrid learning environments. For example, a teacher might assign a YouTube video to watch as homework before class. Then, the class involves dissecting the video and critiquing it.

The benefit of flipped learning is that it maximizes time for constructivist and hands-on active learning in the classroom. The downside is students can get confused during preparation, they may not complete the preparation work, or technology may fail on them.

What are the Functions of Homework?

Homework serves multiple purposes. These include:

• Getting Ahead: Many schools and parents give their children homework (including private tutoring help so their children can have an advantage in life over other children.
• Keeping Up: On a societal level, many governments encourage homework so that students can keep up with other societies in the ‘education race’ of the 21st Century. Some societies, like South Korea, heavily emphasize homework, and others feel they need to keep up.
• Catching Up: Many students are assigned homework to catch up with the rest of their class. If you find a topic very difficult, you may find you need to spend a lot more time on your own working through the information than your peers.
• Retention: Homework helps you to repeat and retain information. With extra practice, you can commit information to memory.
• Excitement: Some well-made homework can get students excited to come to class to discuss what they did.
• Application: Situation-based learning, where you’re applying what you learned in class to real-world situations, can help progress students’ knowledge in ways that you can’t in school.
• Home-School Relationships: Homework also serves the purpose of ensuring parents know what’s going on in school. Many parents like to see what children are learning so they can monitor their children’s progress and keep teachers accountable.

Homework comes in all shapes and sizes. While many teachers stick to the old fashioned repetition homework mode, I’d encourage you to try out a range of other types of homework that can keep students engaged, encourage more discussion and collaboration in class, and ensure that the difficult work where students need the teacher’s help takes place in the classroom. This will provide maximum support for your students, help propel them forward, and prevent arguments for why homework should be banned .

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What Kinds of Homework Seem to be Most Effective?

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If you made it past the headline, you're likely a student, concerned parent, teacher or, like me, a nerd nostalgist who enjoys basking in the distant glow of Homework Triumphs Past (second-grade report on Custer's Last Stand, nailed it!).

Whoever you are, you're surely hoping for some clarity in the loud, perennial debate over whether U.S. students are justifiably exhausted and nervous from too much homework — even though some international comparisons suggest they're sitting comfortably at the average.

Well, here goes. I've mapped out six, research-based polestars that should help guide you to some reasonable conclusions about homework.

How much homework do U.S. students get?

The best answer comes from something called the National Assessment of Educational Progress or NAEP . In 2012, students in three different age groups — 9, 13 and 17 — were asked, "How much time did you spend on homework yesterday?" The vast majority of 9-year-olds (79 percent) and 13-year-olds (65 percent) and still a majority of 17-year-olds (53 percent) all reported doing an hour or less of homework the day before.

Another study from the National Center for Education Statistics found that high school students who reported doing homework outside of school did, on average, about seven hours a week.

If you're hungry for more data on this — and some perspective — check out this exhaustive report put together last year by researcher Tom Loveless at the Brookings Institution.

An hour or less a day? But we hear so many horror stories! Why?

The fact is, some students do have a ton of homework. In high school we see a kind of student divergence — between those who choose or find themselves tracked into less-rigorous coursework and those who enroll in honors classes or multiple Advanced Placement courses. And the latter students are getting a lot of homework. In that 2012 NAEP survey, 13 percent of 17-year-olds reported doing more than two hours of homework the previous night. That's not a lot of students, but they're clearly doing a lot of work.

That also tracks with a famous survey from 2007 — from MetLife — that asked parents what they think of their kids' homework load. Sixty percent said it was just right. Twenty-five percent said their kids are getting too little. Just 15 percent of parents said their kids have too much homework.

Research also suggests that the students doing the most work have something else in common: income. "I think that the debate over homework in some ways is a social class issue," says Janine Bempechat, professor of human development at Wheelock College. "There's no question that in affluent communities, children are really over-taxed, over-burdened with homework."

But the vast majority of students do not seem to have inordinate workloads. And the ones who do are generally volunteering for the tough stuff. That doesn't make it easier, but it does make it a choice.

Do we know how much homework students in other countries are doing?

Sort of. Caveats abound here. Education systems and perceptions of what is and isn't homework can vary remarkably overseas. So any comparison is, to a degree, apples-to-oranges (or, at least, apples-to-pears). A 2012 report from the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development pegged the U.S. homework load for 15-year-olds at around six hours per week. That's just above the study's average. It found that students in Hong Kong are also doing about six hours a week. Much of Europe checks in between four and five hours a week. In Japan, it's four hours. And Korea's near the bottom, at three hours.

How much homework is too much?

Better yet, how much is just right? Harris Cooper at Duke University has done some of the best work on homework. He and his team reviewed dozens of studies, from 1987 to 2003, looking for consensus on what works and what doesn't. A common rule of thumb, he says, is what's called the 10-minute rule. Take the child's grade and multiply by 10. So first-graders should have roughly 10 minutes of homework a night, 40 minutes for fourth-graders, on up to two hours for seniors in high school. A lot of of schools use this. Even the National PTA officially endorses it.

Homework clearly improves student performance, right?

Not necessarily. It depends on the age of the child. Looking over the research, there's little to no evidence that homework improves student achievement in elementary school. Then again, the many experts I spoke with all said the same thing: The point of homework in those primary grades isn't entirely academic. It's about teaching things like time-management and self-direction.

But, by high school the evidence shifts. Harris Cooper's massive review found, in middle and high school, a positive correlation between homework and student achievement on unit tests. It seems to help. But more is not always better. Cooper points out that, depending on the subject and the age of the student, there is a law of diminishing returns. Again, he recommends the 10-minute rule.

What kinds of homework seem to be most effective?

This is where things get really interesting. Because homework should be about learning, right? To understand what kinds of homework best help kids learn, we really need to talk about memory and the brain.

Let's start with something called the spacing effect . Say a child has to do a vocabulary worksheet. The next week, it's a new worksheet with different words and so on. Well, research shows that the brain is better at remembering when we repeat with consistency, not when we study in long, isolated chunks of time. Do a little bit of vocabulary each night, repeating the same words night after night.

Similarly, a professor of psychology at Washington University in St. Louis, Henry "Roddy" Roediger III , recommends that teachers give students plenty of little quizzes, which he says strengthen the brain's ability to remember. Don't fret. They can be low-stakes or no-stakes, says Roediger: It's the steady recall and repetition that matter. He also recommends, as homework, that students try testing themselves instead of simply re-reading the text or class notes.

There's also something known as interleaving . This is big in the debate over math homework. Many of us — myself included — learned math by focusing on one concept at a time, doing a worksheet to practice that concept, then moving on.

Well, there's evidence that students learn more when homework requires them to choose among multiple strategies — new and old — when solving problems. In other words, kids learn when they have to draw not just from what they learned in class that day but that week, that month, that year.

One last note: Experts agree that homework should generally be about reinforcing what students learned in class (this is especially true in math). Sometimes it can — and should — be used to introduce new material, but here's where so many horror stories begin.

Tom Loveless, a former teacher, offers this advice: "I don't think teachers should ever send brand-new material that puts the parent in the position of a teacher. That's a disaster. My own personal philosophy was: Homework is best if it's material that requires more practice but they've already received initial instruction."

Or, in the words of the National PTA: "Homework that cannot be done without help is not good homework."

The U.S. Department of Education has categorized homework into four sections depending on their pattern. Each kind offers specific learning scopes to students. As an industry insider, TutorBin faces different queries from tutors and students.

We get this query from tutors: what type of homework is most effective? Our experts, who have years of tutoring experience, have taken the initiative to answer this question. According to them, through these four categories of homework, students gain knowledge and achieve learning goals. 

Students have different abilities, and their learning process varies depending on their abilities, interest, and learning pace. Considering the vast segment of students with all differences, our experts have jotted down these four kinds of homework and their effectiveness in improving students’ learning capability, practical skills, and knowledge base. 

4 Types of Homework and Their Pattern: 

Education has changed a lot in the last decade. Some are very vocal about how homework increases efficiency or what is the importance of assigning homework. Before you ask what type of homework is most effective, let’s see how many types of homework exist in our academics.

These four categories will give them a fair overview of why the majority of teachers assign different homework for students. If you still feel that these diverse homework types can’t help you enough, you may take help from an expert homework solution to sort out your confusion.

Before going further into these 4 types of homework, let’s move forward and know how balanced homework helps students to learn effectively. Here, we have created an infographic and students to inform students about the benefits of doing homework in their academic years.  

1st Homework Type- Practice

The first category is pretty common for students. If you look around, you will notice that teachers are assigning this type of homework to continue the learning process, even after the educational hours of grad school or university. The key intent here is to cement what they have learned in their educational institutions. Practice is the first type of homework that focuses on practicing your lessons until you memorize them fully. The essence of this type is that the more you exercise, the more efficiently you utilize your knowledge.      

Here Are The Tips For Students Who Wants To Master Their Subject With The Method:  

Take homework seriously like your class. Your learning at home helps you to retain knowledge. 

Practicing is all about a deep understanding of the subject you have learned.  

It is also essential to master the necessary skills for handling complex problems.  

Learning from your mistakes helps you to understand what you should not repeat.  

2nd Homework Type- Preparatory 

As the name suggests, the Preparatory homework type is the preliminary of the main topic. Teachers introduce this type of homework to ensure that students get an idea of which topics their teacher will cover on subsequent days.

Firstly, teachers assign a pre-reading of chapters of the study materials with the purpose of preparing students for upcoming lessons. Secondly, while doing preparatory homework, students get enough time to have an idea and the concept, which helps them prepare their questions if they have any doubt. The subject understanding could be better with this kind of homework. 

Expert Tips For Students Who Want To Get Benefited With This Homework Method:      

Take notes of the major ideas from the lesson when you are reading it. Discuss in class.

Don’t forget to highlight the area you find challenging to understand. Bring it to class and discuss that section. 

While reading it, you might get confused. It is also common to have doubts. Note it and get clarification from your teacher. 

3rd Homework Type- Extension  

Other than these two types mentioned above, one of the common types of homework teachers assign is Extension. When we talk about extension homework, we see that professors generally assign this to grad school and university students. They do it with the intent to know what knowledge they have gained from a specific lesson.

The main motive of teachers here is to test how the students use their intelligence and creativity to apply their knowledge. Besides knowledge application, extension homework is also beneficial for students as the homework is thought-provoking and research-oriented. The extensive exercise enables students to gather knowledge from different resources and use them to strengthen their knowledge base. 

Expert Tips For Students For This Homework Method That Has Diverse Benefits:

While doing any assignment, do as much research as you can. Your resources help you to learn more.  

While studying, try to come up with your perspective. You can discuss it with your teacher for better clarity. 

Look for a new problem-solving approach if you are a STEM student. It enhances your knowledge application.    

4th Homework Type- Integration  

Integration is the 4th type of homework that teachers assign for a larger project. It could be a science practical or a project report. Majorly, teachers allocate this type of homework for grad school and university students pursuing higher studies. 

Thorough planning is required for this kind of homework. It will help you to organize and plan effectively. 

When you attempt integration homework, you must keep track of all information and research.

Parameters on which experts check the homework effectiveness   

Being an educator, it’s up to our teachers to select what type of homework suits students. We have described four categories of homework with you and explained what effect they have on students’ learning. Depending on the features of this homework, teachers use them with the aim of improvement. 

Strategizing homework for students depends on the learning pace and abilities of students. The effectiveness of a particular category can also differ according to students’ type, subjects, and academic level. Some assignments are proven more useful for weaker students.

Sometimes, teachers also try different combinations of two types of homework to ensure that capabilities, individual thought, creativity, and problem-solving attitude increase considerably.   

Exercises that tell you what type of homework is most effective  

Conclusion  .

Homework has been a matter of concern for behavioral or scientific reasons. Although this concept has been there for decades, its role and effectiveness have become controversial due to its usage in the educational system.

Experts have studied the changing trends of homework and concluded that enhancing student ability is possible with the proper application of the right type and amounts of homework. It just depends on the teacher’s strategy that makes homework most effective for their academic and upcoming professional life. 

TutorBin experts provide such information regularly. To get the latest updates, visit our blog page. If you are facing homework problems, and having difficulty in learning or need to improve your grades, our expert homework writers can help you out. It does not matter what type of subject help you are seeking, experts are there to cater your needs. From CS homework help to mechanical engineering homework help online, we have every option for you.

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Home > College of Education and Learning Design > Teacher Development > Culminating Projects > 24

Culminating Projects in Teacher Development

Types of homework and their effect on student achievement.

Tammi A. Minke , St.Cloud State University Follow

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Curriculum and Instruction: M.S.

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Stephen Hornstein

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Marc Markell

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Keywords and Subject Headings

• Does the amount of homework impact students’ academic achievement in school?
• What type of homework has the best impact on students’ academic achievement in school?

The literature review in Chapter 2 describes homework trends over the years, different types of homework, what constitutes worthy homework, reasons for homework incompletion, homework completion strategies, parent involvement, positive and negative effects of homework, and recommended time spent on homework for students today in high school, middle school, and elementary students.

Recommended Citation

Minke, Tammi A., "Types of Homework and Their Effect on Student Achievement" (2017). Culminating Projects in Teacher Development . 24. https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/ed_etds/24

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Homework Strategies for Different Types of Homework

July 2, 2019

You’ve heard before that there’s no such thing as “one-size-fits-all” learning. The same is true for study and homework strategies. The responsibility factor is a big part of homework and one of its primary benefits. Homework nurtures students’ time management skills and their ability to complete tasks. But the primary purpose of homework is to reinforce what teachers teach in the classroom.

The U.S. Department of Education describes four common types of homework: practice, preparatory, extension and integration. At Huntington, we help children of all ages become better students. Here are some of the strategies we teach for tackling different homework types:

Practice – Practice homework is the most common type you’ll see come home. It is intended to bolster classroom learning and help students master specific skills. So, just as the name implies, the key to success with this type of homework is to keep practicing. A few tips for children:

• Nail down the basic skills that are the underpinning for more complex skills.
• Learn from mistakes by going over missed class problems or test questions.
• Always consider homework to be required, not optional.
• Dig into the steps. In math, for example, children must understand the “why” behind steps and not just the rote “how.”

Preparatory – Like it sounds, preparatory homework introduces concepts and ideas that will be covered in class in the near future. Common preparatory homework examples include learning vocabulary or reading a textbook chapter before the content is to be discussed the next day. A few tips for children doing preparatory homework:

• Take notes of the main ideas of passages and bring them out when the topic is covered in class.
• Write down questions that arise while completing homework. Ask those questions in class the next day.
• If stumped on a problem (math or science, for example), circle it and write down a few reasons why the problem is confusing.

Extension – Extension homework is often assigned when teachers want to challenge a student with opportunities to apply what they have learned to something new. A few tips for children doing extension homework:

• Be resourceful, looking through notes or the textbook for strategies on how to solve a problem or additional information that might be helpful for homework completion.
• Think about concepts in different ways and from different angles. This helps children engage in different ways of mental processing.
• Take a problem-solving approach to new and unfamiliar material. Children should think about what tools and information they already have that might help them tackle a problem.

Integration – Integration homework requires students to apply different skills to a single task (e.g. book reports or larger projects). A few tips for children doing integration homework:

• Be organized and keep track of all research and information.
• Plan thoroughly and effectively, with milestones for multi-step projects.

Here are a few best practices to make homework time more productive and successful, no matter what type of homework:

• Establish the spot. Consistency is important and helps children get into good homework routines. Designate a place in your home for homework, whether that’s the kitchen, dining room or your child’s desk in her room.
• Designate a time. Some children focus best right after school, while others are most alert after dinner and activities. Figure out the best time of day for homework and do your best to set and keep a schedule.
• Commit to organization. A homework center with the supplies your child needs to be productive helps children get to work when it’s time to do homework. Your child should spend a few minutes at the end of each homework session tidying it up for the next day.
• Spend time creating a game plan. Your child should go through his planner before starting homework to look over all assignments for the evening and rank them in order of priority. This will keep homework time on track and eliminate procrastination.
• Limit homework help. Resist the urge to take a lead role in your child’s homework or step in to show your child how to do homework. Your child should take the initiative and assume responsibility. Make sure your role is as a supporter.

Is your child stressed and struggling with homework on a daily basis? Huntington can help. Call us at 1-800-CAN-LEARN to talk about how we can help your child master homework and become a stronger student.

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Lesson 2: Types of Homework Assignments

Unit 1 lesson 2: types of homework assignments>.

Objective : Participants will be able to analyze multiple homework structures that are applicable in elementary school classrooms.

Introduction :

“Homework assignments typically have one or more purposes. The most common purpose is to have students practice material already presented in class. Practice homework is meant to reinforce learning and help the student master specific skills. Preparation homework introduces material that will be presented in future lessons. These assignments aim to help students learn new material better when it is covered in class. Extension homework asks students to apply skills they already have to new situations. Integration homework requires the student to apply many different skills to a single task, such as book reports, science projects or creative writing." (U.S. Department of Education, 2003).

Investigation :

2. Read: A Comparison of Traditional Homework to Computer-Supported Homework

The reading evaluates the concept of 'traditional' homework with digital homework. Traditional homework is the assignments that are paper and pencil, much like the kind we experienced as students. With the integration of technology into schools and homes, homework assignments have the opportunity to be more engaging.

Do you think that all students should receive the same homework assignments? How do you determine which homework design is appropriate? Respond to 2 or more peers on the discussion thread.

4. Reflection :

Reflect on the following questions in a notebook or journal. You will continue to reflect on concepts throughout the course, so keep the notebook on hand!

• Think about your current homework assignments, are they considered traditional or alternative?
• Do your assignments work to promote student thinking and family involvement in learning?

5. Extra Resources

https://www.bookwidgets.com/blog/2018/09/20-creative-alternative-homework-ideas-for-teachers https://sharedteaching.com/alternatives-to-homework/

References:

Mendicino, Michael & Razzaq, Leena & Heffernan, Neil. (2009). A Comparison of Traditional Homework to Computer-Supported Homework. Journal of Research on Technology in Education. 331. 331-358. 10.1080/15391523.2009.10782534.

U.S. Department of Education. (2003, May). Homework Tips for Parents. https://www2.ed.gov/parents/academic/involve/homework/homeworktips.pdf

Lesson 3: Grading and Late Homework

Victoria Robey-Hicks Mini Course

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Setting Homework for Your Students

There are different types of homework for different situations. Teachers need to set homework that will be best for their students and their learning.

Generally, most primary school and secondary school pupils will have homework to do throughout the week. As you’ll probably know, most students hate homework, but it’s an important part of their education and the right homework can be a useful teaching tool.

It’s often up to the teacher whether they set homework or not. They also have some control over how much homework they give their students. The most important decision they have to make is the type of homework they give their students.

In this article, Superprof is looking at the types of homework you can give your students and how they can help them to learn.

• Training Homework

When students sit down to do their homework, it’s rarely an enjoyable experience despite it being an important part of their education. Homework can be a useful tool for teaching students even once they’ve left school for the day. Of course, this isn’t a way for teachers to get out of having to teach their students.

Homework can be a way for students to continually work at home throughout the school year. The tasks they do can reinforce what they study in class. This type of homework is the most common and often involves exercises similar to what they did in class but without the help of the teacher being there. The goal is to put the theory into practice.

However, there are a few types of homework that can challenge students to apply their knowledge. In some cases, this may be further reading to get a deeper understanding of the topics covered in class.

We can also classify revision as homework since when you revise what you covered in class, you could be doing the same as you would if it was homework. You need to do more than just reread your exercise books after all. Of course, we’re not saying that you should just not bother at all. If you don’t have any homework and you aren’t sure about something you did in class, you can always revise.

The teacher’s job is to give students a mix of different homework types to ensure that students can get the most out of their lessons. Let’s have a look at another type.

Check out our guide to homework .

• Preparation Homework

Homework can also be used to prepare for upcoming classes. This is when the students will either research or do activities to get them ready for an upcoming class or topic.

There are a few types of activities that can be useful preparations for an upcoming topic:

• Reading an extract from a text.
• Watching a video that introduces the topic.
• Writing a text for an upcoming presentation.
• Writing an essay on a new topic.
• A multiple-choice test to see how much they already know about the new topic.

Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list and there are plenty of other exercises that can be used to introduce students to a new topic. This type of homework can’t replace the lesson itself, but it can be used to introduce the knowledge needed to understand the topic when you do teach them it.

A lot of students hate getting given homework, but it can be used to make the lesson easier or support the lesson afterwards. It’s also a useful tool for teachers to make their teaching as effective as possible.

Preparation homework doesn’t always need to be marked by the teacher as you’ll see how effective it’s been when you start teaching students the subject you had them preparing for. If they’ve done their homework well, the lesson will be easier for them.

Check out our favourite online homework resources .

• Adapting Homework to the Subject Being Taught

The type of homework you give a student will depend on their level and also the subject you teach.

Maths homework, for example, is likely to include sums and mathematical problems rather than getting students to write essays. If the students are covering fractions, you can give them a few fractions to solve at home.

Some maths teachers give too many exercises to their students when the students will have understood the concept long before they’ve finished their homework. Keep in mind that their other teachers will also be giving them homework to do.

An English teacher might give their students an essay to write, part of a book to read and summarise, or an analysis of a text. You’ll need to decide whether the student should be reading or writing and how much of each they need to be doing to ensure they learn as effectively as possible.

The hard sciences tend to have a broader choice of options when it comes to homework. Of course, a good teacher can find interesting homework activities regardless of the subject they teach.

History is a subject that can often feel limited in terms of what kind of homework its students can do. You need to keep in mind that if students have to remember a series of facts or dates, their homework may be more like revision.

Foreign languages can get creative with their homework. The important thing is that the student is using the language and the grammar point or skill you’ve been teaching them.

You also need to think about the parents of the students as some will want to help their children but be unable to. You don’t want the parents to also be frustrated with their children’s homework, especially if their child is already struggling at school.

• Marking Homework

You have to make sure that the homework you give your students isn’t pointless. If their homework is going to be marked, they’ll need to have a deadline. Of course, teachers can always give their students some leeway or quite a decent amount of time if the homework is important.

Graded homework can be useful for:

• Developing independent study skills.
• Teaching them responsibility.
• Learning about organisation and planning.
• Working to deadlines.
• Learning to research.
• Consolidating the knowledge they’ve acquired in class.

A lot of students may use the internet to do research for their homework, which can teach them about conducting independent research.

A teacher will need to mark their student’s homework according to a clear mark scheme. Not only does this make correcting homework less of a chore, but it also allows you to mark your students’ homework more clearly. Each student needs to have a good understanding of what they’re being graded on and what will constitute a good piece of work.

As the work will be marked, students should be expected to spend more time on it. They’ll also have many resources at their disposal when they do it. However, this doesn’t mean they can plagiarise.

Their main objective will be to get a good grade. Good students will look to produce quality homework and follow the guidelines set out by their teacher. Of course, when you correct assignments and homework, you need to ensure that if the mark or grade isn't perfect, the corrections provide valuable feedback to the student on how they can improve the next time they do a similar task or how they can get a better grade in this assignment.

Now you should know a little bit more about the different types of homework.

Find out more about correcting and marking homework .

Even as a teacher, you can continue to learn new skills and approaches. If you're looking for outside help, consider getting in touch with a private tutor on Superprof.

There are tutors offering classes a wide range of academic subjects, arts and crafts, life skills, and hobbies, so you're bound to find something you want to learn or study.

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For those on a budget, group tutorials tend to work out a lot cheaper. If you and some friends, family members, or work colleagues are interested in learning some new skills, you can hire a private tutor to teach you all at the same time. While the lessons won't be as tailored to the individual, they will work out cheaper per person per hour as you'll be splitting the cost of the tutor's time and expertise.

A lot of tutors on Superprof offer the first lesson for free so you can try a few out before deciding on which one will be right for you and what you want to learn.

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Joseph Philipson

Joseph is a French and Spanish to English translator, language enthusiast, and blogger.

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