I personally struggle with what I (as the art teacher) should be assigning to middle schoolers. I do believe that homework should be assigned with a clear goal and should be helping the students understand a goal they have been learning in school. I do not think that teachers should be assigning homework to students that is considered "new" material or "fluffy" material. What is the purpose of the homework then if it is not enriching the student or helping them understand the information better?
So back to the art world. I see great value in having the students practice their art skills such as observational drawing, just like a basketball coach would have their players practice lay-ups. In order for you to become successful and master a skill one needs to practice it. But There are things in art that cannot be taught by a teacher but is practiced by the student. For example, students that are working on drawing based off of a mood or emotion can't have their teacher give them a concrete goal for their drawing. They need to use trail and error until they get it or take a creative risk.
I then start to ask... Can you practice creativity? How does one assign homework on creativity?
I'm at a crossroads with what how homework and practice should be used. Sometimes you can't give the students the goal of the homework because it needs to come from within (self-directed). Hmmm... have I confused you yet!?
Lastly, how do you have students practice a skill with technology when it is a hands on skill they need to learn? I know of applications that will help them with graphic art but what about the basics?
I am just full of questions tonight!! Any advice? ;)
Rachel--great points!! I feel that teachers at my school also struggle with the whole "homework" topic. Objectives and goals should be clear and the assignment should reinforce what they learned. I find that students are starting to question homework. They want to know "WHY". I think that is a great thing, but can also be bad. I don't want to be questioned everytime I give an assignment. Sometimes it's it clear why their doing it :) On the other hand this may motivate teachers to have a purpose.
ReplyDeleteChristy and Rachel, I know that I've struggled with the homework question as well. When I give my students something to work on, it may seem very relevant to me but when I get the blank look on their faces, I wonder if I'm missing the mark. Homework is suppose to re-enforce the skills that students learn in the classroom. I'm afraid a lot of teachers use it to exert power over their students (yes you have a game tonight but you need to complete these 3 pages of questions and definitions as well). If we make sure the homework is relevant, perhaps the students would give us the "blank look".
ReplyDeleteI used to give PE homework to kids as a way to bring together the elements of fitness concepts and heart rate. I also would assign pre-unit work so that kids could be familiar with game rules before we started the unit. Kids were definitely learning, because they played differently and recited rules to each other during game play. I had to stop giving homework, however, because so many parents complained that PE had homework and the kids were already overloaded with "more important" subjects. In the end, I was sick of fighting with parents, so I gave in, and now I try to put those elements in class, but it is difficult to bring all the concepts together without that research piece.
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