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Pedagogy - Diversifying Your Teaching Methods, Learning Activities, and Assignments

Inclusive Teaching at a PWI is in a blue rectangle at the top. Below are three green circles for Climate, Pedagogy, and Content. Pedagogy is emphasized with key points: Diversify and critically assess teaching methods, learning activities, assignments.

Definition of Pedagogy 

In the most general sense, pedagogy is all the ways that instructors and students work with the course content. The fundamental learning goal for students is to be able to do “something meaningful” with the course content. Meaningful learning typically results in students working in the middle to upper levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy . We sometimes find that novice instructors conflate course content with pedagogy. This often results in “teaching as talking” where the presentation of content by the instructor is confused with the learning of content by the students. Think of your course content as clay and pedagogy as the ways you ask students to make “something meaningful” from that clay. Pedagogy is the combination of teaching methods (what instructors do), learning activities (what instructors ask their students to do), and learning assessments (the assignments, projects, or tasks that measure student learning).

Key Idea for Pedagogy

Diversify your pedagogy by varying your teaching methods, learning activities, and assignments. Critically assess your pedagogy through the lens of BIPOC students’ experiences at a PWI . We visualize these two related practices as a cycle because they are iterative and ongoing. Diversifying your pedagogy likely means shedding some typical ways of teaching in your discipline, or the teaching practices you inherited. It likely means doing more active learning and less traditional lecturing. Transforming good pedagogy into equitable pedagogy means rethinking your pedagogy in light of the PWI context and considering the ways your pedagogy may help or hinder learning for BIPOC students. 

PWI Assumptions for Pedagogy

Understanding where students are on the spectrum of novice to expert learning in your discipline or course is a key challenge to implementing effective and inclusive pedagogy (National Research Council 2000). Instructors are typically so far removed from being a novice learner in their disciplines that they struggle to understand where students are on that spectrum. A key PWI assumption is that students understand how your disciplinary knowledge is organized and constructed . Students typically do not understand your discipline or the many other disciplines they are working in during their undergraduate years. Even graduate students may find it puzzling to explain the origins, methodologies, theories, logics, and assumptions of their disciplines. A second PWI assumption is that students are (or should be) academically prepared to learn your discipline . Students may be academically prepared for learning in some disciplines, but unless their high school experience was college preparatory and well supported, students (especially first-generation college students) are likely finding their way through a mysterious journey of different disciplinary conventions and modes of working and thinking (Nelson 1996).

A third PWI assumption is that instructors may confuse students’ academic underpreparation with their intelligence or capacity to learn . Academic preparation is typically a function of one’s high school experience including whether that high school was well resourced or under funded. Whether or not a student receives a quality high school education is usually a structural matter reflecting inequities in our K12 educational systems, not a reflection of an individual student’s ability to learn. A final PWI assumption is that students will learn well in the ways that the instructor learned well . Actually most instructors in higher education self-selected into disciplines that align with their interests, skills, academic preparation, and possibly family and community support. Our students have broader and different goals for seeking a college education and bring a range of skills to their coursework, which may or may not align with instructors’ expectations of how students learn. Inclusive teaching at a PWI means supporting the learning and career goals of our students.

Pedagogical Content Knowledge as a Core Concept

Kind and Chan (2019) propose that Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) is the synthesis of Content Knowledge (expertise about a subject area) and Pedagogical Knowledge (expertise about teaching methods, assessment, classroom management, and how students learn). Content Knowledge (CK) without Pedagogical Knowledge (PK) limits instructors’ ability to teach effectively or inclusively. Novice instructors that rely on traditional lectures likely have limited Pedagogical Knowledge and may also be replicating their own inherited teaching practices. While Kind and Chan (2019) are writing from the perspective of science education, their concepts apply across disciplines. Moreover, Kind and Chan (2019) support van Driel et al.’s assertion that:

high-quality PCK is not characterized by knowing as many strategies as possible to teach a certain topic plus all the misconceptions students may have about it but by knowing when to apply a certain strategy in recognition of students’ actual learning needs and understanding why a certain teaching approach may be useful in one situation (quoted in Kind and Chan 2019, 975). 

As we’ve stressed throughout this guide, the teaching context matters, and for inclusive pedagogy, special attention should be paid to the learning goals, instructor preparation, and students’ point of entry into course content. We also argue that the PWI context shapes what instructors might practice as CK, PK, and PCK. We recommend instructors become familiar with evidence-based pedagogy (or the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning , SoTL) in their fields. Moreover, we advise instructors to find and follow those instructors and scholars that specifically focus on inclusive teaching in their fields in order to develop an inclusive, flexible, and discipline-specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge.

Suggested Practices for Diversifying + Assessing Pedagogy

Although diversifying and critically assessing teaching methods, learning activities, and assignments will vary across disciplines, we offer a few key starting points. Diversifying your pedagogy is easier than critically assessing it through a PWI lens, but both steps are essential. In general, you can diversify your pedagogy by learning about active learning, peer learning, team-based learning, experiential learning, problem-based learning, and case-based learning, among others . There is extensive evidence-based pedagogical literature and practical guides readily available for these methods. And you can also find and follow scholars in your discipline that use these and other teaching methods.

Diversifying Your Pedagogy

Convert traditional lectures into interactive (or active) lectures.

For in-person or synchronous online courses, break a traditional lecture into “mini-lectures” of 10-15 minutes in length. After each mini-lecture, ask your students to process their learning using a discussion or problem prompt, a Classroom Assessment Technique (CAT), a Think-Pair-Share, or another brief learning activity. Read Lecturing from Center for Teaching , Vanderbilt University.

Structure small group discussions

Provide both a process and concrete questions or tasks to guide student learning (for example, provide a scenario with 3 focused tasks such as identify the problem, brainstorm possible solutions, and list the pros/cons for each solution). Read How to Hold a Better Class Discussion , The Chronicle of Higher Education .

Integrate active learning

Integrate active learning, especially into courses that are conceptual, theoretical, or otherwise historically challenging (for example, calculus, organic chemistry, statistics, philosophy). For gateway courses, draw upon the research of STEM and other education specialists on how active learning and peer learning improves student learning and reduces disparities. Read the Association of American Universities STEM Network Scholarship .  

Include authentic learning

Include authentic learning, learning activities and assignments that mirror how students will work after graduation. What does it mean to think and work like an engineer? How do project teams work together? How does one present research in an educational social media campaign? Since most students seeking a college education will not become academic researchers or faculty, what kinds of things will they do in the “real world?” Help students practice and hone those skills as they learn the course content. Read Edutopia’s PBL: What Does It Take for a Project to Be Authentic?

Vary assignments and provide options

Graded assignments should range from low to high stakes. Low stakes assignments allow students to learn from their mistakes and receive timely feedback on their learning. Options for assignments allow students to demonstrate their learning, rather than demonstrate their skill at a particular type of assessment (such as a multiple choice exam or an academic research paper). Read our guide, Create Assessments That Promote Learning for All Students .

Critically Assess Your Pedagogy

Critically assessing your pedagogy through the PWI lens with attention to how your pedagogy may affect the learning of BIPOC students is more challenging and highly contextual. Instructors will want to review and apply the concepts and principles discussed in the earlier sections of this guide on Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs), PWI Assumptions, and Class Climate. 

Reflect on patterns

Reflect on patterns of participation, progress in learning (grade distributions), and other course-related evidence. Look at your class sessions and assignments as experimental data. Who participated? What kinds of participation did you observe? Who didn’t participate? Why might that be? Are there a variety of ways for students to participate in the learning activities (individually, in groups, via discussion, via writing, synchronously/in-person, asynchronously/online)?

Respond to feedback on climate

Respond to feedback on climate from on-going check-ins and Critical Incident Questionnaires (CIQs) as discussed in the Climate Section (Ongoing Practices). Students will likely disengage from your requests for feedback if you do not respond to their feedback. Use this feedback to re-calibrate and re-think your pedagogy. 

Seek feedback on student learning

Seek feedback on student learning in the form of Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs), in-class polls, asynchronous forums, exam wrappers, and other methods.  Demonstrate that you care about your students’ learning by responding to this feedback as well. Here’s how students in previous semesters learned this material … I’m scheduling a problem-solving review session in the next class in response to the results of the exam …

Be diplomatic but clear when correcting mistakes and misconceptions

First-generation college students, many of whom may also identify as BIPOC, have typically achieved a great deal with few resources and significant barriers (Yosso 2005). However, they may be more likely to internalize their learning mistakes as signs that they don’t belong at the university. When correcting, be sure to normalize mistakes as part of the learning process. The correct answer is X, but I can see why you thought it was Y. Many students think it is Y because … But the correct answer is X because … Thank you for helping us understand that misconception.

Allow time for students to think and prepare for participation in a non-stressful setting

This was already suggested in the Climate Section (Race Stressors), but it is worth repeating. BIPOC students and multilingual students may need more time to prepare, not because of their intellectual abilities, but because of the effects of race stressors and other stressors increasing their cognitive load. Providing discussion or problem prompts in advance will reduce this stress and make space for learning. Additionally both student populations may experience stereotype threat, so participation in the “public” aspects of the class session may be stressful in ways that are not true for the majority white and domestic students. If you cannot provide prompts in advance, be sure to allow ample individual “think time” during a synchronous class session.

Avoid consensus models or majority rules processes

This was stated in the Climate Section (Teaching Practices to Avoid), but it’s such an entrenched PWI practice that it needs to be spotlighted and challenged. If I am a numerical “minority” and I am asked to come to consensus or agreement with a numerical “majority,” it is highly likely that my perspective will be minimized or dismissed. Or, I will have to expend a lot of energy to persuade my group of the value of my perspective, which is highly stressful. This is an unacceptable burden to put on BIPOC students and also may result in BIPOC students being placed in the position of teaching white students about a particular perspective or experience. The resulting tensions may also damage BIPOC students’ positive relationships with white students and instructors. When suitable for your content, create a learning experience that promotes seeking multiple solutions to problems, cases, or prompts. Rather than asking students to converge on one best recommendation, why not ask students to log all possible solutions (without evaluation) and then to recommend at least two solutions that include a rationale? Moreover, for course content dealing with policies, the recommended solutions could be explained in terms of their possible effects on different communities. If we value diverse perspectives, we need to structure the consideration of those perspectives into our learning activities and assignments. 

We recognize the challenges of assessing your pedagogy through the PWI lens and doing your best to assess the effects on BIPOC student learning. This is a complex undertaking. But we encourage you to invite feedback from your students as well as to seek the guidance of colleagues, including advisors and other student affairs professionals, to inform your ongoing practices of teaching inclusively at a PWI. In the next section, we complete our exploration of the Inclusive Teaching at a PWI Framework by exploring the importance of auditing, diversifying, and critically assessing course content.

Pedagogy References

Kind, Vanessa and Kennedy K.H. Chan. 2019. “Resolving the Amalgam: Connecting Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Content Knowledge and Pedagogical Knowledge.” International Journal of Science Education . 41(7): 964-978.

Howard, Jay. N.D. “How to Hold a Better Class Discussion: Advice Guide.” The Chronicle of Higher Education . https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-to-hold-a-better-class-discussion/#2 

National Research Council. 2000. “How Experts Differ from Novices.” Chap 2 in How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition . Washington D.C.: The National Academies Press. https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9853/how-people-learn-brain-mind-experience-and-school-expanded-edition

Nelson, Craig E. 1996. “Student Diversity Requires Different Approaches to College Teaching, Even in Math and Science.” The American Behavioral Scientist . 40 (2): 165-175.

Sathy, Viji and Kelly A. Hogan. N.D.  “How to Make Your Teaching More Inclusive: Advice Guide.” The Chronicle of Higher Education . https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-to-make-your-teaching-more-inclusive/?cid=gen_sign_in

Yosso, Tara J. 2005. “Whose Culture Has Capital? A Critical Race Theory Discussion of Community Cultural Wealth.” Race, Ethnicity and Education . 8 (1): 69-91.

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Does Homework Really Help Students Learn?

A conversation with a Wheelock researcher, a BU student, and a fourth-grade teacher

child doing homework

“Quality homework is engaging and relevant to kids’ lives,” says Wheelock’s Janine Bempechat. “It gives them autonomy and engages them in the community and with their families. In some subjects, like math, worksheets can be very helpful. It has to do with the value of practicing over and over.” Photo by iStock/Glenn Cook Photography

Do your homework.

If only it were that simple.

Educators have debated the merits of homework since the late 19th century. In recent years, amid concerns of some parents and teachers that children are being stressed out by too much homework, things have only gotten more fraught.

“Homework is complicated,” says developmental psychologist Janine Bempechat, a Wheelock College of Education & Human Development clinical professor. The author of the essay “ The Case for (Quality) Homework—Why It Improves Learning and How Parents Can Help ” in the winter 2019 issue of Education Next , Bempechat has studied how the debate about homework is influencing teacher preparation, parent and student beliefs about learning, and school policies.

She worries especially about socioeconomically disadvantaged students from low-performing schools who, according to research by Bempechat and others, get little or no homework.

BU Today  sat down with Bempechat and Erin Bruce (Wheelock’17,’18), a new fourth-grade teacher at a suburban Boston school, and future teacher freshman Emma Ardizzone (Wheelock) to talk about what quality homework looks like, how it can help children learn, and how schools can equip teachers to design it, evaluate it, and facilitate parents’ role in it.

BU Today: Parents and educators who are against homework in elementary school say there is no research definitively linking it to academic performance for kids in the early grades. You’ve said that they’re missing the point.

Bempechat : I think teachers assign homework in elementary school as a way to help kids develop skills they’ll need when they’re older—to begin to instill a sense of responsibility and to learn planning and organizational skills. That’s what I think is the greatest value of homework—in cultivating beliefs about learning and skills associated with academic success. If we greatly reduce or eliminate homework in elementary school, we deprive kids and parents of opportunities to instill these important learning habits and skills.

We do know that beginning in late middle school, and continuing through high school, there is a strong and positive correlation between homework completion and academic success.

That’s what I think is the greatest value of homework—in cultivating beliefs about learning and skills associated with academic success.

You talk about the importance of quality homework. What is that?

Quality homework is engaging and relevant to kids’ lives. It gives them autonomy and engages them in the community and with their families. In some subjects, like math, worksheets can be very helpful. It has to do with the value of practicing over and over.

Janine Bempechat

What are your concerns about homework and low-income children?

The argument that some people make—that homework “punishes the poor” because lower-income parents may not be as well-equipped as affluent parents to help their children with homework—is very troubling to me. There are no parents who don’t care about their children’s learning. Parents don’t actually have to help with homework completion in order for kids to do well. They can help in other ways—by helping children organize a study space, providing snacks, being there as a support, helping children work in groups with siblings or friends.

Isn’t the discussion about getting rid of homework happening mostly in affluent communities?

Yes, and the stories we hear of kids being stressed out from too much homework—four or five hours of homework a night—are real. That’s problematic for physical and mental health and overall well-being. But the research shows that higher-income students get a lot more homework than lower-income kids.

Teachers may not have as high expectations for lower-income children. Schools should bear responsibility for providing supports for kids to be able to get their homework done—after-school clubs, community support, peer group support. It does kids a disservice when our expectations are lower for them.

The conversation around homework is to some extent a social class and social justice issue. If we eliminate homework for all children because affluent children have too much, we’re really doing a disservice to low-income children. They need the challenge, and every student can rise to the challenge with enough supports in place.

What did you learn by studying how education schools are preparing future teachers to handle homework?

My colleague, Margarita Jimenez-Silva, at the University of California, Davis, School of Education, and I interviewed faculty members at education schools, as well as supervising teachers, to find out how students are being prepared. And it seemed that they weren’t. There didn’t seem to be any readings on the research, or conversations on what high-quality homework is and how to design it.

Erin, what kind of training did you get in handling homework?

Bruce : I had phenomenal professors at Wheelock, but homework just didn’t come up. I did lots of student teaching. I’ve been in classrooms where the teachers didn’t assign any homework, and I’ve been in rooms where they assigned hours of homework a night. But I never even considered homework as something that was my decision. I just thought it was something I’d pull out of a book and it’d be done.

I started giving homework on the first night of school this year. My first assignment was to go home and draw a picture of the room where you do your homework. I want to know if it’s at a table and if there are chairs around it and if mom’s cooking dinner while you’re doing homework.

The second night I asked them to talk to a grown-up about how are you going to be able to get your homework done during the week. The kids really enjoyed it. There’s a running joke that I’m teaching life skills.

Friday nights, I read all my kids’ responses to me on their homework from the week and it’s wonderful. They pour their hearts out. It’s like we’re having a conversation on my couch Friday night.

It matters to know that the teacher cares about you and that what you think matters to the teacher. Homework is a vehicle to connect home and school…for parents to know teachers are welcoming to them and their families.

Bempechat : I can’t imagine that most new teachers would have the intuition Erin had in designing homework the way she did.

Ardizzone : Conversations with kids about homework, feeling you’re being listened to—that’s such a big part of wanting to do homework….I grew up in Westchester County. It was a pretty demanding school district. My junior year English teacher—I loved her—she would give us feedback, have meetings with all of us. She’d say, “If you have any questions, if you have anything you want to talk about, you can talk to me, here are my office hours.” It felt like she actually cared.

Bempechat : It matters to know that the teacher cares about you and that what you think matters to the teacher. Homework is a vehicle to connect home and school…for parents to know teachers are welcoming to them and their families.

Ardizzone : But can’t it lead to parents being overbearing and too involved in their children’s lives as students?

Bempechat : There’s good help and there’s bad help. The bad help is what you’re describing—when parents hover inappropriately, when they micromanage, when they see their children confused and struggling and tell them what to do.

Good help is when parents recognize there’s a struggle going on and instead ask informative questions: “Where do you think you went wrong?” They give hints, or pointers, rather than saying, “You missed this,” or “You didn’t read that.”

Bruce : I hope something comes of this. I hope BU or Wheelock can think of some way to make this a more pressing issue. As a first-year teacher, it was not something I even thought about on the first day of school—until a kid raised his hand and said, “Do we have homework?” It would have been wonderful if I’d had a plan from day one.

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Sara Rimer

Sara Rimer A journalist for more than three decades, Sara Rimer worked at the Miami Herald , Washington Post and, for 26 years, the New York Times , where she was the New England bureau chief, and a national reporter covering education, aging, immigration, and other social justice issues. Her stories on the death penalty’s inequities were nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and cited in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision outlawing the execution of people with intellectual disabilities. Her journalism honors include Columbia University’s Meyer Berger award for in-depth human interest reporting. She holds a BA degree in American Studies from the University of Michigan. Profile

She can be reached at [email protected] .

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There are 81 comments on Does Homework Really Help Students Learn?

Insightful! The values about homework in elementary schools are well aligned with my intuition as a parent.

when i finish my work i do my homework and i sometimes forget what to do because i did not get enough sleep

same omg it does not help me it is stressful and if I have it in more than one class I hate it.

Same I think my parent wants to help me but, she doesn’t care if I get bad grades so I just try my best and my grades are great.

I think that last question about Good help from parents is not know to all parents, we do as our parents did or how we best think it can be done, so maybe coaching parents or giving them resources on how to help with homework would be very beneficial for the parent on how to help and for the teacher to have consistency and improve homework results, and of course for the child. I do see how homework helps reaffirm the knowledge obtained in the classroom, I also have the ability to see progress and it is a time I share with my kids

The answer to the headline question is a no-brainer – a more pressing problem is why there is a difference in how students from different cultures succeed. Perfect example is the student population at BU – why is there a majority population of Asian students and only about 3% black students at BU? In fact at some universities there are law suits by Asians to stop discrimination and quotas against admitting Asian students because the real truth is that as a group they are demonstrating better qualifications for admittance, while at the same time there are quotas and reduced requirements for black students to boost their portion of the student population because as a group they do more poorly in meeting admissions standards – and it is not about the Benjamins. The real problem is that in our PC society no one has the gazuntas to explore this issue as it may reveal that all people are not created equal after all. Or is it just environmental cultural differences??????

I get you have a concern about the issue but that is not even what the point of this article is about. If you have an issue please take this to the site we have and only post your opinion about the actual topic

This is not at all what the article is talking about.

This literally has nothing to do with the article brought up. You should really take your opinions somewhere else before you speak about something that doesn’t make sense.

we have the same name

so they have the same name what of it?

lol you tell her

totally agree

What does that have to do with homework, that is not what the article talks about AT ALL.

Yes, I think homework plays an important role in the development of student life. Through homework, students have to face challenges on a daily basis and they try to solve them quickly.I am an intense online tutor at 24x7homeworkhelp and I give homework to my students at that level in which they handle it easily.

More than two-thirds of students said they used alcohol and drugs, primarily marijuana, to cope with stress.

You know what’s funny? I got this assignment to write an argument for homework about homework and this article was really helpful and understandable, and I also agree with this article’s point of view.

I also got the same task as you! I was looking for some good resources and I found this! I really found this article useful and easy to understand, just like you! ^^

i think that homework is the best thing that a child can have on the school because it help them with their thinking and memory.

I am a child myself and i think homework is a terrific pass time because i can’t play video games during the week. It also helps me set goals.

Homework is not harmful ,but it will if there is too much

I feel like, from a minors point of view that we shouldn’t get homework. Not only is the homework stressful, but it takes us away from relaxing and being social. For example, me and my friends was supposed to hang at the mall last week but we had to postpone it since we all had some sort of work to do. Our minds shouldn’t be focused on finishing an assignment that in realty, doesn’t matter. I completely understand that we should have homework. I have to write a paper on the unimportance of homework so thanks.

homework isn’t that bad

Are you a student? if not then i don’t really think you know how much and how severe todays homework really is

i am a student and i do not enjoy homework because i practice my sport 4 out of the five days we have school for 4 hours and that’s not even counting the commute time or the fact i still have to shower and eat dinner when i get home. its draining!

i totally agree with you. these people are such boomers

why just why

they do make a really good point, i think that there should be a limit though. hours and hours of homework can be really stressful, and the extra work isn’t making a difference to our learning, but i do believe homework should be optional and extra credit. that would make it for students to not have the leaning stress of a assignment and if you have a low grade you you can catch up.

Studies show that homework improves student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend college. Research published in the High School Journal indicates that students who spent between 31 and 90 minutes each day on homework “scored about 40 points higher on the SAT-Mathematics subtest than their peers, who reported spending no time on homework each day, on average.” On both standardized tests and grades, students in classes that were assigned homework outperformed 69% of students who didn’t have homework. A majority of studies on homework’s impact – 64% in one meta-study and 72% in another – showed that take home assignments were effective at improving academic achievement. Research by the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) concluded that increased homework led to better GPAs and higher probability of college attendance for high school boys. In fact, boys who attended college did more than three hours of additional homework per week in high school.

So how are your measuring student achievement? That’s the real question. The argument that doing homework is simply a tool for teaching responsibility isn’t enough for me. We can teach responsibility in a number of ways. Also the poor argument that parents don’t need to help with homework, and that students can do it on their own, is wishful thinking at best. It completely ignores neurodiverse students. Students in poverty aren’t magically going to find a space to do homework, a friend’s or siblings to help them do it, and snacks to eat. I feel like the author of this piece has never set foot in a classroom of students.

THIS. This article is pathetic coming from a university. So intellectually dishonest, refusing to address the havoc of capitalism and poverty plays on academic success in life. How can they in one sentence use poor kids in an argument and never once address that poor children have access to damn near 0 of the resources affluent kids have? Draw me a picture and let’s talk about feelings lmao what a joke is that gonna put food in their belly so they can have the calories to burn in order to use their brain to study? What about quiet their 7 other siblings that they share a single bedroom with for hours? Is it gonna force the single mom to magically be at home and at work at the same time to cook food while you study and be there to throw an encouraging word?

Also the “parents don’t need to be a parent and be able to guide their kid at all academically they just need to exist in the next room” is wild. Its one thing if a parent straight up is not equipped but to say kids can just figured it out is…. wow coming from an educator What’s next the teacher doesn’t need to teach cause the kid can just follow the packet and figure it out?

Well then get a tutor right? Oh wait you are poor only affluent kids can afford a tutor for their hours of homework a day were they on average have none of the worries a poor child does. Does this address that poor children are more likely to also suffer abuse and mental illness? Like mentioned what about kids that can’t learn or comprehend the forced standardized way? Just let em fail? These children regularly are not in “special education”(some of those are a joke in their own and full of neglect and abuse) programs cause most aren’t even acknowledged as having disabilities or disorders.

But yes all and all those pesky poor kids just aren’t being worked hard enough lol pretty sure poor children’s existence just in childhood is more work, stress, and responsibility alone than an affluent child’s entire life cycle. Love they never once talked about the quality of education in the classroom being so bad between the poor and affluent it can qualify as segregation, just basically blamed poor people for being lazy, good job capitalism for failing us once again!

why the hell?

you should feel bad for saying this, this article can be helpful for people who has to write a essay about it

This is more of a political rant than it is about homework

I know a teacher who has told his students their homework is to find something they are interested in, pursue it and then come share what they learn. The student responses are quite compelling. One girl taught herself German so she could talk to her grandfather. One boy did a research project on Nelson Mandela because the teacher had mentioned him in class. Another boy, a both on the autism spectrum, fixed his family’s computer. The list goes on. This is fourth grade. I think students are highly motivated to learn, when we step aside and encourage them.

The whole point of homework is to give the students a chance to use the material that they have been presented with in class. If they never have the opportunity to use that information, and discover that it is actually useful, it will be in one ear and out the other. As a science teacher, it is critical that the students are challenged to use the material they have been presented with, which gives them the opportunity to actually think about it rather than regurgitate “facts”. Well designed homework forces the student to think conceptually, as opposed to regurgitation, which is never a pretty sight

Wonderful discussion. and yes, homework helps in learning and building skills in students.

not true it just causes kids to stress

Homework can be both beneficial and unuseful, if you will. There are students who are gifted in all subjects in school and ones with disabilities. Why should the students who are gifted get the lucky break, whereas the people who have disabilities suffer? The people who were born with this “gift” go through school with ease whereas people with disabilities struggle with the work given to them. I speak from experience because I am one of those students: the ones with disabilities. Homework doesn’t benefit “us”, it only tears us down and put us in an abyss of confusion and stress and hopelessness because we can’t learn as fast as others. Or we can’t handle the amount of work given whereas the gifted students go through it with ease. It just brings us down and makes us feel lost; because no mater what, it feels like we are destined to fail. It feels like we weren’t “cut out” for success.

homework does help

here is the thing though, if a child is shoved in the face with a whole ton of homework that isn’t really even considered homework it is assignments, it’s not helpful. the teacher should make homework more of a fun learning experience rather than something that is dreaded

This article was wonderful, I am going to ask my teachers about extra, or at all giving homework.

I agree. Especially when you have homework before an exam. Which is distasteful as you’ll need that time to study. It doesn’t make any sense, nor does us doing homework really matters as It’s just facts thrown at us.

Homework is too severe and is just too much for students, schools need to decrease the amount of homework. When teachers assign homework they forget that the students have other classes that give them the same amount of homework each day. Students need to work on social skills and life skills.

I disagree.

Beyond achievement, proponents of homework argue that it can have many other beneficial effects. They claim it can help students develop good study habits so they are ready to grow as their cognitive capacities mature. It can help students recognize that learning can occur at home as well as at school. Homework can foster independent learning and responsible character traits. And it can give parents an opportunity to see what’s going on at school and let them express positive attitudes toward achievement.

Homework is helpful because homework helps us by teaching us how to learn a specific topic.

As a student myself, I can say that I have almost never gotten the full 9 hours of recommended sleep time, because of homework. (Now I’m writing an essay on it in the middle of the night D=)

I am a 10 year old kid doing a report about “Is homework good or bad” for homework before i was going to do homework is bad but the sources from this site changed my mind!

Homeowkr is god for stusenrs

I agree with hunter because homework can be so stressful especially with this whole covid thing no one has time for homework and every one just wants to get back to there normal lives it is especially stressful when you go on a 2 week vaca 3 weeks into the new school year and and then less then a week after you come back from the vaca you are out for over a month because of covid and you have no way to get the assignment done and turned in

As great as homework is said to be in the is article, I feel like the viewpoint of the students was left out. Every where I go on the internet researching about this topic it almost always has interviews from teachers, professors, and the like. However isn’t that a little biased? Of course teachers are going to be for homework, they’re not the ones that have to stay up past midnight completing the homework from not just one class, but all of them. I just feel like this site is one-sided and you should include what the students of today think of spending four hours every night completing 6-8 classes worth of work.

Are we talking about homework or practice? Those are two very different things and can result in different outcomes.

Homework is a graded assignment. I do not know of research showing the benefits of graded assignments going home.

Practice; however, can be extremely beneficial, especially if there is some sort of feedback (not a grade but feedback). That feedback can come from the teacher, another student or even an automated grading program.

As a former band director, I assigned daily practice. I never once thought it would be appropriate for me to require the students to turn in a recording of their practice for me to grade. Instead, I had in-class assignments/assessments that were graded and directly related to the practice assigned.

I would really like to read articles on “homework” that truly distinguish between the two.

oof i feel bad good luck!

thank you guys for the artical because I have to finish an assingment. yes i did cite it but just thanks

thx for the article guys.

Homework is good

I think homework is helpful AND harmful. Sometimes u can’t get sleep bc of homework but it helps u practice for school too so idk.

I agree with this Article. And does anyone know when this was published. I would like to know.

It was published FEb 19, 2019.

Studies have shown that homework improved student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend college.

i think homework can help kids but at the same time not help kids

This article is so out of touch with majority of homes it would be laughable if it wasn’t so incredibly sad.

There is no value to homework all it does is add stress to already stressed homes. Parents or adults magically having the time or energy to shepherd kids through homework is dome sort of 1950’s fantasy.

What lala land do these teachers live in?

Homework gives noting to the kid

Homework is Bad

homework is bad.

why do kids even have homework?

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Is Homework a Waste of Time? Teachers Weigh In

teaching pedagogy homework

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The debate over homework rages on.

In response to an Opinion essay by a teacher titled “ What Do You Mean My Kid Doesn’t Have Homework? ”, many Facebook users took to the comments section to voice their perspectives on whether assigning homework is outdated and unnecessary—especially during a pandemic—or whether it’s a critical step to cultivating learning.

The benefits of homework have long been disputed, especially at the elementary school level. In 2018, Marva Hinton wrote about how homework was assigned at early grades and the potential effects on these young students. Some schools embraced homework, like Arlington Traditional School, a countywide elementary school in Arlington, Va., where kindergartners were expected to complete a minimum of 30 minutes of homework a night, Monday through Thursday. But some teachers such as Cathy Vatterott, a professor of education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and the author of Rethinking Homework worried that adjusting to school routines combined with homework could sour young students on school.

But what about the benefits for older students? In a 2019 article , Education Week Assistant Editor Stephen Sawchuk unpacked the results of a Center for American Progress analysis, which found that while much of the homework assigned to the students in the study aligned with the Common Core State Standards, it did not contribute to building more difficult skills called for in the standards, like analyzing or extending their knowledge to new problems.

Beyond considering the efficacy of homework, the debate over how much time students should spend daily on take-home assignments dates back to the early 1900s. The public furor even led some state lawmakers to ban homework entirely at one point. Multiple studies over the years have examined different angles of the homework debate, including just how much homework students were assigned. In 2003, a pair of national studies found that most American students spent less than an hour daily on homework, and the workload was no bigger than it was 50 years prior.

“There is this view in the popular media that there has been this terrible burden of homework on children, and that the homework is increasing,” said Tom Loveless, the director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution to Education Week’s Debra Viadero in a 2003 article . “That is not the case.”

Fast-forward to the present, teachers and students alike might find themselves at another crossroads in the homework debate. The pandemic brought with it the advent of strategies like “flipped learning” , which relies heavily on homework as an integral component of the lesson. While this might work for some, many students grew weary of the reliance on homework during remote and hybrid learning. This is on top of the potential equity issues arising from lack of internet access affecting students’ ability to complete the steady stream of homework being assigned, and the uptick in mental health issues in students .

So what do teachers really think about homework? Here’s what they had to say in response to the recently resurfaced essay by Samantha Hulsman.

A Disconnect Between Parents and Educators

“i teach 1st grade. i had parents ask for homework. i explained that i don’t give homework. home time is family time. time to play, cook, explore and spend time together. i do send books home, but there is no requirement or checklist for reading them. read them, enjoy them, and return them when your child is ready for more. i explained that as a parent myself, i know they are busy—and what a waste of energy it is to sit and force their kids to do work at home—when they could use that time to form relationships and build a loving home. something kids need more than a few math problems a week.”.

- Colleen S.

“I tried the ‘no homework’ policy one year and received so much pushback from my parents that I began sending home a weekly packet. I pass it out on Monday and it is due on Friday. Parents [are] happy, I’m happy, and life goes on. I say pick your battles. Now, I refuse to give packets over school breaks (winter/spring). If a parent asks, I simply tell them to have them work on any app that we use in class.”

“i literally only assign homework because some parents always make a huge deal of it if i don’t.”, “parents are the driving force behind homework ... they demand it and will complain about not receiving it even after explaining your philosophy of education and providing them with pedagogy that refutes the ‘benefits’ of it.”, homework can be useful for certain subjects or grades, “as a teacher of nearly 40 years, i believe homework has its place. especially in math math needs to be practiced to learn it. i don’t believe in giving homework just because. i think it should be purposeful.”.

- Sandra S.

“For those leading the charge against homework, please think about the expectation for students beyond your classroom. If you teach elementary school, will they be asked to do homework in middle school, high school, and beyond? If so, organization, time management, and study skills are not so easily learned at a later age, when the expectation has never been present. I can’t imagine being a student, who enters college, having never had the expectation of nightly HW.”

- Bobbie M.

Is Homework Actually Helpful for Learning?

Some agree that at its core, homework is practice, which is a needed element to achieving learning.

“Homework is practice. Practice the skills we learned about in class so we can review and add to them. My instrumental students are required to practice every day. When they don’t it’s evident.”

Others aren’t as convinced it’s actually a good tool for assessing comprehension.

“As a teacher, if the kids were assigned homework, guess when the papers were graded ... After discovering a Mom had been doing the homework and was making failing grades ... I gave it up ... taught 25 years without it and my students did much better ...”

- Martha H.

Heightens Equity Issues

“no homework ever it is unnecessary it is so elitist and ableist and teaches kids that it is expected to take work home after hours of a job. nope never”, “homework just further separates the students. those who have parents home who understand the work, or can afford a tutor will do so. families already struggling financially tend not to have parents home to help and cannot afford tutors.”.

- Rebecca J.

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Designing Effective Homework

Best practices for creating homework that raises student achievement

Claire Rivero

Homework. It can be challenging…and not just for students. For teachers, designing homework can be a daunting task with lots of unanswered questions: How much should I assign? What type of content should I cover? Why aren’t students doing the work I assign? Homework can be a powerful opportunity to reinforce the Shifts in your instruction and promote standards-aligned learning, but how do we avoid the pitfalls that make key learning opportunities sources of stress and antipathy?

The nonprofit Instruction Partners recently set out to answer some of these questions, looking at what research says about what works when it comes to homework. You can view their original presentation here , but I’ve summarized some of the key findings you can put to use with your students immediately.

Does homework help?

Consistent homework completion has been shown to increase student achievement rates—but frequency matters. Students who are given homework regularly show greater gains than those who only receive homework sporadically. Researchers hypothesize that this is due to improved study skills and routines practiced through homework that allow students to perform better academically.

Average gains on unit tests for students who completed homework were six percentile points in grades 4–6, 12 percentile points in grades 7–9, and an impressive 24 percentile points in grades 10–12; so yes, homework (done well) does work. [i]

What should homework cover?

While there is little research about exactly what types of homework content lead to the biggest achievement gains, there are some general rules of thumb about how homework should change gradually over time.

In grades 1–5, homework should:

  • Reinforce and allow students to practice skills learned in the classroom
  • Help students develop good study habits and routines
  • Foster positive feelings about school

In grades 6–12, homework should:

  • Prepare students for engagement and discussion during the next lesson
  • Allow students to apply their skills in new and more challenging ways

The most often-heard criticism of homework assignments is that they simply take too long. So how much homework should you assign in order to see results for students? Not surprisingly, it varies by grade. Assign 10-20 minutes of homework per night total, starting in first grade, and then add 10 minutes for each additional grade. [ii] Doing more can result in student stress, frustration, and disengagement, particularly in the early grades.

Why are some students not doing the homework?

There are any number of reasons why students may not complete homework, from lack of motivation to lack of content knowledge, but one issue to watch out for as a teacher is the impact of economic disparities on the ability to complete homework.

Multiple studies [iii] have shown that low-income students complete homework less often than students who come from wealthier families. This can lead to increased achievement gaps between students. Students from low-income families may face additional challenges when it comes to completing homework such as lack of access to the internet, lack of access to outside tutors or assistance, and additional jobs or family responsibilities.

While you can’t erase these challenges for your students, you can design homework that takes those issues into account by creating homework that can be done offline, independently, and in a reasonable timeframe. With those design principles in mind, you increase the opportunity for all your students to complete and benefit from the homework you assign.

The Big Picture

Perhaps most importantly, students benefit from receiving feedback from you, their teacher, on their assignments. Praise or rewards simply for homework completion have little effect on student achievement, but feedback that helps them improve or reinforces strong performance does. Consider keeping this mini-table handy as you design homework:

The act of assigning homework doesn’t automatically raise student achievement, so be a critical consumer of the homework products that come as part of your curriculum. If they assign too much (or too little!) work or reflect some of these common pitfalls, take action to make assignments that better serve your students.

[i] Cooper, H. (2007). The battle over homework (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

[ii] Cooper, H. (1989a). Homework .White Plains, NY: Longman.

[iii] Horrigan, T. (2015). The numbers behind the broadband ‘homework gap’ http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/04/20/the-numbers-behind-the-broadband-homework-gap/ and Miami Dade Public Schools. (2009). Literature Review: Homework. http://drs.dadeschools.net/LiteratureReviews/Homework.pdf

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About the Author: Claire Rivero is the Digital Strategy Manager for Student Achievement Partners. Claire leads the organization’s communications and digital promotion work across various channels including email, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, always seeking new ways to reach educators. She also manages Achieve the Core’s blog, Aligned. Prior to joining Student Achievement Partners, Claire worked in the Communications department for the American Red Cross and as a literacy instructor in a London pilot program. Claire holds bachelor’s degrees in English and Public Policy from Duke University and a master’s degree in Social Policy (with a concentration on Education Policy) from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

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  • Vol. 19, No. 1

The Case for (Quality) Homework

teaching pedagogy homework

Janine Bempechat

teaching pedagogy homework

Any parent who has battled with a child over homework night after night has to wonder: Do those math worksheets and book reports really make a difference to a student’s long-term success? Or is homework just a headache—another distraction from family time and downtime, already diminished by the likes of music and dance lessons, sports practices, and part-time jobs?

Allison, a mother of two middle-school girls from an affluent Boston suburb, describes a frenetic afterschool scenario: “My girls do gymnastics a few days a week, so homework happens for my 6th grader after gymnastics, at 6:30 p.m. She doesn’t get to bed until 9. My 8th grader does her homework immediately after school, up until gymnastics. She eats dinner at 9:15 and then goes to bed, unless there is more homework to do, in which case she’ll get to bed around 10.” The girls miss out on sleep, and weeknight family dinners are tough to swing.

Parental concerns about their children’s homework loads are nothing new. Debates over the merits of homework—tasks that teachers ask students to complete during non-instructional time—have ebbed and flowed since the late 19th century, and today its value is again being scrutinized and weighed against possible negative impacts on family life and children’s well-being.

Are American students overburdened with homework? In some middle-class and affluent communities, where pressure on students to achieve can be fierce, yes. But in families of limited means, it’s often another story. Many low-income parents value homework as an important connection to the school and the curriculum—even as their children report receiving little homework. Overall, high-school students relate that they spend less than one hour per day on homework, on average, and only 42 percent say they do it five days per week. In one recent survey by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a minimal 13 percent of 17-year-olds said they had devoted more than two hours to homework the previous evening (see Figure 1).

teaching pedagogy homework

Recent years have seen an increase in the amount of homework assigned to students in grades K–2, and critics point to research findings that, at the elementary-school level, homework does not appear to enhance children’s learning. Why, then, should we burden young children and their families with homework if there is no academic benefit to doing it? Indeed, perhaps it would be best, as some propose, to eliminate homework altogether, particularly in these early grades.

On the contrary, developmentally appropriate homework plays a critical role in the formation of positive learning beliefs and behaviors, including a belief in one’s academic ability, a deliberative and effortful approach to mastery, and higher expectations and aspirations for one’s future. It can prepare children to confront ever-more-complex tasks, develop resilience in the face of difficulty, and learn to embrace rather than shy away from challenge. In short, homework is a key vehicle through which we can help shape children into mature learners.

The Homework-Achievement Connection

A narrow focus on whether or not homework boosts grades and test scores in the short run thus ignores a broader purpose in education, the development of lifelong, confident learners. Still, the question looms: does homework enhance academic success? As the educational psychologist Lyn Corno wrote more than two decades ago, “homework is a complicated thing.” Most research on the homework-achievement connection is correlational, which precludes a definitive judgment on its academic benefits. Researchers rely on correlational research in this area of study given the difficulties of randomly assigning students to homework/no-homework conditions. While correlation does not imply causality, extensive research has established that at the middle- and high-school levels, homework completion is strongly and positively associated with high achievement. Very few studies have reported a negative correlation.

As noted above, findings on the homework-achievement connection at the elementary level are mixed. A small number of experimental studies have demonstrated that elementary-school students who receive homework achieve at higher levels than those who do not. These findings suggest a causal relationship, but they are limited in scope. Within the body of correlational research, some studies report a positive homework-achievement connection, some a negative relationship, and yet others show no relationship at all. Why the mixed findings? Researchers point to a number of possible factors, such as developmental issues related to how young children learn, different goals that teachers have for younger as compared to older students, and how researchers define homework.

Certainly, young children are still developing skills that enable them to focus on the material at hand and study efficiently. Teachers’ goals for their students are also quite different in elementary school as compared to secondary school. While teachers at both levels note the value of homework for reinforcing classroom content, those in the earlier grades are more likely to assign homework mainly to foster skills such as responsibility, perseverance, and the ability to manage distractions.

Most research examines homework generally. Might a focus on homework in a specific subject shed more light on the homework-achievement connection? A recent meta-analysis did just this by examining the relationship between math/science homework and achievement. Contrary to previous findings, researchers reported a stronger relationship between homework and achievement in the elementary grades than in middle school. As the study authors note, one explanation for this finding could be that in elementary school, teachers tend to assign more homework in math than in other subjects, while at the same time assigning shorter math tasks more frequently. In addition, the authors point out that parents tend to be more involved in younger children’s math homework and more skilled in elementary-level than middle-school math.

In sum, the relationship between homework and academic achievement in the elementary-school years is not yet established, but eliminating homework at this level would do children and their families a huge disservice: we know that children’s learning beliefs have a powerful impact on their academic outcomes, and that through homework, parents and teachers can have a profound influence on the development of positive beliefs.

How Much Is Appropriate?

Harris M. Cooper of Duke University, the leading researcher on homework, has examined decades of study on what we know about the relationship between homework and scholastic achievement. He has proposed the “10-minute rule,” suggesting that daily homework be limited to 10 minutes per grade level. Thus, a 1st grader would do 10 minutes each day and a 4th grader, 40 minutes. The National Parent Teacher Association and the National Education Association both endorse this guideline, but it is not clear whether the recommended allotments include time for reading, which most teachers want children to do daily.

For middle-school students, Cooper and colleagues report that 90 minutes per day of homework is optimal for enhancing academic achievement, and for high schoolers, the ideal range is 90 minutes to two and a half hours per day. Beyond this threshold, more homework does not contribute to learning. For students enrolled in demanding Advanced Placement or honors courses, however, homework is likely to require significantly more time, leading to concerns over students’ health and well-being.

Notwithstanding media reports of parents revolting against the practice of homework, the vast majority of parents say they are highly satisfied with their children’s homework loads. The National Household Education Surveys Program recently found that between 70 and 83 percent of parents believed that the amount of homework their children had was “about right,” a result that held true regardless of social class, race/ethnicity, community size, level of education, and whether English was spoken at home.

Learning Beliefs Are Consequential

As noted above, developmentally appropriate homework can help children cultivate positive beliefs about learning. Decades of research have established that these beliefs predict the types of tasks students choose to pursue, their persistence in the face of challenge, and their academic achievement. Broadly, learning beliefs fall under the banner of achievement motivation, which is a constellation of cognitive, behavioral, and affective factors, including: the way a person perceives his or her abilities, goal-setting skills, expectation of success, the value the individual places on learning, and self-regulating behavior such as time-management skills. Positive or adaptive beliefs about learning serve as emotional and psychological protective factors for children, especially when they encounter difficulties or failure.

Motivation researcher Carol Dweck of Stanford University posits that children with a “growth mindset”—those who believe that ability is malleable—approach learning very differently than those with a “fixed mindset”—kids who believe ability cannot change. Those with a growth mindset view effort as the key to mastery. They see mistakes as helpful, persist even in the face of failure, prefer challenging over easy tasks, and do better in school than their peers who have a fixed mindset. In contrast, children with a fixed mindset view effort and mistakes as implicit condemnations of their abilities. Such children succumb easily to learned helplessness in the face of difficulty, and they gravitate toward tasks they know they can handle rather than more challenging ones.

Of course, learning beliefs do not develop in a vacuum. Studies have demonstrated that parents and teachers play a significant role in the development of positive beliefs and behaviors, and that homework is a key tool they can use to foster motivation and academic achievement.

Parents’ Beliefs and Actions Matter

It is well established that parental involvement in their children’s education promotes achievement motivation and success in school. Parents are their children’s first teachers, and their achievement-related beliefs have a profound influence on children’s developing perceptions of their own abilities, as well as their views on the value of learning and education.

Parents affect their children’s learning through the messages they send about education, whether by expressing interest in school activities and experiences, attending school events, helping with homework when they can, or exposing children to intellectually enriching experiences. Most parents view such engagement as part and parcel of their role. They also believe that doing homework fosters responsibility and organizational skills, and that doing well on homework tasks contributes to learning, even if children experience frustration from time to time.

Many parents provide support by establishing homework routines, eliminating distractions, communicating expectations, helping children manage their time, providing reassuring messages, and encouraging kids to be aware of the conditions under which they do their best work. These supports help foster the development of self-regulation, which is critical to school success.

Self-regulation involves a number of skills, such as the ability to monitor one’s performance and adjust strategies as a result of feedback; to evaluate one’s interests and realistically perceive one’s aptitude; and to work on a task autonomously. It also means learning how to structure one’s environment so that it’s conducive to learning, by, for example, minimizing distractions. As children move into higher grades, these skills and strategies help them organize, plan, and learn independently. This is precisely where parents make a demonstrable difference in students’ attitudes and approaches to homework.

Especially in the early grades, homework gives parents the opportunity to cultivate beliefs and behaviors that foster efficient study skills and academic resilience. Indeed, across age groups, there is a strong and positive relationship between homework completion and a variety of self-regulatory processes. However, the quality of parental help matters. Sometimes, well-intentioned parents can unwittingly undermine the development of children’s positive learning beliefs and their achievement. Parents who maintain a positive outlook on homework and allow their children room to learn and struggle on their own, stepping in judiciously with informational feedback and hints, do their children a much better service than those who seek to control the learning process.

A recent study of 5th and 6th graders’ perceptions of their parents’ involvement with homework distinguished between supportive and intrusive help. The former included the belief that parents encouraged the children to try to find the right answer on their own before providing them with assistance, and when the child struggled, attempted to understand the source of the confusion. In contrast, the latter included the perception that parents provided unsolicited help, interfered when the children did their homework, and told them how to complete their assignments. Supportive help predicted higher achievement, while intrusive help was associated with lower achievement.

Parents’ attitudes and emotions during homework time can support the development of positive attitudes and approaches in their children, which in turn are predictive of higher achievement. Children are more likely to focus on self-improvement during homework time and do better in school when their parents are oriented toward mastery. In contrast, if parents focus on how well children are doing relative to peers, kids tend to adopt learning goals that allow them to avoid challenge.

teaching pedagogy homework

Homework and Social Class

Social class is another important element in the homework dynamic. What is the homework experience like for families with limited time and resources? And what of affluent families, where resources are plenty but the pressures to succeed are great?

Etta Kralovec and John Buell, authors of The End of Homework, maintain that homework “punishes the poor,” because lower-income parents may not be as well educated as their affluent counterparts and thus not as well equipped to help with homework. Poorer families also have fewer financial resources to devote to home computers, tutoring, and academic enrichment. The stresses of poverty—and work schedules—may impinge, and immigrant parents may face language barriers and an unfamiliarity with the school system and teachers’ expectations.

Yet research shows that low-income parents who are unable to assist with homework are far from passive in their children’s learning, and they do help foster scholastic performance. In fact, parental help with homework is not a necessary component for school success.

Brown University’s Jin Li queried low-income Chinese American 9th graders’ perceptions of their parents’ engagement with their education. Students said their immigrant parents rarely engaged in activities that are known to foster academic achievement, such as monitoring homework, checking it for accuracy, or attending school meetings or events. Instead, parents of higher achievers built three social networks to support their children’s learning. They designated “anchor” helpers both inside and outside the family who provided assistance; identified peer models for their children to emulate; and enlisted the assistance of extended kin to guide their children’s educational socialization. In a related vein, a recent analysis of survey data showed that Asian and Latino 5th graders, relative to native-born peers, were more likely to turn to siblings than parents for homework help.

Further, research demonstrates that low-income parents, recognizing that they lack the time to be in the classroom or participate in school governance, view homework as a critical connection to their children’s experiences in school. One study found that mothers enjoyed the routine and predictability of homework and used it as a way to demonstrate to children how to plan their time. Mothers organized homework as a family activity, with siblings doing homework together and older children reading to younger ones. In this way, homework was perceived as a collective practice wherein siblings could model effective habits and learn from one another.

In another recent study, researchers examined mathematics achievement in low-income 8th-grade Asian and Latino students. Help with homework was an advantage their mothers could not provide. They could, however, furnish structure (for example, by setting aside quiet time for homework completion), and it was this structure that most predicted high achievement. As the authors note, “It is . . . important to help [low-income] parents realize that they can still help their children get good grades in mathematics and succeed in school even if they do not know how to provide direct assistance with their child’s mathematics homework.”

The homework narrative at the other end of the socioeconomic continuum is altogether different. Media reports abound with examples of students, mostly in high school, carrying three or more hours of homework per night, a burden that can impair learning, motivation, and well-being. In affluent communities, students often experience intense pressure to cultivate a high-achieving profile that will be attractive to elite colleges. Heavy homework loads have been linked to unhealthy symptoms such as heightened stress, anxiety, physical complaints, and sleep disturbances. Like Allison’s 6th grader mentioned earlier, many students can only tackle their homework after they do extracurricular activities, which are also seen as essential for the college résumé. Not surprisingly, many students in these communities are not deeply engaged in learning; rather, they speak of “doing school,” as Stanford researcher Denise Pope has described, going through the motions necessary to excel, and undermining their physical and mental health in the process.

Fortunately, some national intervention initiatives, such as Challenge Success (co-founded by Pope), are heightening awareness of these problems. Interventions aimed at restoring balance in students’ lives (in part, by reducing homework demands) have resulted in students reporting an increased sense of well-being, decreased stress and anxiety, and perceptions of greater support from teachers, with no decrease in achievement outcomes.

What is good for this small segment of students, however, is not necessarily good for the majority. As Jessica Lahey wrote in Motherlode, a New York Times parenting blog, “homework is a red herring” in the national conversation on education. “Some otherwise privileged children may have too much, but the real issue lies in places where there is too little. . . . We shouldn’t forget that.”

My colleagues and I analyzed interviews conducted with lower-income 9th graders (African American, Mexican American, and European American) from two Northern California high schools that at the time were among the lowest-achieving schools in the state. We found that these students consistently described receiving minimal homework—perhaps one or two worksheets or textbook pages, the occasional project, and 30 minutes of reading per night. Math was the only class in which they reported having homework each night. These students noted few consequences for not completing their homework.

Indeed, greatly reducing or eliminating homework would likely increase, not diminish, the achievement gap. As Harris M. Cooper has commented, those choosing to opt their children out of homework are operating from a place of advantage. Children in higher-income families benefit from many privileges, including exposure to a larger range of language at home that may align with the language of school, access to learning and cultural experiences, and many other forms of enrichment, such as tutoring and academic summer camps, all of which may be cost-prohibitive for lower-income families. But for the 21 percent of the school-age population who live in poverty—nearly 11 million students ages 5–17—homework is one tool that can help narrow the achievement gap.

Community and School Support

Often, community organizations and afterschool programs can step up to provide structure and services that students’ need to succeed at homework. For example, Boys and Girls and 4-H clubs offer volunteer tutors as well as access to computer technology that students may not have at home. Many schools provide homework clubs or integrate homework into the afterschool program.

Home-school partnerships have succeeded in engaging parents with homework and significantly improving their children’s academic achievement. For example, Joyce Epstein of Johns Hopkins University has developed the TIPS model (Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork), which embraces homework as an integral part of family time. TIPS is a teacher-designed interactive program in which children and a parent or family member each have a specific role in the homework scenario. For example, children might show the parent how to do a mathematics task on fractions, explaining their reasoning along the way and reviewing their thinking aloud if they are unsure.

Evaluations show that elementary and middle-school students in classrooms that have adopted TIPS complete more of their homework than do students in other classrooms. Both students and parent participants show more positive beliefs about learning mathematics, and TIPS students show significant gains in writing skills and report-card science grades, as well as higher mathematics scores on standardized tests.

Another study found that asking teachers to send text messages to parents about their children’s missing homework resulted in increased parental monitoring of homework, consequences for missed assignments, and greater participation in parent-child conferences. Teachers reported fewer missed assignments and greater student effort in coursework, and math grades and GPA significantly improved.

Homework Quality Matters

Teachers favor homework for a number of reasons. They believe it fosters a sense of responsibility and promotes academic achievement. They note that homework provides valuable review and practice for students while giving teachers feedback on areas where students may need more support. Finally, teachers value homework as a way to keep parents connected to the school and their children’s educational experiences.

While students, to say the least, may not always relish the idea of doing homework, by high school most come to believe there is a positive relationship between doing homework and doing well in school. Both higher and lower achievers lament “busywork” that doesn’t promote learning. They crave high-quality, challenging assignments—and it is this kind of homework that has been associated with higher achievement.

What constitutes high-quality homework? Assignments that are developmentally appropriate and meaningful and that promote self-efficacy and self-regulation. Meaningful homework is authentic, allowing students to engage in solving problems with real-world relevance. More specifically, homework tasks should make efficient use of student time and have a clear purpose connected to what they are learning. An artistic rendition of a period in history that would take hours to complete can become instead a diary entry in the voice of an individual from that era. By allowing a measure of choice and autonomy in homework, teachers foster in their students a sense of ownership, which bolsters their investment in the work.

High-quality homework also fosters students’ perceptions of their own competence by 1) focusing them on tasks they can accomplish without help; 2) differentiating tasks so as to allow struggling students to experience success; 3) providing suggested time frames rather than a fixed period of time in which a task should be completed; 4) delivering clearly and carefully explained directions; and 5) carefully modeling methods for attacking lengthy or complex tasks. Students whose teachers have trained them to adopt strategies such as goal setting, self-monitoring, and planning develop a number of personal assets—improved time management, increased self-efficacy, greater effort and interest, a desire for mastery, and a decrease in helplessness.

teaching pedagogy homework

Excellence with Equity

Currently, the United States has the second-highest disparity between time spent on homework by students of low socioeconomic status and time spent by their more-affluent peers out of the 34 OECD-member nations participating in the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) (see Figure 2). Noting that PISA studies have consistently found that spending more time on math homework strongly correlates with higher academic achievement, the report’s authors suggest that the homework disparity may reflect lower teacher expectations for low-income students. If so, this is truly unfortunate. In and of itself, low socioeconomic status is not an impediment to academic achievement when appropriate parental, school, and community supports are deployed. As research makes clear, low-income parents support their children’s learning in varied ways, not all of which involve direct assistance with schoolwork. Teachers can orient students and parents toward beliefs that foster positive attitudes toward learning. Indeed, where homework is concerned, a commitment to excellence with equity is both worthwhile and attainable.

In affluent communities, parents, teachers, and school districts might consider reexamining the meaning of academic excellence and placing more emphasis on leading a balanced and well-rounded life. The homework debate in the United States has been dominated by concerns over the health and well-being of such advantaged students. As legitimate as these worries are, it’s important to avoid generalizing these children’s experiences to those with fewer family resources. Reducing or eliminating homework, though it may be desirable in some advantaged communities, would deprive poorer children of a crucial and empowering learning experience. It would also eradicate a fertile opportunity to help close the achievement gap.

Janine Bempechat is clinical professor of human development at the Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development.

An unabridged version of this article is available here .

For more, please see “ The Top 20 Education Next Articles of 2023 .”

This article appeared in the Winter 2019 issue of Education Next . Suggested citation format:

Bempechat, J. (2019). The Case for (Quality) Homework: Why it improves learning, and how parents can help . Education Next, 19 (1), 36-43.

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List of 107 Classroom Teaching Strategies (With Examples)

teaching strategies definition and examples, detailed below

Use this list of 107 classroom teaching strategies for your lesson plan or teaching portfolio. This can help demonstrate pedagogical knowledge and the ability to apply theory to practice.

Or, try some of these strategies out when you’re low on ideas and looking for a fresh way to teach in the classroom. Note that these are just some examples of teaching strategies – I’m sure there are even more out there!

Tip: Bookmark this page so you can come back to it every time you need some new teaching strategies!

Teaching Strategies Examples (List)

1. flipped instruction.

Description

Flipped classrooms involve asking students to complete the reading, preparation and introductory work at home. Then, during class time, the students do practice questions that they would traditionally do for homework.

  • Flipped instruction enables the teacher to offload the direct instruction elements of education like Introductions to homework. This enables teachers to spend more time on student-centered differentiated support .
  • Students may not complete their assigned pre-class homework, which will undermine the lesson.

Theoretical Link

Social Constructivism / Socio-Cultural Theory : The teacher can spend more time supporting students in a student-centered environment.

  • Assign a video introducing a concept for homework.
  • Spend the first 10 minutes of the lesson assessing students’ comprehension of the video
  • Jump straight into student-centered practice tasks
  • Walk around the class helping students who need additional support for the rest of the lesson

See my full article on Flipped Classrooms Pros and Cons.

Related Article: 25 Teaching Styles Examples

2. Play-based learning

Students learn cognitive, social, and physical skills during play tasks. Tasks can be teacher-led with specific goals (e.g. volume transfer in a sandpit) or unstructured student-led play.

  • Engagement: students may be more engaged during active play-based learning compared to teacher-centered instruction.
  • Cognition : students get the opportunity to learn through discovery and trial-and-error, helping to build neural pathways
  • Social: students play together, developing communication, groupwork, and negotiation skills.
  • Physical: play engages fine and gross motor functions , helping to improve physical abilities.
  • Many traditionalist, including many parents and potentially your head teacher, may consider play to have no educational or academic benefit.
  • Parents may frown upon this method for older students, despite its benefits across age groups.
  • Many people consider that the risks of injury during play-based learning are too high.

( Read More: Pros and Cons of Play Based Learning )

Social Constructivism. Students learn through social interaction and building knowledge in their minds through trial and error.

Play is also encouraged in all 5 Contemporary Early Childhood Perspectives (Froebel, Reggio Emilia, Forest Schools , Steiner-Waldorf Schools, and Montessori).

  • Use modelled instruction to show students how to play with developmentally appropriate resource-rich toys and puzzles. Consider puzzles that require mathematical skills that link to current curriculum outcomes.
  • Provide students with the puzzles and allow free unstructured play time
  • Mingle with the students, helping them with prompting and guiding questions
  • End the lesson with a whole group discussion of what they learned during the lesson.

See my full article on Play Based Learning Pros and Cons .

3. Project-based learning (PBL)

Project-based learning requires students to spend an extended period of time (e.g. a week or more) on a single project to gain in-depth knowledge about the task. The projects should be personally meaningful and give students freedom to go in-depth on areas of interest.

  • Students have the opportunity to become ‘experts’ on topics. By going deep on a topic, students may become very knowledgeable and feel empowered.
  • A balance is struck between ensuring students focus on curriculum-linked projects and giving students the freedom to explore the details of a topic that are of personal interest.
  • Students tend to have increased freedom using this approach. So, students need to learn self-regulation skills before beginning the task.

Constructivism in the Classroom : Students work independently using their own intellect and resources to learn. By doing personal research, students ‘construct’ knowledge in their minds and apply that knowledge to the project to demonstrate their knowledge.

  • Teacher assigns students a research question, such as “What are the key characteristics of mammals?”
  • Students work in small groups to come up with an idea for a poster, diagram, or presentation project on the topic.
  • Teacher approves or asks for amendments of students’ proposed projects.
  • Students are provided a series of lessons over a 2-week period in computer labs and in resource-rich classrooms to complete their project.
  • Teacher checks-in intermittently to ensure standards are upheld and to stimulate students to improve upon their projects.
  • The project concludes with students presenting their project to their parents.

4. Authentic Learning

Authentic learning involves having students learn about concepts in real-life (or near real-life) environments. Similarly, authentic assessment refers to assessments in real-life (or near real-life) environments

  • By learning a task within its context, a student will understand its value for them outside of the classroom.
  • Engagement: students may be more engaged in a task if they understand its practical application rather than just its theoretical purpose.
  • Cognition and Memory: Students may find it easier to recall information if they can reflect on an instance in which they applied the knowledge to a real-life task.
  • Authentic learning tasks are difficult to set-up from within a classroom.
  • It is debatable whether so-called ‘authentic’ environments are genuinely authentic. A mock supermarket experience for practicing counting money, for example, lacks the potential for environmental distractions of a real-life situation.
  • Some information is by its very nature academic and theoretical rather than practical, and this information is still of value to students.

Constructivism: Authentic learning environments are designed for students to be active learners who ‘construct’ knowledge through personal experience.

  • An ESL teacher provides students with a set of conversational tasks to complete during a day’s field trip to the city.
  • Students complete the tasks in the ‘real world’ by walking around the city asking for directions, buying lunch, etc.
  • Class comes together at the end of the day to discuss and reflect on their experiences of applying their knowledge in the ‘real world’.

5. Discovery Learning

Discovery learning involves allowing students maximum freedom within a resource-rich environment to ‘discover’ answers to challenges. It requires students to build upon prior knowledge and use resources available in the environment to increase their own knowledge.

Discovery learning is often held in contrast to teacher-centered approaches, as students are not ‘told’ information; instead, they must discover knowledge for themselves..

  • Students generate knowledge for themselves rather than being told what is right and wrong.
  • By discovering truths, students will have a firmer understanding for the reasoning behind why something is true.
  • Too much student freedom may distract students from the learning outcomes.
  • This can be a time-consuming technique as students discover information at their own pace. It can therefore be difficult to implement in education systems that are packed with curriculum outcomes that must be met.

Construcitivism: Students generate their own knowledge through engagement with their environment rather than having truths ‘told’ to them by an authority figure.

  • Teacher places the appropriate resources in the classroom to allow students to discover truths themselves. These resources may include science experiment stations, newspaper articles, etc.
  • Teacher transparently presents the lesson objectives to the students, i.e. “What is heavier – sand or water?”
  • Students are given minimal guidance, but sent to the learning stations to try to answer the prompt themselves.
  • Teacher provides minimal guidance, recognizing that making mistakes and trying the ‘wrong thing’ is also a part of the discovery experience.
  • Students get together at the end of the class to discuss what they ‘discovered’.

6. High Expectations

Setting high expectation involves requiring students to put in maximum effort during their lessons. HIgh expectations does not mean expecting all students to meet a certain standard. Rather, it means expecting each student to try to beat their own personal best.

  • High expectations are necessary to ensure students continue to strive for improvement. Without high expectations in the classroom, students can become lazy and lose respect for education.
  • Teachers need to be aware that sometimes students have ‘off days’ where they cannot succeed at their normal level. This may be due to health, hunger, or environmental factors .
  • Teachers need to balance high expectations with compassion for their students. Try not to let burnout occur due to strenuous demands.
  • Measure students’ prior knowledge to ascertain their current developmental level.
  • Have students aim to achieve at or above their current ability in a given task.
  • If students underperform, provide formative feedback and insist they readdress their work to make edits and improvements.
  • Allow students to progress to subsequent tasks only when their work has met or exceeded the minimum standard you set for that individual.

See my full article on High Expectations in the Classroom .

7. Parent and Community Engagement

Parent and community engagement involves bringing students together with their community. It can involve bringing parents and community members into the classroom, or bringing students out into the community on field trips.

  • By engaging with the community, students come to see themselves as a member of their community.
  • It can help students to get to know important members of their community to give them a sense of belonging, and help them see (and, in the future, seek) support networks.
  • By bringing role models into the classroom (especially minority and female role models), students can come to see that they could potentially become female firefighters, politicians of color, etc.
  • Students can learn from more than just one teacher to get a variety of perspectives.
  • Safety concerns often require teachers and community members to fill-in forms and complete background checks before community engagement can occur.
  • Finding members of the community willing to work with teachers can be difficult.

Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory: Students learn within family and community contexts (children’s ‘first teachers’) in order to respect and carry-on culturally engaged learning.

  • Teacher does networking to find community members willing to come into the classroom.
  • Teacher finds relevant curriculum links that community members can help them teach about.
  • Teacher and community members meet to discuss a lesson idea.
  • Community members and teachers team-teach in the classroom.
  • Students are given the opportunity for one-on-one time with community members.
  • Students present the results of their lesson to community members before community members leave.

8. Unconditional Positive Regard

Unconditional positive regard involves teachers consistently and unconditionally viewing students as capable and competent. When students make mistakes, fail, or misbehave, it is the teacher’s role to continue to let students know that they believe in the student and their abilities.

  • Empowering: when students are given unconditional positive regard, they know that their teacher believes in their ability to constantly do better.
  • Shows Empathy and builds Trust: children come to learn to respect and trust their teacher when they know their teacher is always on ‘their side’.
  • Teachers need to ensure that they still let students know that inappropriate behavior or lack of effort is unacceptable. The teacher should follow-up their discipline with comments about positive regard.

Humanist theory of Education : Humanist Carl Rogers invented this approach. He believed unconditional positive regard was necessary for building students’ self-confidence.

  • “Even though you did not do well today, I expect that you will come to school doing better tomorrow.”
  • “The quality of your work does not match your potential. Let’s talk about some strategies for improvement before you go away and do it again.”

See my full post on the Humanist approach to Education .

9. Modeled Teaching

Modeled teaching is an instructional strategy that involves the teacher ‘showing’ students how to do a task. The teacher shows the task while also breaking it down into small steps. This helps students to see how to complete the task.

  • A very effective way to introduce new topics.
  • The teacher maintains control when introducing a new idea to ensure students have appropriate understanding and safety knowledge before trying for themselves.
  • Shows that learning can occur passively – students can learn simply by watching.
  • Not appropriate as a standalone strategy. Students need to eventually try things alone to show competency. Therefore, consider matching modeled teaching up with the I Do, We Do, You Do method

Bandura’s Behaviorism: Bandura blends behaviorism with constructivism by showing that learning can occur through observation only.

See my full post on Behaviorism in Education , which has a segment on Bandura’s modelled instruction approach.

10. I Do We Do You Do Method

The I Do, We Do, You Do method is a scaffolding strategy that provides gradual release of responsibility from the teacher to the student. It involves three steps: (1) I Do: Teacher models the task; (2) We Do: Student and teacher do the task together; (3) You Do: Student attempts to complete the task alone.

  • Students are provided an appropriate balance of support and freedom.
  • Teacher has ample time to assess students’ abilities to make adjustments to their pedagogy as they move through the 3 steps (particularly in step 2)
  • In large groups, students may fall behind at Steps 2 and 3.

Sociocultural Theory: Students learn through social interaction with a more knowledgeable other (see: Lev Vygotsky).

  • Teacher asks all students to sit on a mat at the front of the class.
  • Teacher models the steps required to complete the day’s task (I Do).
  • Teacher re-does the task. This time, instead of telling the students the steps, the teacher asks students to raise their hand and tell the teacher what to do next (We Do)
  • Teacher asks students to complete the task in small groups. Teacher walks around providing support (We Do)
  • Students complete the lesson by doing the task alone. Teacher only intervenes for the few students who are still struggling (You Do)

See my full guide on implementing the I Do, We Do, You Do method .

11. Guided Practice / Cognitive Apprenticeship

Students follow along with their teacher as an ‘apprentice’. By working side-by-side, they learn the subtle little things (‘ tacit knowledge ’) required to know in order to master a skill.

  • Students get very close one-to-one interaction with an expert, helping them learn.
  • By learning-by-doing, the student learns not only the theory but also the skills required to complete tasks.
  • An approach predominantly used for young children in Indigenous communities, which is not applicable on a wide scale in Western mass education systems.
  • Requires one-to-one support, which is not often available.

Socio-Cultural Theory: Rogoff studied Guatemalan Indigenous teaching methods to come up with this approach. It fits under the socio-cultural theory because its emphasis is on social interaction between master and apprentice.

Common in trade schools for students studying to be mechanics, engineers, etc.

See my full guides on the Guided Practice teaching strategy and cognitive fexibility .

12. Scaffolding

Scaffolding involves providing support to students while they cannot complete a task alone. Then, when the student can complete the task alone, the teacher withdraws their support.

  • Students feel supported while learning tasks that are just outside of their grasp at the present time.
  • A clear way of guiding students towards new skills.
  • May require a lot of one-to-one support, which can be difficult to provide in a classroom environment.

Socio-Cultural Theory: Scaffolding was invented by Jerome Bruner ( not Vygotsky).

  • The teacher models a task before students try it themselves.
  • The teacher provides the student with a visual aid (the scaffold, in this instance) that breaks the task down into small parts.
  • After 15 minutes of practice with the visual aid, the aid is withdrawn and the students try the task alone.

13. Direct Instruction (a.k.a Explicit Teaching)

Direct instruction (also known as explicit teaching) is a teacher-centered approach that involves the teacher using simple straightforward language to explain concepts to students.

  • Provides clear and direct knowledge to students
  • Is sometimes the only way to teach something, particularly when introducing a new idea.
  • Students cannot consolidate their knowledge with direct instruction alone. Explicit teaching should be followed-up with other teaching strategies that involve more active learning so students can practice and demonstrate their knowledge.

Behaviorism: Traditionally, direct instruction was embraced by behaviorists who believed in teacher-centered teaching. Today, it is used in most teaching approaches.

14. Repetition (Rote Learning)

Repetition involves giving students time to retry tasks over and over again until it is consolidated in their minds. The information should be safely in a student’s long-term memory before moving on.

  • Repetition commits information to memory, and is often one of the only ways to ensure something is truly remembered long-term.
  • Repetitive rote learning that lacks contextual background is hard to remember. Sometimes, giving context through doing tasks through real-life scenarios can be better for memory long-term.
  • Repetition can disengage students and demotivate them.
  • Doesn’t account for social and cognitive aspects of learning.

Behaviorism: Repetition is central to a behaviorist approach. Pavlov, a famous behaviorist found that he could teach his dog through repetitively associating a bell with food. The dog came to learn through repetition that the bell meant ‘food’.

See my full post on Behaviorism in Education.

15. Spaced Repetition

Spaced repetition builds on simple repetition. Spaced repetition involves gradually increasing the space between times you repeat something. Repetition of a task should be very common. Over time, the task should be re-examined less and less often.

The idea behind spaced repetition is that the concept being learned is re-engaged with just before it is forgotten so that it is consistently recalled into memory and gradually sedimented into long-term memory.

  • Provides long-term support to ensure students remember information over a sustained period of time.
  • Perfect for revision and standardized test preparation.
  • Can be disengaging and boring for students who tend to prefer active learning.

Behaviorism: Spaced repetition was invented by behaviorist theorist Ebbinghaus in 1885.

  • Provide students with a sprinkle of review tasks as a part of their weekly homework.
  • Start lessons (or set aside some time each week) with revision of tasks from months previously to jog students’ memory.

16. Prompting

Prompting involves providing students with nudges, guides and questions that will help them to move closer towards an answer. A prompt is a suggestion to a student that they pay attention to a particular aspect of a task that will help them get closer to the answer.

  • Prompts are used regularly by teachers to get beyond blocks in student learning. Without prompts, students may never develop or improve.
  • It is hard to know exactly how much prompting to give and at what stage. Students need time to think things through and make mistakes. Too much prompting too soon can prevent students from thinking for themselves.

Social Constructivism: Social constructivists believe teachers have a role in helping students to build knowledge in their minds. Teachers’ interventions can help spur knowledge development.

  • A teacher might ask a question to get the student to look at the task from a different perspective.
  • A teacher may point at a section of a diagram and ask them about that section.
  • A teacher might start a sentence and ask a student to finish it.

17. Differentiation

Differentiation is a teaching strategy that requires teachers to change their teaching styles and educational materials to meet the diverse needs of students within a classroom. It generally involves grouping students into several sub-groups in the classroom based on ability, skillset or learning preferences.

  • Enables the teacher to more effectively address the diverse needs of students in a large classroom.
  • Ensures learning is more personalized in the hope that no child will be left behind in a lesson.
  • Differentiation is often used as an excuse to dumb down a task – differentiated instruction should be paired with high expectations to ensure all students are working to their maximum potential.

Socio-cultural Theory: This approach acknowledges that all students have different social and cultural backgrounds. Therefore, each student requires a personalized learning approach. It realizes that one size fits all will not work because all students are different.

  • Separate students into three ability groups: Advanced, Middle, and Lower. The advanced students can be provided with project-based learning tasks to complete while the teacher works with the middle and lower groups to provide additional support.
  • Provide students with a range of tasks that addresses the same learning outcome. Students can choose between different tasks depending on their learning preferences.

18. Manipulatives

Manipulatives are physical educational toys (or: ‘tools’) which are used to support learning. Providing students with physical manipulatives during learning enables them to visualize their learning in a 3D space.

  • Students can learn more actively when they have manipulatives than when learning through teacher-centered direct instruction methods.
  • Helps students who need to visualize information to learn.
  • Creation of physical models helps students to form mental models (‘ cognitive schemata ’).
  • It can be expensive to gather enough materials for all students in a classroom.
  • Providing students with toys can distract them from the task. Strong classroom management skills are required.

Constructivism: Constructivists including Freidrich Froebel and Maria Montessori have advocated for the use of educational toys to help students to explore and discover in student-led active learning contexts.

  • Base Tens ‘Dienes Cubes’ are cubes that can be bunched into singles, groups of ten, groups of 100, and groups of 1000 to help students visualize the decimal system of counting.
  • Colored beads can be used to help students in early childhood learn to recognize patterns.
  • Froebel’s Gifts are 9 manipulative toys that students can use to solve developmentally appropriate puzzles.

19. Prior Knowledge Assessment

Prior knowledge assessment entails assessing students’ knowledge at the beginning of a unit of work in order to teach students at an appropriate level. If prior knowledge does not take place, teachers may teach content at a level that is either above or below a class’s optimal learning level.

  • Ensures the content being taught is at an appropriate level.
  • Respects the fact that students come into the classroom with pre-existing knowledge.
  • Identifies misconceptions students may have about a topic.
  • Enables teachers to take into account students’ cultural knowledge when preparing a unit of work.
  • Ensure you assess prior knowledge well in advance so you can plan lessons based on prior knowledge. I’ve assessed prior knowledge at the start of a class before and realized the lesson I planned was completely useless!

20. Student-Teacher Conference

A student-teacher conference is a one-on-one discussion between a student and a teacher to take stock of a student’s needs. The conference usually involves a discussion of both strengths as well as areas for improvement. The conference should conclude with a list of goals for the teacher and student to mutually strive toward.

  • An opportunity for both the teacher and student to express concerns and anxieties
  • Helps students to feel ‘seen’, valued and cared for by the teacher
  • Hard to achieve in every lesson. Teachers could consider systematically conferring with one or two students per lesson until all students are met with.
  • There is a power imbalance in the student-teacher relationship which may prevent students from speaking candidly.

Socio-Cultural Theory: Interactions between teachers and students are important to learning within the socio-cultural approach.

  • Print a list of your students with a column for ‘achievements’, ‘goals’ and ‘struggles’. Over the course of a week, meet up with your students and discuss with them what they’ve achieved in the current unit of work, what their goals are, and what the barriers are to achieving those goals.

21. Fill-In the Gaps (Cloze Passages)

A simple teaching strategy that involves asking students to fill-in an incomplete piece of text. This can happen verbally (starting a paragraph and asking students to complete it) and in writing (a traditional cloze passage).

  • Helps students to jog their own memories by prompting them slightly.
  • Enables teachers to quickly assess students’ knowledge (just-in-time assessment).
  • Cannot be a consistently used strategy as students also need to learn through more challenging approaches such as discovery learning and project-based learning.
  • Paper cloze passages involving a story in which the key phrases are removed.
  • Prompting questions like: “Can you finish this sentence? The first king of England was …”

22. Peer Assisted Learning (PAL)

Has the teacher step aside and allows students to take charge of the learning environment.

  • Students can often explain concepts to one another in a clear way because they’re on the same level and closer in their learning journey than the teacher, who probably learned the content years ago!
  • Peer assisted learning is not the same as the students doing the teaching. Students should continue to view each others as partners in learning.

Socio-Cultural Theory: students learning through collaborative discussion fits firmly into the sociocultural theory of education .

  • Invite students from a grade level above to come into the classroom and act as moderators of discussions on topics of interest.
  • Pair stronger students with weaker students. Have the stronger students demonstrate their knowledge by supporting the weaker students. I find this works really well because children can often explain things in a clear language that other children can understand.

23. Poster Presentations

A poster presentation is a great way to demonstrate knowledge at the end of a lesson or unit of work. Provide the students with posters, pens, and printing materials if required.

  • A fast, effective way of presenting knowledge to the class.
  • Allows students to practice demonstration skills.
  • Ends up with a physical product that can be photographed and added to the student’s portfolio to prove that outcomes have been met.
  • Can be a lazy way to achieve presentation of knowledge. Ensure the focus remains on the content and not the coloring-in or drawing pretty pictures.
  • Not useful for all lessons: when students can create a working model, diagram, etc. this would be preferred.
  • Have students work in groups to write up their knowledge in a visually engaging way.
  • Then, have each group verbally present their poster to the class.

24. Two-Minute Presentation

Two Minute verbal presentations, like posters, are an effective way of having students demonstrate their knowledge at the end of a lesson or unit of work. Each student gets two minutes to present their knowledge on a topic to the rest of the class.

  • An effective, fast way of doing summative assessment.
  • It is an inefficient use of other students’ time having them listen to 20 other two-minute presentations when they could be engaging in higher-order learning during that time. Students find it very boring and frustrating to sit through the assessment of other students.
  • Use the two-minute presentation method for the final lesson in a series of lessons on one topic.
  • Have students read over their notes from previous classes and write a summary of the top 10 points.
  • Have students prepare their two-minute presentations by adding the notes to palm cards. With 10 points, students have about 12 second per point!
  • Ensure students have time to practice with one another and instruct them on how to take additional notes on their palm cards for points they forgot during practice.
  • If each student has a different topic or angle to present engagement may be enhanced during the class presentations.

25. De Bono’s 6 Thinking Hats

De Bono’s 6 thinking hats strategy asks students to look at an issue from multiple perspectives. It can be used for groups or individuals. Depending on the hat a student is provided, they have to think from a different perspective.

The Six Hats

  • White hat: Provide the facts.
  • Yellow hat: Explore the positives.
  • Black hat: Explore the negatives (devil’s advocate).
  • Red hat: Express your feelings and intuitions . Include concerns, dislikes and likes.
  • Green hat: Be creative. Come up with new ideas and alternatives.
  • Blue hat: The manager who ensures all the hats are sticking to their lane.
  • Helps students to think outside of their own perspectives.
  • Encourages students to attack an issue from many different angles.
  • Teachers group work skills if used in a group.
  • I often find it’s hard to get groups of 6, so sometimes one student has to use two hats.
  • Introduce a contentious topic with a video or reading.
  • Distribute hats to the students.
  • Have students spend some time brainstorming what they would say on the issue from their perspective. If you have a large class, group all the white hats together, red hats together, etc. to work in groups for this part.
  • Then rearrange students into groups where there is one colored hat per group (groups of 6 is ideal, or 5 with one person taking the role of blue hat as well).
  • At the end of the class, have a whole group discussion summing up our points and list the details of the topic on the white board. Hopefully students will see that the issue is a very complex one!

26. Pop Quiz

A pop quiz is a short test that takes place with no prior warning. The quiz can be formative or summative. Link the quiz to rewards to keep students motivated to do well and be prepared at any moment.

  • Can be motivating for students who enjoy the challenge of competing with themselves or others.
  • Keeps students on their toes which encourages ongoing review and homework on the part of the students.
  • May worry some students who are unprepared.

27. Democratic Vote

Taking a democratic vote is a progressive education strategy that attempts to empower students in the classroom. Have students vote on what or how they will learn within the classroom. This can be done at a small scale in a lesson plan by asking students to vote on how a lesson will progress, for example.

  • Can empower students, giving them a sense of ownership over the classroom.
  • Can build trust and rapport between the students and the teacher.
  • Helps the teacher take the pulse of the class and understand what they want and need.
  • Teachers may lose their power and control over the class if they overuse this approach.
  • Just because the majority supports something, it doesn’t mean it’s best. A small group of students may fall behind and have their voices drowned out by the majority.

Progressive Education: Progressive educators such as Alfie Kohn advocate for empowering students through increased democracy in the classroom.

See my full post on Citizenship Education .

28. Non-Verbal Gestures

Using non-verbal gestures are powerful ways to help students learn, as well as to manage the classroom. Educators can explicitly teach signs or use gestures common in society.

  • Teachers can give individual students instant feedback that is subtle and does not disrupt the rest of the class.
  • Students feel acknowledged when small gestures are used just for them.
  • It is a non-intrusive way of prompting students.
  • Cultural sensitivity required. Different cultures ascribe different meanings to non-verbal gestures.
  • Nods of approval can let a student know you have recognized their good work without disrupting the flow of the lesson.
  • Pointing can be used to direct students’ attention toward prompts around the room or on worksheets that may help stimulate thinking.
  • Tapping a watch can remind students to pay attention to time limitations of a lesson.

29. Environmental Manipulation

Environments have a strong impact on learning. Temperature, lighting, seating plans , colors and posters on the walls can all affect learning.

  • A non-intrusive way of supporting learning.
  • Helps students feel more comfortable in the classroom.
  • Your classroom has limitations which may prevent the ideal environmental settings.
  • Different students may work better in different environments (e.g. heat settings)

Humanism: Teachers pay attention to the conditions required for creating an optimal learning environment.

Classical Conditioning (Behaviorism): Students are ‘conditioned’ by cause-and-effect mechanisms that are subtle and that they aren’t even aware of.

For more, see my full post on behaviorism in education.

  • When a class is too loud, try subtly turning off the fan. It’s amazing how often this small environmental manipulation can quiet down a class.
  • Ensure the classroom is not too dark. A dark classroom can impede reading, especially for students who do not have perfect eyesight.
  • Heat and noise can both prevent learning.
  • Calm colors on the walls can help students relax into the learning environment.

30. Associative Learning

Associative learning takes place when several ideas are introduced to a student that are mutually reinforcing. In the classroom, this means presenting students with several stimulus materials that help a student to recall a fact.

  • Is very effective during revision for an exam.
  • Has questionable long-term benefits as at this stage the concept is not yet solidly consolidated in long-term memory. The recall of information is dependant on other associated information.

Behaviorism (Pavlov’s Dog): Most famously, Pavlov managed to get a dog to associate the ringing of a bell with food. The dog would salivate whenever the bell rang, whether or not there was food around.

Cognitive Constructivism: while associative learning is most commonly associated with Pavlov, constructivists also have an explanation. The more associations someone has with a topic, the more neural pathways are created connecting ideas. This helps improve memory recall.

See Also: Non-Associative Learning

  • The teacher presents students with rhyming pairs to help a student associate one word with another. This can be effective in teaching vocabulary.
  • When attempting to recall a fact, you can try to reflect on where you were and what else you were talking about when that fact was first introduced to you.

31. Cooperative Learning (Group Work)

Cooperative learning is a teaching strategy that involves having students work together rather than in competition. Usually, this takes place in small groups where the success of the group is dependant on the students working together to achieve a common goal (also known as positive interdependence). See more: Cooperative learning examples .

  • Minimizes destructive competitiveness in the classroom which may undermine a collaborative and collegial atmosphere.
  • Requires students to talk to one another which can help them learn from each other’s perspectives.
  • Students need to be explicitly taught group work skills before participating.
  • Some students may become lazy and let others do the work for the whole group.

Sociocultural Theory: Learning is stimulated when students converse with one another. They get to see others’ viewpoints which may help each student build upon or challenge their existing views.

32. Agenda Setting

The teacher presents the students with the agenda at the start of the day. The use of visual aids may be helpful here, allowing students to see a timeline of the day’s events on the board at the front of the classroom.

  • Very effective for students with autism who often feel calmed knowing there is some structure to their day.
  • Helps relax students into a day or even a lesson by giving them certainty about what’s to come.
  • Any benefits that may arise lack scientific backing.
  • Download a card set of images that represent different lesson types and activities. Use this card set to lay out a visual timeline for the students every morning.

33. Team Teaching

Instead of one teacher delivering a lesson to a group of students, several teachers get their classes together to teach one lesson to a larger group.

  • Teachers can be more flexible. One teacher may take the role of presenter while the other acts as a support with students falling behind.
  • Teachers can share the workload, particularly for preparation.
  • Large groups may lead to some students falling behind without the teachers realizing.
  • There is the potential for more noise distractions and subversive behavior in large groups.
  • Teachers need to have the same work ethic for this to be effective.
  • Large class sizes required.
  • Consider having one teacher take the lead on all mathematics lessons and the other take the lead on all literature lessons. This enables each teacher to become more expert on their topic.

34. Directing Attention

Directing attention involves diverting students away from negative non-learning behaviors and towards positive behaviors by presenting them with engaging learning materials or ideas.

  • Prevents negative behaviors without confrontation.
  • Focuses on creating engaging lessons.
  • Can be done multiple times in one lesson whenever a teacher sees a student is distracted.
  • Tends to be more effective with younger children than older children.
  • Use visual aids, worksheets and manipulatives to help direct and maintain students’ attention on something physical. With adults, I use flipchart paper (also known as butcher’s paper) as the prop to direct attention.

34. Visual Aids

Visual aids are any objects used in the classroom to attract students’ eyes and therefore immerse them more into a lesson. Visual aids can have both cognitive benefits (see: cognitive tools) and engagement benefits.

  • Engagement: students are more likely to pay attention if they have something to look at.
  • Cognition: some students may benefit from visualizing a concept to help them order ideas in their minds.
  • Visual learning : some learners prefer learning visually than aurally (see: learning styles).
  • A visual aid needs an educational purpose. Consider why you are using the visual aid before deciding to use it.
  • Graphic Organizers
  • Educational toys (see: Manipulatives)

35. Flexible Seating

Allowing students to sit where they choose, rather than having assigned seating, has had a resurgence in popularity in the past decade. A flexible seating classroom often has a range of differently organized workstations, allowing students to select a spot to sit that’s most comfortable for them and which best suits the style of learning that will be occuring in that lesson.

  • Can reduce sedentary periods of time by allowing students to move around more during a lesson.
  • Enables students to sit at a table that best suits their learning (computer table, group table, individual table, on a bean bag, etc.)
  • There is often not enough space at workstations, meaning students end up not actually sitting where they choose.
  • Often students like to have a spot they can call their own. It helps give students a sense of place and belonging.
  • This approach is very common in the Agile Learning Spaces and Flexible Classrooms movement.

See my full post on the Common Classroom Seating Arrangements .

36. Formative Assessment (a.k.a Assessment for Learning)

Formative assessment involves assessing students’ learning throughout the learning process, not just at the end. Formative assessments can take place at one point in a unit of work or regularly throughout a lesson.

  • Allows teachers to adjust their teaching if students are not quite up to where you expected, or if they are exceeding your expectations.
  • Students get feedback on their progress before the summative assessment, allowing them to adjust.
  • Gives the teacher a better understanding of their students. If a student fails a summative assessment but the teacher knows the student could do the task at the formative stage, more investigation can take place to see why there is a discrepancy.
  • Can be time consuming to constantly assess students’ abilities.
  • Formative assessments often lack the authority of summative assessment pieces.
  • Formative assessments can be simple stops to get feedback and ongoing questioning of students.
  • They can also take the form of pop quizzes or student-teacher conferences.

37. Summative Assessment

Summative assessments take place at the end of a unit of work and are often the formal final / overall grading of a student’s knowledge.

  • Summative assessments are necessary for providing a final grade for a student and are often required by school boards.
  • Summative assessments give students something to strive toward which may keep them motivated and encourage them to study.
  • They are seen as too high-stakes and can cause stress for students.
  • If a student does poorly, the assessment is right at the end, so the teacher and student often don’t have any more time address the problems and help progress the student’s learning.
  • Standardized tests.
  • Assessments for student portfolios.
  • End-of-year exams.
  • Entry exams.

38. Gamification

Gamification involves implementing elements of gameplay in your lessons. This can be as simple as creating a competition out of a mathematics quiz.

Recently, computer software such as excel and programming languages have been used in the classroom as elements of ‘digital’ gamification.

Don’t confuse gamification with game-based learning, which is discussed next.

  • Gamification can make boring lessons fun , thereby increasing the engagement and motivation of students.
  • Teachers must not lose focus on the learning outcomes that must be met. ‘Fun’ is not the goal, it is the means for achieving the goal, which is always learning .
  • Get your students into two groups and have them compete in a trivia contest based on your lesson content.
  • Give students table groups and reward tables with points depending oh how well they do.

See my full article on the pros and cons of digital play.

39. Game-Based Learning

Not to be confused with gamification, game-based learning involves the use of actual games (board games, computer games, sports games, etc.) into a lesson.

While gamification involves using elements of gameplay into lessons (points, competitions), game-based learning involves using actual games in a lesson.

  • Students often love video games at home, so they get excited that they can play them in school as well.
  • Games can also support cognition by prompting students to complete and practice tasks to win games. See also: cognitive tools.
  • Parents may feel playing games in the classroom is not acceptable. Make sure parents know your reasoning behind using games.
  • Ensure the focus remains on the learning outcomes, not just on ‘having fun’.
  • Minecraft is a very popular computer game that is used in classrooms.
  • Sim City is a popular game for city design courses.
  • Use card games to teach counting. I teach ESL students counting using the game UNO.

See my full article on game-based learning as well as my explanations about how to use minecraft and sandbox games in the classroom .

40. Coaching

A coach does not stand in front of players and simply tell them what the ‘facts’ are. A coach stands behind a player. He watches the player and gives feedback on their performance. His job is to encourage, suggest adjustments and be the support network for the player.

Coaching is one of the great metaphors for teaching . A teacher who uses coaching as a strategy tried to emulate the role of the coach: observing and offering support and suggestions for adjustments.

  • Student-centered : the student is the focus and the teacher is the supporter.
  • Personalized: each student will get unique feedback based on their performance.
  • Sometimes the teacher needs to introduce new ideas, meaning coaching may not be as useful as another approach such as modeling or direct instruction.

Sociocultural Theory: In sociocultural theory, teachers tend to encourage active learning and provide social support.

41. Inquiry-Based Learning

Inquiry-based learning involves the teacher presenting a problem for the students to solve by making their own inquiries. It is similar to discovery learning, but is different in that inquiry based learning generally involves the teacher setting out a puzzling problem to solve at the start of the lesson.

  • Students ‘find’ the answers rather than being given them by teachers.
  • Answers emerge out of exploration, problem solving and discovery, meaning students learn why something is true, not simply what is true.
  • Significant support is required to help guide students through their inquiry. Students need to be taught how to inquire and given the right inquiry tools (such as books, appropriate websites, etc.)

Constructivism: Students learn through constructing ideas in their heads rather than being told the facts.

42. Reciprocal Teaching

Reciprocal teaching involves having students facilitate their own small group lessons. It is usually used in reading lessons.

The teacher first models how to guide group discussions before sending students off to facilitate their own lesson. In groups of four, students usually take the roles of: questioner, clarifier, summarizer and predictor. Students read stimulus materials then self-facilitate a group discussion about the text.

  • Students learn self-regulation learning skills which are essential for later in their lives.
  • When students are trained up, the classes work very effectively and the teacher can fade into the background.
  • Students learn group work, communication and negotiation skills. They also learn how to speak up in a group.
  • Students learn to be mature even when the teacher isn’t looking. By taking on responsibility as ‘teachers’, students should rise to the challenge.
  • Requires a lot of pre-teaching so students have the required skills for these sorts of lessons to work.

Sociocultural theory: working in groups, communicating and sharing ideas help stimulate thinking and encourages students to challenge their own ideas in order to improve them.

Example (Modelled off the I Do, We Do, You Do approach)

  • The teacher should model the four roles required in front of the whole class, with several volunteers to act as the demonstration group.
  • The teacher assigns groups and the four group roles: questioner, clarifier, summarizer and predictor.
  • When students do the activity in small groups for the first time, explicitly walk the students through the steps. Use a bell or similar audible cue to cycle students through the group work steps.
  • Allow the students to work in independent groups – walk around and help groups who are struggling.

43. Blended Learning

Blended learning involves a mix of online instruction and face-to-face learning. This strategy can be employed by giving students part of their instruction as homework online and part of it in class. It differs from flipped learning because a flipped classroom involves at-home instruction and in-class practice. Blended learning can have both practice and instruction occuring at home and/or in class

  • Gives the teacher flexibility to teach partially during homework time and partially in class.
  • Students need access to technology at home unless the at-home parts are only reading and printouts.
  • Usually only suitable for university students who are short on time. Blended learning allows them to do some of the learning in their own time.
  • Used regularly for distance learning students and rural and remote students.
  • Used regularly at university level.
  • If using this method, I recommend taking a look at the flipped learning model for some ideas of how to split your distance and in-class segments efficiently.

See my List of 10 Pros and Cons of teaching Online .

44. Growth Mindsets

A growth mindset focuses on teaching students that they have the power to improve and succeed if they put their effort into it. The opposite would be students refusing to try because they don’t think they have the power in their own hands to succeed.

Teaching growth mindsets is all about modelling positive behaviors. Include growth mindset in your lesson plans by finding points in the lesson to discuss specific strategies to move toward success, strategies for studying, and positive thinking.

  • Focuses on helping students see that they have ‘ agency ’ (in other words, they are capable of improving their lives)
  • Motivates students to improve their own lives
  • Many students have many barriers to success. If you ignore those barriers and simply say ‘you can work harder’, this will make students feel disempowered. Teachers need to show students the pathways to success.
  • Ensure the content is actually achievable for your students.
  • Break down tasks into manageable chunks so that students know the steps toward success. Then, use encouragement to motivate students to put in their effort.
  • Celebrate success to show students that they are competent and capable.

45. Culturally Responsive Teaching

Culturally responsive teaching is an instructional strategy that involves ensuring students’ cultures are integrated into lessons. This includes celebrating students’ cultural backgrounds when relevant and using learning styles that are dominant within your students’ cultures.

  • Includes children from cultures that have been traditionally marginalized within the classroom.
  • Minimizes the impact of Westernization of education.
  • May make new students from cultures that are different to the majority in the class to feel a sense of inclusion and belonging in the classroom.
  • Helps all students see the world from a variety of perspectives and learn to respect pluralism.
  • Teachers need to be sensitive to cultures different to their own.
  • Teachers should consult parents and community members about best strategies for the cultural needs of the students in the class.

Sociocultural theory: sociocultural theory believes

  • Have role models from minority backgrounds come into the classroom to share their backgrounds.
  • Consult with parents about ideal teaching methods within their culture.
  • Avoid nonverbal gestures that have different meanings in different cultures.
  • Another example: eye contact is considered respectful in Western cultures but acts of defiance in Indigenous Austealian culture.

46. Teaching to Mastery

Mastery learning and teaching is a strategy for ensuring all students meet a certain standard of understanding or ability before moving on.

Teachers set a benchmark of knowledge 9r ability for students to meet. Then, all assessment in this method is formative, where students are given feedback and as much time as possible to improve before progressing.

  • Students are not left behind and gaps in their knowledge are not overlooked.
  • Students may feel less stressed or rushed with this approach.
  • There is no talk of inability or failure in this method as teachers and students keep working away at the task until success is achieved.
  • There is not enough time in traditional school systems for this approach.
  • The difference in abilities between students means some students will get a long way ahead while others remain a long way behind.

Humanism: there are elements of unconditional positive regard in this approach (see Carl Rogers).

  • An example.may be that all students must get 80% on a test to progress to the next unit of work.
  • This approach is common for getting a “handwriting license” in primary / elementary school.

47. Stimulus Materials and Props

Stimulus materials are tools that a teacher provides during lessons to spur students into engaging with the lesson or thinking more deeply about the content provided. They include videos, educational toys (manipulatives), worksheets, visual prompts, objects from outside the classroom, and so on.

Without stimulus materials, the classroom feels empty and detached from real life. Bring stimulus materials into the classroom to help students make stronger connections to things going on outside.

  • Provides something for students to focus on which can focus students’ minds.
  • Helps students to learn actively if they have the opportunity to touch and manipulate the props.
  • Can inspire and draw-in students at the start of the lesson.
  • Stimulus materials can be very expensive.
  • Students can get distracted playing with the materials rather than listening to their peers or the teacher.
  • Students need to learn to share materials.

Constructivism: constructivists encourage the use of props so that students can ‘learn by doing’ and be ‘hands on’ in their learning.

  • Place several props into a bag. Have the students put their hands in the bag and see whether they can guess what the props are.
  • Place an unusual prop related to your lesson in the middle of the classroom. Get the students to guess what it is before beginning the lesson.

48. Service Learning

Service learning involves having students meet learning outcomes while contributing to and ‘giving back to’ their community. This often involves volunteer work, internships and placements within the community where assistance is needed.

  • Students can increase their sense of belonging within the community.
  • Connections between learning and life are made explicit in this sort of learning.
  • Learning moves from the theoretical to the practical.
  • Students can come to see how they are connected to a wider ecosystem, and that they have an important part to play in serving that ecosystem for the good of all.
  • It can be hard to place all your students in a service learning placement if there are many students to allocate.
  • It may be impractical given safety and security requirements.

Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory: EST highlights that people are situated within community from whom they get their values and beliefs. By being more connected to the community, students learn who they are and how they’re connected to a society and culture that surrounds them.

  • Prepare your students in the classroom. Consider having organizers or community members come into the classroom to tell the students what to expect.
  • Have students write preparatory notes about what the intend to learn, who they intend to speak to, and what their day-by-day goals will be whilst doing the service learning.
  • Have students complete their service learning / voluntary work in groups or individually.
  • Meet with the students intermittently during the service learning and have student-teacher conferences on how it is progressing. Intervene where needed.
  • Have students come together at the end of the project to reflect on what was learnt and how their understanding of their place in the community has evolved. Discuss possible future involvement and engagement in the community to emphasize that community involvement is an ongoing project.

49. Situated Learning

Invented by Lave and Wegner, situated learning involves learning by being embedded within a professional environment and slowly picking up the ways of doing and speaking within that context.

It has similarities to other instructional strategies outlined in this article such as service learning and cognitive apprenticeships. However, its defining feature is the slow absorption of knowledge through prolonged exposure to an authentic professional setting.

  • Students learn the most important practical information required for a job.
  • Students learn the ways of speaking and behaving that are required within a professional situation.
  • Not practical as a teaching strategy in classrooms. It works best as an apprenticeship model for new graduates from university.

Sociocultural theory: the situated learning approach emphasizes the importance of learning from ‘more knowledgeable others’.

50. Sixty-Second Strategy

The sixty second strategy involves having students review one another’s work in three steps which take 60 seconds each. The steps are: respond, reflect and review. This usually takes place after a student presentation where the students give a cumulative 3 minutes of feedback and reflection on the presentation.

The goal is not just to give feedback to the presenter, but for the listeners to also think about how they would have done the presentation and what their own thoughts on the topic are.

  • Students learn how to give feedback to others in positive and constructive ways.
  • It is a great way for students to actively engage with other students’ presentations.
  • Students need to know how to be positive in feedback and not be hurtful.
  • Have the student who is presenting their work give their presentation.
  • The students who watched the presentation have 60 seconds to write their thoughts on the topic that was presented.
  • Next, the students have 60 seconds to write down feedback on the presenter’s work.
  • Then the students have 60 seconds to provide positive affirmation and praise.
  • At the end, have the students share their feedback with the presenter in small groups so that the environment is not so intimidating for the presenter.

51. Thumbs Down, Thumbs Up

Thumbs down, thumbs up is a simple strategy for getting immediate feedback from students. During a lesson, pause after each step to get instant thumbs down, thumbs up feedback on whether students understand the previous step.

If there are thumbs down, the teacher should ask those students if they have direct questions or whether they might want that section to be covered again in different language or more slowly.

  • Enables the teacher to gauge students’ reactions in real time.
  • Gives the students an opportunity to give the teacher feedback immediately so that they don’t fall behind or become frustrated.
  • If the majority of students give thumbs up but only one or two give thumbs down, this is not endorsement to move on. Rather, the teacher should make sure no students fall behind.

52. Summarizing and Paraphrasing

For this teaching strategy, either the teacher or student summarizes something someone previously said in their own words in order to ensure they understanding each other without any misconceptions.

  • In having a student repeat the teacher’s statement in their own words, the teacher can see whether students actually understand something.
  • In repeating a student’s statement in different language, the teacher can see whether they truly understand what the student means.
  • The biggest risk here is in the teacher ‘putting words in the student’s mouth’. This may give the student a free pass.
  • The teacher explains a concept, then asks the student to repeat it without using the same words. A pause of a few minutes between the teacher’s explanation and the student’s response can be helpful in preventing the student from directly copying the teacher’s language. As time passes, the meaning should stay but the exact words should be forgotten.
  • Alternatively, the student makes a statement, and the teacher translates it in their own words and finishes with “Is that what you meant?”

53. Demonstration

Demonstration involves showing the students a practical example of something that is being learned in class.

The difference between demonstration and modeling is that a demonstration usually:

  • does not involve explicit explanation of all the steps, and
  • is usually not followed by students having a go themselves.

Demonstration (rather than modelling) may be necessary when the concept being demonstrated is dangerous or requires expertise.

  • Having something complex or theoretical demonstrated can be exciting to link theory to practice.
  • Demonstrations may require expensive field trips or inviting experts and expert equipment into the classroom.
  • A demonstration could be as complex as going to watch a space rocket launch or as simple as a ranger demonstrating how to use bear spray.

54. Role Modelling

Role modelling involves demonstrating the requisite behaviors or ideal way of acting within a learning environment. Role modelling has the intention of positively influencing students into copying the teacher’s positive learning behaviors.

  • Students are socialized into behaving and learning in socially appropriate ways.
  • A teacher who sets personal high expectations for their own learning will have those high expectations flow on toward the students.
  • A teacher needs to be aware that all of their behaviors rub off on students. This means they need to ‘put on their happy face’ despite what’s going on in their private lives.

Bandura (Social learning theory): Albert Bandura believed that observation was important in influencing how people will behave and learn. See his famous Bobo doll experiment where children were more aggressive toward a doll when they observed an adult being aggressive toward it.

  • Male teachers may role model positive masculinity, such as politeness and respect to all people regardless of gender.
  • A teacher can be a role model my demonstrating engagement and volunteering within the community, insisting on respectfully welcoming guests when they enter the classroom, or having high regard and respect for reading, learning, and apologizing.

55. Predicting

Predicting involves asking students to make predictions or ‘guestimates’ before a study is undertaken. The teacher may make a prediction for the students to respond to, or ask students to make predictions themselves.

  • It stimulates students to think about the logical flow-on effects of the things they are learning about (such as in science: gravity, momentum, etc.)
  • Students are asked to think forward rather than simply react in the learning environment.
  • At the start of a lesson (before introducing too much information), ask students what they think will happen during the lesson.
  • Show the students a diagram or comic strip demonstrating sequence of events with the last few events missing. Have students fill-in the gaps.

56. Intentional Mistakes

The teacher inserts intentional mistakes into their teaching materials (such as misspellings in their presentations) or their speech in order to:

  • Check students’ depth of knowledge,
  • Make memorable teaching moments, or
  • Keep students critically engaged.
  • It keeps students on their toes throughout the lesson, particularly during the boring parts.
  • It can make learning into a game if you let the students know to look out for the mistakes in advance. You could also offer a reward for the person who identifies the mistake.
  • It can lead to critical discussion about common mistakes that students make in a topic.
  • You may risk having students believe you had made the mistakes intentionally.
  • Students may believe the mistakes are truths and end up believing things that are untrue.
  • Create intentional spelling errors in your worksheets and powerpoint presentations.
  • Mispronounce a word and see if students realize.
  • Flip two words in a sentence and see if anyone realizes.

57. Reflection-in-Practice / Immediate Feedback

Immediate feedback is any feedback that takes place during a lesson rather than after a lesson or exam has been completed.

There are two primary types of immediate feedback: feedback from students to teachers, and feedback from teachers to students.

The feedback’s purpose should be to make impromptu changes during the lesson before it is too late.

  • Teachers can adjust their teaching methods in the moment to ensure the lesson is a success.
  • Students can adjust the ways they are going about completing a task to ensure it is successful.
  • In large groups, one-to-one feedback can be difficult.
  • Teachers need to be able to think on their feet to make immediate adjustments.

David Schon’s ‘Reflection in Practice’: According to Schon, successful practitioners reflect in practice rather than just on practice. Reflection in practice requires practitioners to reflect on what they’re doing while they’re doing it.

  • Asking for a thumbs up / thumbs down from students to see if they understand something.
  • Looking over the shoulder at children’s work to see how they’re coming to their conclusions.
  • Accepting ‘hands up’ questions at any point during an explanation or lecture.

58. Whole Group Class Discussion (a.k.a Circle Time)

A whole group class discussion gets all students in the class talking to one another in one group. When I use this strategy, I try to get students sitting in a conversation circle. The benefits of students sitting in a circle include:

  • There is a neutral power structure with no one at the head of the discussion.
  • All students can see one another.
  • Whole class discussions encourage all students to develop the confidence to share their own views publicly.
  • If the whole class gets into it, there can be a lot of great back-and-forth.
  • Often, the loudest and most confident students dominate the discussion.
  • Some students are too shy to speak up.
  • It is easy to embarrass a student, so be careful to be sensitive.
  • Use a speaking stick so only one person speaks at a time. The only person who can speak is the person with the speaking stick.
  • Use discussion circles so that all students can see each other when talking.
  • If conversation is slow to start, consider asking individual students direct questions.
  • Use open-ended questioning to force students to answer in full sentences.

59. Concentric Circles

Concentric circles is a method that builds on the whole group circle time discussion. Students sit in two concentric circles with the inner circle facing the outer circle. The students in the inner circle should be paired one-to-one with a student in the outer circle (like speed dating).

The teacher poses a question and the pairs are given 60 seconds to discuss the problem. Then, the students from the inner circle rotate one person to the right so they are facing a new partner for the next question.

  • Disagreements about pairing and students working with their friends are resolved because each student gets a turn working with another student.
  • Students get to learn and communicate with other students they don’t usually spend time with.
  • Discussion can help students see perspectives that they did not come up with on their own.
  • There needs to be an even number of students in the class so each student has a partner to work with.

Sociocultural theory: students learn by interacting with others to help them test, challenge and extend their own ideas.

60. Hot Seat

One student takes the role of a character from a book, history, etc. They dit in front of the class and get interviewed by their classmates. The student must stay in character and answer the questions from the perspective of that character.

  • Students explore topics from perspectives other than their own, helping them to develop lateral thinking skills .
  • Students need time to research their character and brainstorm their character’s perspectives on various topics before being put in the hot seat.
  • Shy students or students who are not confident with the material may be intimidated by this instructional strategy.
  • This strategy can be linked up with strategies like De Bono’s thinking hats where students would answer questions from a particular perspective.

61. Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers are visual aids in the classroom designed to help students visualize and conceptualize ideas and their relationships with other ideas. Examples of graphic organizers include flowcharts, mind maps and venn diagrams. Use them to help students think more deeply about topics.

  • Very useful for students who are visual learners.
  • Provides a framework for deeper and critical thinking.
  • Provides structure to help students who are unsure of how to proceed with critical thinking.
  • Don’t stick to just one framework as the frameworks narrow the scope of thinking in exchange for depth. Mix up your graphic organizers.

Cognitive Constructivism: cognitive constructivists such as David Jonassen believe graphic organizers help students to share their cognitive load with the organizer, helping them to organize and sort ideas in their heads more effective.y

  • Flow charts
  • Venn diagrams
  • Concept maps
  • Network or family tree
  • Spider diagram
  • Compare-contrast matrix
  • Series of events chain
  • Character charts

62. Think Pair Share

This is one of the simplest, most frequently used, but also most effective classroom teaching strategies. Students think about a topic on their own. Then, they pair up with a partner and discuss, compare and contrast their thoughts together. Thirdly, the pair share what they discussed with the whole class.

  • Moves students from individual thinking to social thinking in a clear process.
  • Helps students to vocalize their own thoughts in small and large groups.
  • Helps students to see other people’s perspectives by encouraging communication, compare and contrast.
  • Students need the confidence to speak up in front of the whole class. I have found some students like to have the comfort of flip chart (butcher’s) paper as a prop when presenting their discussions to the class.

Sociocultural theory: learning through conversation allows students to see diverse perspectives and therefore improve on their own perspectives.

  • Step 1: Think. Students are given 2 minutes to think about the topic on their own and take 5 bullet points on their own.
  • Step 2: Pair. Students get together in pairs (or groups of 3 if appropriate) to compare and contrast their own ideas. Students discuss the ideas and come up with a collective group of ideas.
  • Step 3: Share. Each group shares their own thoughts with the whole class. As each group presents, other classmates can challenge ideas or take additional notes to add to their own group’s thoughts.

63. Group Roles

Assigning group roles for students who are doing small group work is another simple instructional strategy to try. There are many group role types to be found online. I tend to use the roles of: timekeeper, moderator, notekeeper, and collector. All students should be equal discussion contributors, and this is managed by the moderator.

  • Helps to structure the activity, give students certainty in what they are doing, and reduce the uncertainty from group work.
  • Encourages communication to get students hearing other students’ ideas and perspectives
  • Students must be explicitly taught the group roles and need time to practice them.

Sociocultural Theory: By communicating with peers, students widen their perspectives and (with more knowledgeable peers) have their knowledge scaffolded.

  • Ensure you model the group roles before beginning the activity. Consider using a fishbowl method by having a sample group sit in the middle of a circle modeling the roles to the rest of the class.
  • For the class’s first attempt at group roles, structure it very clearly by getting the students to follow a clear step-by-step guide. Slowly release responsibility to students when they are ready.

64. Barometer

The barometer method gets a measure of students’ opinions by asking them to stand on a line from 0 to 10 (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = unsure or conflicted, 10= strongly agree).

  • Students tend to find this a non-intimidating way of sharing their opinions.
  • Can be a good way of getting students talking. Once they stand on the line, you can ask them to explain why they stood where they did.
  • It may be beneficial to prevent students from taking a neutral “I don’t know” stance without sufficient defence of this position.

Critical theory : The barometer could be paired with critical theory if students critique assumptions in society with a focus on the perspectives of marginalized groups.

  • Introduce a complex or controversial issue through a book, video or class discussion.
  • Ask students to stand on an imaginary line from 0 to 10 representing their opinion.
  • Place students into three groups based on their position in the line: agree, unsure and disagree. Have the three groups present their 5 best arguments to the class.

65. Cognitive Tools

Cognitive tools are educational technologies designed to promote thinking beyond what a student can do without the technology. This might include using wearable technologies to help students map out their own movements to then test their knowledge of geography, use of excel sheets to create financial estimations, etc.

  • Educational technologies can help us do things we couldn’t do without them.
  • Can engage students who love computers and technology in learning tasks.
  • Teachers must ensure technology use is focused on helping students learn more or at a higher level of critical thinking than if they didn’t have technology.

Cognitive Constructivism: this approach, invented by david Jonassen, emphasizes that computer technologies should be used to extend and promote higher-order cognition.

See my full article: Examples of Congitive Tools in Education .

66. Anticipation / Guestimation

Anticipation and guestimation is an instructional strategy designed to get students thinking about the consequences or flow-on effects of actions. Teachers ask students to make predictions based on limited knowledge about a topic

  • Students often have to use mathematics and logical reasoning to succeed in this task.
  • Students are required to be resourceful and seek clues that will show them the possible consequences of action.
  • It is important to strike a balance between giving enough information to make informed guesses and not too much information that the students can deduce the full answer.

67. Silent Conversation

A silent conversation is a way of getting students to communicate without having them speak up in front of the class. Students write their responses to a prompt on sheets of paper but cannot speak while doing so. They should then also write responses to one another’s points so that they are ‘conversing’ through writing.

  • Students who are shy to speak up my be more willing to participate, especially if their written response can stay anonymous.
  • It can often be easier to respond in writing than speaking because students have time to reflect and think about the wording of their response before writing it.
  • Only one student at a time can write their response. Consider what other students will be doing during this time.
  • Students must be competent writers.

Sociocultural theory: we learn and extend our knowledge through social interaction. By seeing others’ points, we can improve or amend our own.

  • One way to do this is to have a flip chart paper sheet (butcher’s paper) on a wall with a discussion prompt written above. Have students walk up to the paper intermittently thought a lesson to write responses to the prompt. After the first few students write their responses, the rest of the students must respond not to the prompt but to the answers written by previous students – how can they add to or challenge what someone else has already said?
  • The second common way of having a silent conversation is to pass a piece of paper around the class and have students write their responses to conversation chains on the piece of paper.

68. Devil’s Advocate

A devil’s advocate is someone who argues for an opposing point of view in order to stir up an argument and poke holes in other points of view. The devil’s advocate does not necessarily need to believe the points they are arguing. Either the teacher or students can be the devil’s advocate I’m this teaching strategy.

  • Encourages students to see their own blind spots or misunderstandings.
  • Helps students to see a diversity of points of view.
  • Improves students’ debating skills.
  • Students and parents may interpret you devil’s advocate position as an attempt to teach unsavory views in the classroom.

Critical theory: A devil’s advocate can help students with skills desirable within critical theory, like seeing views of people who are not commonly heard in society and the capacity to critique dominant narratives in society.

  • The teacher can note in their lesson plan moments when they believe there are opportunities to play devil’s advocate role promote debate.
  • The teacher can give students debating points where one person acts as devil’s advocate and another as the person defending the dominant perspective.

69. Strategic Pauses

Strategic pauses are one of the most important tools in a teacher’s toolbox of teaching strategies. A strategic pause is a gap between statements to let a point sink in or linger, or to give students a moment to think about an answer before the teacher moves on.

  •  An excellent classroom management strategy
  • Encourages students to think and not rely on teacher prompting
  • Emphasizes important points
  •  Can leave students confused
  • Requires follow-up and knowledge testing

Cognitive load theory: Too much information at one time can cause a student to lose track. Time is required for the mind to interpret, sort, stack, save and withdraw information in their mind (‘create cognitive schemata’).

  • Pause after a question for 10 seconds before discussing the answer.
  • If the class has started getting unsettled, often a pause in the teacher’s speaking is enough to settle them again and remind them to re-engage with the learning materials.
  • Slow speech with sufficient pauses between ‘chunks’ of information (seeL ‘chunking’ strategy) can help students arrange information in their minds appropriately.

70. Chunking

Chunking involves presenting information in manageable ‘chunks’ to allow students to sufficiently process information before moving on to the next section of a lesson or task.

Teachers should present only a manageable amount of information to students before giving them a chance to consolidate the information and practice their new knowledge.

Without giving sufficient time to consolidate information before giving new information to a student, the student will struggle to keep up with the information and old information may fall away before it is secured into their memory.

  • Less students will be left behind, confused and disillusioned in the classroom if they are given consolidation time.
  • There is often not enough time in a crowded school curriculum to chunk information well enough.
  • It is hard to tell how much is ‘too much’ information, and how long is long enough before knowledge is consolidated into memory.

Cognitive Overload Theory: If students are given too much information, their mind becomes ‘overloaded’ and they are unable to process more information. We only have a limited amount of working memory space in our minds. See: John Sweller’s cognitive overload theory .

  • Only teach two or three key points per lesson.
  • Provide a lot of discussion and practice time before moving on to presenting new information.
  • Consistently use formative assessment and reflection in action during the lesson to see when is the ideal time to move on.

71. Snowball Discussions

Snowball discussions are another twist on the think-pair-share method. For snowball discussions, students start in pairs and share their thoughts and ideas together. Then, the pairs join up with another pair to create a group of four. These four people share thoughts together, compare notes, debate ideas, and come up with an agreed list of points on a topic.

Then, groups join up again to make groups of eight. The groups of eight compare points and perspectives, then join up to create groups of 16, etc. until it ends up being a whole class discussion.

  • An effective strategy for promoting discussion between students. It can be useful for getting students to compare how different groups of students approach points from different perspectives.
  • The class group needs to be large (20+) for enough rounds of this strategy to happen.

Sociocultural theory: social interaction helps students see perspectives that are not their own and challenge their own views. This helps them pick holes in their own points and improve their misconceptions.

72. Homework: Knowledge Consolidation

Yes, homework is a teaching strategy! A traditional approach to homework sees it as an opportunity for students to consolidate information that was taught in class. Studying for upcoming exams is often also an important part of homework.

Other homework strategies like flipped classroom are possible – see the flipped classroom discussion earlier in this article.

  • Help students to consolidate information learned in class.
  • Ensures students have an opportunity to keep information fresh in their minds and be reminded of information learned in previous months.
  • Excessive homework can impede students’ rights to enjoyment, sports and extracurricular activities out of school.
  • Students often do not have support at home if they get stuck.

Behaviorism: repetition over time helps memory retention.

73. Active Listening

Active listening involves using strategies to pay close attention to what someone is saying. Teachers can explicitly model active listening by giving students strategies like pointing their bodies at the speaker, keeping their eyes on the speaker, nodding when they agree, and putting hands up to ask questions or clarification.

  • Active listening encourages respect in the classroom.
  • It could help students to remember better because it minimizes distractions.
  • Students may be more likely to contribute questions if they are paying more attention.
  • Some students (such as students with autism) need stress balls, fidget toys, etc to help them concentrate.

Examples that show active listening include:

  • Facing the speaker square-on
  • Eye contact
  • Asking questions
  • Repeating, paraphrasing or summarizing the speaker’s statement.

74. Connect, Extend, Challenge

The “connect, extend, challenge” teaching strategy is a three-step strategy designed to get student thinking about how their knowledge is progressing.

In step 1, students ‘connect’ what they’re learning to their prior knowledge. In step 2, students think about how the new knowledge ‘extends’ what they already knew. In step 3, students reflect on what ‘challenges’ they still face: what is still confusing to them?

  • This is a framework that gets students to explicitly think about how they are progressing in their learning.
  • The clear steps give students guidelines to help them achieve success.
  •  Requires prompting and scaffolding

Social Constructivism: This strategy has implicit links to Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. Students look at how their backgrounds impact their thinking, what level they are at, and what is still sitting in their ‘zone of proximal development’ (.e.g what they need to learn next).

  • Split a piece of paper into three columns to help students in this task: one column for ‘connect’, one for ‘extend’, and one for ‘challenge’.

75. Create a Headline

While a seemingly simple activity, this instructional strategy gets students to refine the topic they’re exploring down to one simple sentence that catches the essence of the issue.

For this strategy, have students come up with a headline for the lesson as if they’re a journalist reporting on the issue at hand. Get them to think about how it can be catchy, explain the problem at hand, and provide an engaging ‘hook’ to draw readers in.

  • Helps students identify the key point of a lesson, forcing them to think about what is really important in the lesson.
  • Some issues are complex and refining it down to one sentence may risk simplification.

To extend this activity, have students write a journalistic piece to go under the headline.

76. Lesson Objective Transparency

Being transparent about a lesson objective is a teaching strategy designed to help students understand the purpose of the lesson. By knowing the objective from the outset, the students are less likely to get confused about the purpose and direction of their lesson.

  • Students are aware of the purpose of the lesson, which may make it more relevant .
  • Students can more objectively measure how successful they have been in the lesson.
  • Lesson objectives are often worded for adults not children, so the wording may just confuse the students at times.
  • Write your lesson objectives on the first slide of lecture slides if relevant.

77. Open-Ended Questioning

Open-ended questioning involves asking questions that require an elaboration in the response. In other words, it cannot be a question that can be answered with “yes” or “no”.

  • Students are required to provide explanations and justifications for the points they make.
  • Teachers get a more detailed appreciation of students’ levels of knowledge .
  • Make a habit of using open ended questions when talking to students about their work.
  • Write all assessment tasks with open ended questions.
  • Pose open ended questions as stimulus prompts.

78. Fishbowl

The fishbowl strategy gets a small group of students to sit in a circle in the center if the classroom with the rest of the class sitting in a circle around the group.

The students in the middle of the circle complete a discussion or task as a demonstration for the students observing.

  • Teachers can use advanced students in the middle of the group as a way of modeling skills or behaviors for the remainder of the class.
  • More knowledgeable students can model behavior for less knowledgeable students.
  • Students get a chance at performing in front of others.
  • Many students will find doing a task I’m front of their peers intimidating.

Bandura’s observational learning : Bandura argues that students can learn from observing the modeling of others.

  • Get older students from higher grades to sit in the middle of the fishbowl.
  • Or, use the fishbowl as the “we do” step in the I do, we do, you do method.

79. Four corners

Use the four corners of the classroom as different stations for answering questions proposed by a teacher.

The stations may have answers like: strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree. Another example may be periods of time for a history exam: the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s. Or, the corners may have specific answers in the corners related to the questions being asked.

  • This activity may be appealing for kinesthetic learners who want to move about to stay engaged.
  • Provides a visual comparison between different views of students in the class.
  • When students head to the corners, the teacher needs to ask students to explain their decisions to ensure depth is achieved in the lesson.

Multiple Intelligences: The lesson can help students who are kinesthetic learners.

80. Give One, Get One

This strategy involves getting students to trade ideas with one another.

Students write down their answer or thoughts to a TEACHER’S question. Then, they pair up. The students give their answer to their partner and take their partner’s answer. They discuss the differences between and merits of each answer.

Students then split up and find a new partner to repeat the activity.

  • Writing down an answer ensures all students participate and that all students provide an explicit response.
  • Seeing other people’s answers helps students get a broader perspective on a topic.
  • Pre-plan for what to do when you don’t have an even number of students in the class.

Sociocultural theory: students learn from their peers through discussion. Discussion can help broaden horizons and allows students to see multiple perspectives on an issue.

  • Present a discussion topic or question to the class.
  • Have each student write down 3 points on a piece of paper to answer the question.
  • Pair students up to discuss their answers. Get them to consider similarities and differences as well as pros and cons of each answer.
  • Have students break apart and trade answers in another pair.

81. Brainstorming

Brainstorming involves asking students to come up with their initial thoughts on an issue. The thoughts do not have to be refined or correct. Instead, the students should use the brainstorming time to get their mind flowing and discussion started. Usually, this activity takes place using flip chart / butcher’s paper.

  • A good way to start discussion among students, especially if they don’t know each other well or are shy.
  • The students may need to assign some roles to group members. Consider rotating the role of ‘writer’ between students (usually one person writes an idea for the whole group on the brainstorming paper).
  • A good way of doing this activity is to place students in small groups and provide them a large sheet of paper to write down all their initial thoughts.
  • Students can then report all their thoughts back to the class.

82. Expert Jigsaw

The expert jigsaw method teaching method involves having students split into groups of ‘experts’ and then ‘topics’.

First, each ‘expert’ group focuses on a sub-area of a topic to develop their ‘expertise’ as a group.

Once the initial group work discussion has concluded, the ‘expert groups’ split.

The teacher then forms new ‘topic groups’ with one student from each of the original expert groups in the new groups.

The idea is that each group in the second part of the lesson will have an ‘expert’ on a particular area of a topic. Every expert will be able to contribute their perspective to the group

For example, if the topic is dinosaurs, the initial ‘expert groups’ may get together to discuss separate issues: Group 1 will discuss extinction, Group 2 will discuss bones, Group 3 will discuss diets, and Group 4 will discuss geographical locations.

When the ‘topic groups’ converge, they should contain one expert on extinction, one expert on bones, one expert on diets and one expert on geographical locations. The topic group will therefore have a broad range of expert knowledge to discuss and share.

  • Gives each student a sense that they have something meaningful to contribute because they will be an expert on something when converging in the ‘topic’ groups.
  • Encourages collaboration and positive interdependence in group work.
  • Requires forethought and organization by the teacher.

Social Constructivism: social interaction helps students construct ideas in their minds. Each student gets to hear the expert perspective of another student who is a ‘more knowledgeable other’, while also acting as the more knowledgeable other when it is their turn to share their expertise.

83. KWL Charts

A KWL chart is a type of graphic organizer that can be used throughout the course of a lesson to help students keep track of their learning.

The chart can be on a simple piece of paper split into three columns: (K) What I already know; (W) What I want to know in this lesson; (K) What I learned.

At the start of the lesson the students can fill out the first two columns. The first column will help the teacher assess prior knowledge. The second column will help the teacher and students guide the lesson by outlining what they want out of it.

At the end of the lesson, the third column can be filled-in: (L) What I learned in the lesson. This helps students reflect on the lesson to show them that they did actually learn something!

  • Students can keep track of their own learning.
  • There is physical evidence of what was learned that teachers can use in students’ final report card comments and teaching portfolios.
  • It is a good structured tool to help guide a lesson.
  • It would be good if there was a fourth column for ‘what I still want to know’ so student can leave the lesson with more questions that can be addressed in future classes.
  • Students sometimes place topics in the (W) What I want to know column that are relevant but not covered in a pre-made lesson plan. This can require the student to get a bit creative in re-arranging their lesson on the fly.

84. SWOT analysis

A SWOT analysis is a teaching tool used to help students identify their own Strengths , Weaknesses , Opportunities , and Threats .

It is often used at the beginning of a term or unit of work to help students self-identify how best to proceed in their studies.

A SWOT analysis starts with a piece of paper split into four quadrants. The top-left has ‘Strengths’, top-right has ‘Weaknesses’, bottom-left has ‘Opportunities’ and the bottom-right has ‘Threats’.

There are plenty of templates online you could download also.

Students then fill out the SWOT sheet, identifying their strengths and weaknesses (e.g. ‘I am organized’ or ‘I am time poor’) and opportunities and threats (e.g. ‘I have the opportunity to work with my peers to improve’ or ‘I have an upcoming swim meet that will take up more of my time’).

  • Students are taught to self-assess and plan ahead to avoid upcoming challenges in their lives.
  • Students can balance affirming statements about their own skills with honest recognition of their weaknesses.
  • I often find students use generic phrases copied from their neighbors. It’s a good idea to insist on depth of engagement and thinking when doing this strategy .

85. Read Aloud

Read aloud is a strategy that involves the teacher reading a text out loud to students. The strategy relies on the teacher using strategic pauses, pitch and tone changes, pace and volume changes, and questioning and comments. These reading aloud strategies help students to become more engaged in a lesson and get more out of the reading experience.

  • Can be more engaging than getting students to read to themselves.
  • By using strategic pauses and asking questions of students, the text can both be read and analyzed at the same time. This may improve comprehension.
  • I’ve found many pre-service teachers get nervous doing this task. Remember that people of all ages love being read to.

86. SIT: Surprising, Interesting, Troubling

A SIT analysis asks students to list aspects of a lesson that were surprising, interesting and troubling. It is useful following the viewing of a short film or reading a book about a topic that seems bizarre or a fact that is counterintuitive.

Like a KWL chart, you could do this task by splitting paper into three columns: one for ‘surprising’, one for ‘interesting’ and one for ‘troubling’.

  • Gets students to take a critical stance and make judgements (particularly for ‘troubling’)
  • Is a good way to take stock of students’ interests in order to create follow-up lessons based on topics the students have already demonstrated concern for.
  • The ‘troubling’ part is often hard for students to complete – consider explicitly modeling a sample response before asking students to complete it alone.

Critical theory: students can use a SIT analysis to critique the justice or inequality issues presented in a text.

87. Higher Order Thinking

When writing a lesson plan, it’s often a very good idea to note any time you’re encouraging higher order thinking – especially if there’s a column in your lesson plan for ‘teaching strategies’. This help people reading the lesson plan to see that you’ve been intentional about promoting higher order thinking.

Following Bloom’s taxonomy, higher order thinking usually includes tasks that involve verbs like : Judge, Appraise, Evaluate, Compare, Criticize, Assess, Estimate, Deduce, Hypothesize and Generalize.

  • Helps a teacher to be more explicit in their language and to ensure a lesson is challenging for students.
  • Ensures students are practicing their critical thinking skills rather than just repeating a teacher’s ‘facts’.
  • For higher order thinking tasks, it’s important that you don’t give students the answers. Instead, give them hints, pointers and resources that will help them to come up with the answers on their own.

Constructivism: Bloom was a constructivist who believed learning happens when students build knowledge in their mind rather than just copying facts from an authority figure in the classroom.

88. Debating

Getting students to debate an idea is a great way of getting them to build coherent and logical arguments in defence of a position. It requires them to gather, analyze and sort facts before they present them to an audience.

  • Students learn to identify positive arguments on a topic even if they disagree with it, helping them to see things from multiple perspectives.
  • Students may require resources to do background research to come up with strong points for or against a position.
  • Split the class into two groups and assign each group a position for or against a statement.
  • Give each group 15 minutes to come up with some arguments for their side of the argument. Each student in the group should have one argument to make for the team. The student writes their argument down on a piece of paper.
  • Line the two groups of students up facing one another.
  • Go down the lines getting each student to make their point for or against the position. Zig-zag from one group to the next as you go down the line
  • Once the students have completed, do an anonymous poll of the class to find out which position is most convincing. For the poll, students do not have to vote for their team’s position.

89. Note Taking (Cornell Method)

Note taking involves getting students to actively listen out for key points in a speech or video and synthesize it into key points for remembering later.

A popular framework for not taking is the Cornell method. This involves splitting a page into two columns.

The column on the left is a ‘Cue’ column. In the cue column write key words, phrases or Quotes as if they were headings or headline points to remember.

The column on the right is the note taking column. This column is larger and allows space to add detail and diagrams explaining the ‘cues’ that were written on the left in more detail.

  • Turns passive learning during a didactic explicit instruction lesson into a more active learning environment.
  • Helps students organize and synthesize their thoughts.
  • Helps with studying for exams later on.
  • Teachers may talk too fast for students to take detailed notes. Remember to use strategic pauses and remind students at strategic times that they need to be taking notes.
  • Feel free to download cornell method worksheets off the internet. Just look for them on your favorite search engine!

90. Lesson Recording

Recording a lesson involves using either video, audio or Screencast technology to save the lesson for revision later on.

  • This method is very useful for students with learning disabilities who may require more time to process information. They can rewatch later on and make use of pause, rewind and slow functions during the revision.
  • Great for when students miss a day so they can catch up.
  • Whenever you work with technology, be prepared for issues to arise that may delay the lesson.
  • Use Screencasts when teaching a lesson online.
  • Screencasts can also save your work when writing on an Interactive Whitenoard. Revision at a later date will show the steps you took in doing the ‘working out’.

91. Word Wall

Word walls are sections on the walls of a classroom where teachers and students can record new vocabulary, quotes or key terms they encounter during a unit of work.

  • Word walls can be visible evidence of progression through a unit.
  • Students can refer to the word walls when trying to explain their points and ideas to the class.
  • During exams, remember to cover the word walls so students can’t cheat by looking over at the answers.
  • Word walls can be great props for refreshing students’ memories at the start of a lesson. Start the lesson by reviewing the vocabulary learned in the previous lesson.

92. Goal Setting

Goal setting involves explicitly instructing students on how to set short (within a lesson), medium (within a unit of work) and long term (through the year) personal targets for success.

The goals can be for a whole group or individual.

  • Goal setting gives students something to strive toward.
  • It is a way of gamifying education. Students can challenge themselves to reach their step by step goals.
  • It helps students understand where they are headed and what the purpose of the lesson is.
  • Ensure goals are achievable lo that students do not become disillusioned.
  • Have students prepare their daily goals at the end of the previous day or start of the current day.
  • Reflect on medium-term goals weekly.

93. Worked Examples

A worked example is a completed piece of work that students can look to as models for their own work.

A worked example could be a sample of a completed diagram our 3D model, a completed essay or anything else that is a finished product of something the students are about to attempt.

  • Students feel more secure knowing what they are working toward.
  • Students can get ideas from the worked sample that they can adapt for their Ken work.
  • Sometimes students copy the sample too closely rather than using their own thinking. Consider using a sample that requires similar skills and processes but a different end product.
  • Make sure you spend time discussing the steps it takes from going from nothing to the completed product.
  • Provide students with past examples of creative writing pieces and discuss the strategies used by the authors.
  • Show samples that are good and poor. Get students to discuss how the poorer samples could be improved.

94. Multiple Intelligences

Students have different learning styles (or more accurately, different learning preferences ).

One theory proposes that there are eight ‘intelligences’. A student may have one that is dominant and others that are weaker.

The eight intelligences are:

  • Visual-Spatial : Prefers learning through images and visual arts. Uses diagrams to model relationships between concepts.
  • Linguistic-Verbal : Prefers learning through storytelling, reading and writing.
  • Interpersonal : Good at working in social situations, gets energy from social interaction, and can empathize with others easily. Enjoys group work.
  • Intrapersonal : An introverted person who prefers learning alone. They do a lot of thinking and reading but mostly like to think through things in their own time (see: intrapersonal skills ).
  • Logical-Mathematical : Sees patterns easily. Enjoys mathematical puzzles.
  • Musical : Enjoys learning through music, songs and rhymes.
  • Bodily-Kinesthetic : Learns through movement. Prefers lessons that require moving about.
  • Naturalistic : Has an affinity with nature. Learns well in calm natural environments.

A teacher can integrate different activities into a lesson plan that appeal to different people’s learning preferences. In this way, they create a more inclusive classroom for multiple different types of learners.

  • Inclusion: Teachers can use this theory to engage students who do not learn well in traditional lessons.
  • Attempts to be student-centered and teach in ways that are appealing to students.
  • In 2004, a detailed study in Scotland found no evidence or scientific toxic basis for the theory that different people have learning styles. Furthermore, it argued that the 8 styles in the multiple intelligences model were a arbitrarily contrived. Thus, learning styles may simply be learning preferences.
  • It is unclear whether a teacher should create lessons catered to a student’s learning preference or help students strengthen their skills in areas students identify as their weaknesses.
  • If students are not given a chance to practice all “styles” (not just their preferences) they may miss important skills, such as mathematical skills or literacy skills.

Howard Gardner: The theory of multiple intelligences was invented by Howard Gardner in the United States.

95. Non-Interventionism

Non-interventionism involves a teacher taking the role of ‘unobtrusive observer’ while students learn. The students are left to come to their own conclusions, face up to their own challenges, and ‘struggle’ through the lesson.

The teacher’s intervention may come through changing what they plan for the next lesson based on what they see, or lightly intervening after the students have struggled for some time.

Other reasons for intervention may be for safety or fairness reasons.

  • Struggling to find an answer is Important for learning. Students can make mistakes and learn why the mistakes are wrong instead of just being told what us correct.
  • Without a teacher imposing their views, students can come up with creative and thoughtful solutions to problems that the teacher dis not foresee.
  • Students develop independent minds.
  • Many parents and mentors watching your lesson may come away with a sense that you were lazy or did not do enough to help the students. This approach needs to be clearly explained and justified in lesson plans (I’d recommend referring to Montessori in your justification) and situations when you would go from observer to intervener should be spelled out in advance.
  • If students are struggling too much, learning may not occur – there is a limit to this approach!

Montessori Classrooms: The role of the teacher as “unobtrusive observer” was pioneered by Maria Montessori.

Montessori argued that children learn best when placed in resource rich environments and left to explore. Our interventions may impede creativity, self-belief, autonomy and self-discovery.

96. Constructive Alignment

Constructive alignment involves explicitly linking the lesson assessment tasks to the compulsory learning outcomes in the curriculum.

This is an impressive thing to see in a lesson plan.

Use language (including verbs and nouns) from the learning outcome in the assessment task. Furthermore, make sure to provide a criteria for what constitutes pass or fail.

  • Teachers can easily justify their lesson choices to their boss or assessor.
  • The assessment tasks are always relevant and focused.
  • Students can see the relevance of the assessment task to their learning goals.
  • If the language of the curriculum objectives are complex or obtuse, it may just confuse students to use that language in their assessment task.

Biggs: Constructive alignment was invented by John Biggs who designed this method to ensure all lessons are relevant and move students a step closer to completing all learning outcomes.

97. Zone of Proximal Development

The ‘ zone of proximal development ‘ is a phrase used to explain the ideal difficulty level for a lesson.

A lesson that is too easy won’t help a student progress.

A lesson that is too hard will disengage a student who just won’t be able to do the task.

But a lesson that is difficult but achievable with effort will push a student forward. These lessons that are just hard enough but not too hard are lessons in the “zone of proximal development”.

  • Students get lessons catered to their own needs.
  • There is always catered support for any student in the class.
  • By creating lessons that are always challenging, you are setting high expectations for all students.
  • Differentiation like this can lead to bug Differences in ability levels across the whole class.
  • You’re often under pressure to teach content that is too hard for students to meet standardized curriculum requirements

Sociocultural theory: Lev Vygotsky, one of the most famous educational psychologists, invented this approach to help teachers provide lessons that are at the right level for progressing a student’s learning.

  • Weave the ZDP into a lesson plan by stating that you will assess a student’s current ability then teach them the thing that is the logical next.step.
  • Another way to do this is create three student worksheets for three different ability levels. State in your lesson plan that you will assess each student’s ability and give them the appropriate worksheet. Each worksheet should build on the previous to help students move through their ZPD one step at a time.

98. Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is the use of praise, stickers, candy or other rewards to show students that they have done a good job.

Teachers can stack positive reinforcements so students can take steps to get small, medium and large rewards to encourage students to keep on trying and working hard consistently.

  • Students get clear signals to know when they have done well.
  • Students get encouragement to keep going and keep trying in order to get the reward.
  • Too much positive reinforcement can come across as insincere and lose students’ respect. Furthermore, students may become desensitized to praise if it occurs too much. Praise ‘scarcity’ makes occasional praise more valuable.
  • Explicit reinforcements are extrinsic motivation . The best sort of motivation is intrinsic motivation (wanting to do something for the pleasure of doing it). For more, see my full guide on intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation .

Behaviorism: Positive reinforcement is believed to be beneficial for changing behavior over time. See: John Watson’s operant conditioning examples .

  • Sticker charts
  • A subtle nod or wink
  • Certificates and awards

99. Negative Reinforcement

Negative reinforcement involves the removal of a privilege, points or tokens when a student gets an answer wrong.

This is often confused with punishments. For me, negative reinforcements should not punish but be used in limited learning scenarios as part of the learning ‘game’.

An example might be losing points in a gamified lesson so the student is less likely to win against their opponents. Students know it is part of the game and not a punishment designed to distress the student.

  • Provides very clear messages to students about what is correct and incorrect, helping them to learn quickly.
  • Parents often do not like any negative reinforces, so be very careful to set clear guidelines and use this strategy in limited circumstances.
  • Be careful not to embarrass students in front of their classmates.

Behaviorism: Watson brought negative reinforcements into education, arguing that repeated use of them can change students’ behaviors.

  • Losing points in a class contest.
  • Failing a level in an educational computer game.

100. Drop Everything and Read

Drop everything and read (DEAR) involves getting students to stop what they are doing and read for 10 minutes.

It is a strategy that helps build students’ literacy skills (especially when students can choose their own book). However, it is also useful for helping students get more depth of knowledge on a topic being taught when you give them all an article or book to read to help them have more knowledge for subsequent parts of the lesson.

  • An effective way of getting students to spend intense time learning about a topic.
  • Helps integrate literacy into your daily activities.
  • There will always be a small group of students who squirm and struggle when asked to read. Consider alternatives like the Read Aloud strategy or using videos instead if DEAR doesn’t work for your class.
  • Make sure to follow up DEAR time with discussion and comprehension tasks.
  • Introduce a topic with initial information to engage the class.
  • Set a 10 minute silent reading task based on the topic.
  • Discuss what was read with comprehension prompts.

101. Gallery Walk

A gallery walk involves a teacher placing stimulus questions on flip chart paper (butcher’s paper) around the walls of the classroom.

The charts the teacher has put up are stations that students will stop at during the activity.

The teacher places students into groups. If there are 5 stations around the room, the teacher will create 5 groups.

Students get a set amount of time at each station to read the prompt questions. The students can write on the chart paper with their group response and also respond to other groups who have already written their points.

Once all students have rotated through the stations, the students end up back at the station where they began. The teacher the. gives each group 3 minutes to present to the class a summary of the comments written on the paper at their station.

  • Students get to learn from others and see other groups’ responses.
  • The students are up and moving about which may help the concentration of bodily-kinesthetic learners.
  • Some students may not participate fully. Consider getting students to rotate who writes on the paper at each station to mitigate this challenge a little.

102. Metacognition

Note whenever you would encourage metacognition in a lesson within your lesson plan. This will help anyone reading it know that you’ve thought about giving students strategies for “thinking about thinking”.

Metacogntion is about thinking about how you think. Strategies include:

  • Thinking aloud
  • Writing your steps to reach an answer
  • Explaining your thought processes
  • Reflecting on your learning and considering faster ur more efficient processes
  • Helps students understand the processes required for thinking deeply about an issue.
  • Gives students the strategies and skills to learn any task, not just the ones at hand.
  • Metacognition is difficult because it requires explanation of your thinking. However, it is necessary if people want to know how to think .

103. Case Studies

Case studies are in-depth examples of an issue being examined. A case study should show how an issue or theory looks in real life. Teachers can present case studies through videos, newspaper articles, magazine articles, guests coming into the classroom, etc.

  • Case studies help students to see how theories and ideas look in real life. This can also help a student understand the relevance of the topic being studied.
  • A case study may help students make sense of a complex idea by putting it in real concrete terms.
  • Case studies might not be representative of a generalized issue – they may be outliers or flukes. Pick your case study carefully and discuss whether it is a typical or outlier sample.
  • A case study of city planning may be an innovative city that has recently been designed.
  • A case study in mathematics may include looking at the mathematics underpinning a famous bridge’s construction.
  • A case study during a unit of work on refugees might look at the experiences of one real-life refugee.

104. Mystery Making

Educators can create ‘mystery’ in their classroom by carefully structuring lessons that give ‘clues’ to a mystery that needs to be solved by the students. Ask the students to act as detectives and place clues around the classroom (like a gallery walk). Have students move around the classroom taking notes on the mystery which will reveal an answer after thorough investigation.

  • Creates a sense of excitement in the classroom, helping students to engage.
  • Forces students to use critical, logical and lateral thinking in order to find the answer.
  • Ensure the mystery is not too far outside a student’s zone of proximal development so that the mystery can be solved.

105. Storytelling

Storytelling in the classroom involves teaching through narrative-style stories rather than telling (‘didactic learning’). Teachers can tell stories by reading books (see: Read Aloud strategy), turning a dry explanation into an allegorical story off the cuff, or bringing people into the classroom who have an engaging personal story to tell.

  • Stories can draw students into a topic through the creation of a sense of excitement and entertainment.

Steiner-Waldorf Schools: Rudolf Steiner called the teacher the ‘chief storyteller’ whose role is to create a sense of enchantment around learning through stories.

  • Invite guests into the classroom who have stories to tell.
  • Use stories that have a moral of the the story, then analyze the moralistic message.

106. Newspaper Clippings

Use newspaper clippings to link topics and theories to current affairs. Teachers can bring in recent newspapers to let students search through them for relevant stories or use old newspapers to search for how a topic was discussed in the past. Alternatively, teachers can get students to search for newspaper articles online.

Teachers could also assign reading through newspapers and bringing newspapers to class as a part of their homework.

  • Newspaper stories can show students how the topic being discussed plays out in real life.
  • They also show students how the topic is relevant to the present-day lives of people in the community,
  • Newspapers are increasingly uncommon – consider adjusting this to use online news sites and printing out articles from the web.
  • Some topics won’t have relevant news articles associated with them. Do a search in newspapers and online yourself for articles before using this teaching strategy.

107. Self-Paced Learning

Self-paced learning involves.letting students progress from activity to activity in their own time. For this approach, a teacher lays out a list of 10 – 20 lessons that students can work on at their own pace. Students work on the activities while the teacher walks around and gives support.

  • Students are encouraged to reflect on their own learning development and only move on when they are confident that they have consolidated the knowledge from an assessment.
  • Less students will fall behind if the teacher doesn’t pressure them to move on.
  • Teachers have time to work one-on-one with students while students work away at student-led tasks.
  • Fast students will need extension tasks or personal projects to complete once they have finished and are waiting for slower students.
  • There is often not enough time for slower students to finish.

These teaching strategy examples are clearly not the only ones out there – there are probably thousands! But, in my time teaching, these have been the most effective and common teaching strategies that I have come across. Use this teaching strategies list for your own lesson plans to demonstrate pedagogical knowledge and depth of understanding of how to educate a range of different learners.

list of teaching strategies

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]

  • Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 50 Durable Goods Examples
  • Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 100 Consumer Goods Examples
  • Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 30 Globalization Pros and Cons
  • Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 17 Adversity Examples (And How to Overcome Them)

4 thoughts on “List of 107 Classroom Teaching Strategies (With Examples)”

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this is valuable in my course production of Instructional materials in social studies. maraming Salamat!

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Thank you very much for these valuable teaching strategies & techniques which can be used to enliven the classroom atmosphere, encourage students to do their tasks and learn more in the process. God bless!

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As a student of Curriculum and Pedagogic Studies and also the Curriculum Lead in my school, this is best of resources I have had on the subject of teaching strategies. Thanks so much.

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Thank you so much, these are very helpful and remind me that some of my teaching styles are already mentioned here.

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teaching pedagogy homework

Teaching with Homework

Introduction

The debate of whether or not schools assign too much homework has been around for about as long as schools have. Over the years, experts have changed their opinions about whether schools should lower or raise the number of assignments they give, leaving teachers often confused. Recently many schools have banned homework altogether, but many other schools stand firmly against this practice. Those against excess allotment assert that it could lead to unhealthy stress levels and sleep deprivation, especially for older students. However, older students are the ones that reap the most benefits from the practice. Homework does ultimately create extra work for teachers to grade and for parents to help, but are the student-learning benefits strong enough to outweigh all else?

Nearly every school in the world has assigned some form of homework to its students. As a result, plenty of articles, studies, and activities exist to provide educators with the best strategies.

Lesson Plan

  • Why Do Homework : McGill University provides this packet of ten lesson plans, teaching students the importance of completing homework. The first lesson introduces the benefits of completing assignments, and includes a contract and journal. Each lesson plan references a set of worksheets that teachers can use to keep track of their lessons, and to distribute to their students. With these lessons, kids can better understand the purposes of their work and further motivate themselves at home.
  • Improving Assignments : Education World provides this short lesson plan intended for grades 5-12. This plan allows teachers to take student input into account by opening up discussions on the effectiveness of homework assignments. Teachers can use this lesson halfway through or towards the end of the school year to gain adequate feedback from their students. Allowing students to feel partially in control of their assignments through lesson plans like this one can motivate them in the future.
  • Learning to Be Your Own Coach : This plan from the New York Times’ Learning Network offers a plan for teaching students self-sufficiency in completing assignments. The page includes a warm-up, activity, and blurb entailing strategies for going further. It also provides links to resources including worksheets and case studies that teachers can use in addition to the activity. 
  • The Cult of Homework : The Atlantic published this article addressing the debate of homework allotment. Many researchers suggest a strong correlation between homework and better performances on tests among older students. This finding fits with the commonly cited “10-minute rule,” which suggests that educators should assign about 10 minutes of homework per night, per grade level, giving a first grader 10 minutes per night, 20 minutes for a second grader, and so on. The article also examines the other side of the argument, citing countries such as Japan and Denmark, which it says perform better academically than the United States and assign less work.
  • How Homework Can Boost Learning : Forbes provides this incredibly insightful article about distributing homework in grade schools. The article tackles different perspectives about the issue, taking into account the different ways that teachers can assign and the effects on different groups of students. The author acknowledges low-income and less-educated families, citing research that finds a positive correlation between such assignments and student performance. With such families, homework allows parents opportunities to become more involved in their children’s schoolwork. Researchers find that homework as a whole improves performance among middle and high schools, but not elementary schools. However, similar studies have found that math practice proves more effective in helping elementary schoolers than any other age group. In turn, teachers should consider carefully how the types of tasks they are appointing are affecting each of their students.
  • Is Banning Homework a Good Idea? In this article, McRel International’s Howard Pitler responds to a recent policy at a Quebec elementary school, banning homework. The author goes on to discuss whether or not schools should be banning such assignments. He references four pieces of advice for teachers when assigning, and with these strategies, acknowledges the influence of parental pressure for teachers to give out more chores. Many parents view assignments as a way to show rigor. As a result, teachers can feel tempted to assign students “busy work.” Pitler provides yet another list of strategies for teachers to deal with this kind of pressure and make the best of the students’ homework time.

Informational Sites

  • Research Spotlight on Homework : National Education Association’s (NEA’s) page blueprints the best homework practices in education. This page assesses the different studies conducted, suggesting that educators “ take into account grade-specific and developmental factors when determining the amount and kind of homework.” The article weighs both sides of the debate, citing several studies throughout, and includes helpful references and related links surrounding the issue. This source does a good job of presenting the homework debate from a very neutral point of view. Educators can use this resource to gain a better understanding of the issue before picking a stance.
  • Effective Practices : Reading Rockets writers Kathy Ruhl and Charles Hughes comprised this article based on research on teaching practices with students with learning disabilities. In the article, Ruhl and Hughes outline the most and least effective practices when assigning homework. The article addresses homework’s four innate purposes: practice, preparation, studying, and elaboration. This article provides insight for teachers on how, what, and when to assign.
  • Designing Meaningful Assignments : The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development details the difficulty of finding a balance when addressing different student needs when assigning homework. Teachers should avoid issuing dull, or busywork, but such a feat proves harder than expected. This article provides tips and insight for teachers in assigning more meaningful work that can most improve a student’s learning. These strategies encourage teachers to empower their students’ with creativity and freedom, further motivating the students to take charge of their own education.

Homework’s purpose is to reinforce classroom topics, but oftentimes shortened classes can interrupt such protocol. Many claim that introducing topics for homework can put pressure on parents and marginalize less educated families. But these tasks can also teach students lessons in responsibility and self-sufficiency. Overall, teachers should find a healthy balance of work and cater it towards their students’ ages. After all, many of them are still kids.

Additional Resources

  • Developing Good Habits : Mali Anderson from Parents.com offers six strategies for laying a foundation for children’s good study habits. Parents and educators need to find a balance of control by sitting students down to do their homework, but leaving them to complete it on their own. This resource is intended for parents and educators of younger students. Educators can share this resource with parents in order to improve students’ habits and performances on assignments. 
  • Should Students Have Homework? : Suzanne Tingley from Western Governors University criticizes homework practices in America. With the type of assignments that most teachers allot, she cites, assignments do not necessarily develop students’ mastery in a topic, but rather train them for tackling standardized tests. The article suggests that schools do not necessarily need to assign nightly, but feel pressured to because it is “what [schools] have always done. She encourages teachers to think carefully about their policies, praising the quality of lessons over the quantity.
  • The School That Banned Homework : The Washington Post covered this story, checking in on a Vermont elementary school that banned homework six months earlier. The school reported positive results and even found that kids are reading more on their own now than they did when teachers assigned them readings. Educators can look to this school’s approach when considering whether or not to lessen the influx of assignments on their students. With the trend of lowering homework levels gaining in popularity in recent years, it is important that educators learn about the schools whose policies succeeded.

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Adolescent girl doing homework.

What’s the Right Amount of Homework?

Decades of research show that homework has some benefits, especially for students in middle and high school—but there are risks to assigning too much.

Many teachers and parents believe that homework helps students build study skills and review concepts learned in class. Others see homework as disruptive and unnecessary, leading to burnout and turning kids off to school. Decades of research show that the issue is more nuanced and complex than most people think: Homework is beneficial, but only to a degree. Students in high school gain the most, while younger kids benefit much less.

The National PTA and the National Education Association support the “ 10-minute homework guideline ”—a nightly 10 minutes of homework per grade level. But many teachers and parents are quick to point out that what matters is the quality of the homework assigned and how well it meets students’ needs, not the amount of time spent on it.

The guideline doesn’t account for students who may need to spend more—or less—time on assignments. In class, teachers can make adjustments to support struggling students, but at home, an assignment that takes one student 30 minutes to complete may take another twice as much time—often for reasons beyond their control. And homework can widen the achievement gap, putting students from low-income households and students with learning disabilities at a disadvantage.

However, the 10-minute guideline is useful in setting a limit: When kids spend too much time on homework, there are real consequences to consider.

Small Benefits for Elementary Students

As young children begin school, the focus should be on cultivating a love of learning, and assigning too much homework can undermine that goal. And young students often don’t have the study skills to benefit fully from homework, so it may be a poor use of time (Cooper, 1989 ; Cooper et al., 2006 ; Marzano & Pickering, 2007 ). A more effective activity may be nightly reading, especially if parents are involved. The benefits of reading are clear: If students aren’t proficient readers by the end of third grade, they’re less likely to succeed academically and graduate from high school (Fiester, 2013 ).

For second-grade teacher Jacqueline Fiorentino, the minor benefits of homework did not outweigh the potential drawback of turning young children against school at an early age, so she experimented with dropping mandatory homework. “Something surprising happened: They started doing more work at home,” Fiorentino writes . “This inspiring group of 8-year-olds used their newfound free time to explore subjects and topics of interest to them.” She encouraged her students to read at home and offered optional homework to extend classroom lessons and help them review material.

Moderate Benefits for Middle School Students

As students mature and develop the study skills necessary to delve deeply into a topic—and to retain what they learn—they also benefit more from homework. Nightly assignments can help prepare them for scholarly work, and research shows that homework can have moderate benefits for middle school students (Cooper et al., 2006 ). Recent research also shows that online math homework, which can be designed to adapt to students’ levels of understanding, can significantly boost test scores (Roschelle et al., 2016 ).

There are risks to assigning too much, however: A 2015 study found that when middle school students were assigned more than 90 to 100 minutes of daily homework, their math and science test scores began to decline (Fernández-Alonso, Suárez-Álvarez, & Muñiz, 2015 ). Crossing that upper limit can drain student motivation and focus. The researchers recommend that “homework should present a certain level of challenge or difficulty, without being so challenging that it discourages effort.” Teachers should avoid low-effort, repetitive assignments, and assign homework “with the aim of instilling work habits and promoting autonomous, self-directed learning.”

In other words, it’s the quality of homework that matters, not the quantity. Brian Sztabnik, a veteran middle and high school English teacher, suggests that teachers take a step back and ask themselves these five questions :

  • How long will it take to complete?
  • Have all learners been considered?
  • Will an assignment encourage future success?
  • Will an assignment place material in a context the classroom cannot?
  • Does an assignment offer support when a teacher is not there?

More Benefits for High School Students, but Risks as Well

By the time they reach high school, students should be well on their way to becoming independent learners, so homework does provide a boost to learning at this age, as long as it isn’t overwhelming (Cooper et al., 2006 ; Marzano & Pickering, 2007 ). When students spend too much time on homework—more than two hours each night—it takes up valuable time to rest and spend time with family and friends. A 2013 study found that high school students can experience serious mental and physical health problems, from higher stress levels to sleep deprivation, when assigned too much homework (Galloway, Conner, & Pope, 2013 ).

Homework in high school should always relate to the lesson and be doable without any assistance, and feedback should be clear and explicit.

Teachers should also keep in mind that not all students have equal opportunities to finish their homework at home, so incomplete homework may not be a true reflection of their learning—it may be more a result of issues they face outside of school. They may be hindered by issues such as lack of a quiet space at home, resources such as a computer or broadband connectivity, or parental support (OECD, 2014 ). In such cases, giving low homework scores may be unfair.

Since the quantities of time discussed here are totals, teachers in middle and high school should be aware of how much homework other teachers are assigning. It may seem reasonable to assign 30 minutes of daily homework, but across six subjects, that’s three hours—far above a reasonable amount even for a high school senior. Psychologist Maurice Elias sees this as a common mistake: Individual teachers create homework policies that in aggregate can overwhelm students. He suggests that teachers work together to develop a school-wide homework policy and make it a key topic of back-to-school night and the first parent-teacher conferences of the school year.

Parents Play a Key Role

Homework can be a powerful tool to help parents become more involved in their child’s learning (Walker et al., 2004 ). It can provide insights into a child’s strengths and interests, and can also encourage conversations about a child’s life at school. If a parent has positive attitudes toward homework, their children are more likely to share those same values, promoting academic success.

But it’s also possible for parents to be overbearing, putting too much emphasis on test scores or grades, which can be disruptive for children (Madjar, Shklar, & Moshe, 2015 ). Parents should avoid being overly intrusive or controlling—students report feeling less motivated to learn when they don’t have enough space and autonomy to do their homework (Orkin, May, & Wolf, 2017 ; Patall, Cooper, & Robinson, 2008 ; Silinskas & Kikas, 2017 ). So while homework can encourage parents to be more involved with their kids, it’s important to not make it a source of conflict.

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Flipped Classroom Pedagogy

Main navigation.

Flipped pedagogy refers to a specific and widely used variety of blended learning, discussed in depth here.

What is flipped teaching?

Flipped  teaching is a specific variety of blended instruction in which traditionally in-class activities (especially lectures) are done as homework, while traditional homework activities (like working through practice exercises) are done in class. A typical example of a flipped class is one in which the instructor pre-records the lectures, posts the recordings to Canvas for students to watch before class, and then assists the students as they work through assignments during class time. Such an approach is designed to maximize the special power of the in-person classroom to facilitate social learning while moving content delivery like lecturing to out-of-class homework time, where students have the best opportunity to focus individually.

Challenges of flipped teaching

While flipped teaching now has a great deal of empirical support, there remain significant challenges to those undertaking it, mainly in preparation (which is often extensive) and student adaptation (students often feel at first that they are not learning as well as in traditional classes).

Fortunately, remote teaching has become more pervasive which has eased both of these challenges: many departments and instructors have accrued considerable preparatory materials (pre-recorded lectures, engaging activities) for online delivery, and students have greater experience with various modes of online interactions. In addition, the widespread adoption of technologies like Zoom, Panopto, and Canvas has made pre-recording and posting material a great deal easier.

Resources for flipped pedagogies

The Center for Teaching and Learning is happy to provide consultations  for those beginning or fine-tuning a flipped class. In general, the way to begin is the same as with any blended instruction: looking first at your learning goals for your students, considering the assessments and activities that will allow them to meet those goals, and then designing the class based on which activities are most likely to work best online, and which are likely to benefit most from in-person instruction.

For those interested in getting started with self-recording media, the Stanford Center for Professional Development offers this helpful guidance . Also, consider these strategies for developing pre-recorded instructional videos .

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What is Pedagogy? An Introduction to Learning Theories

Author: Ben Greenwood

Posted: 05 Feb 2020

Estimated time to read: 5 mins

Pedagogy, pronounced ‘ped-a-godge-ee’ (yes, we had to google that), is a term whose definition is regularly contested. Wedged somewhere between teaching theory and psychological vernacular, it’s a word that sits just out of reach for many classroom teachers - not through ignorance or lack of knowledge but because of how broad and inaccessible the workings of pedagogy can be.

In this post we’ll look at where the term came from, what it means for teachers and how it continues to change teaching and learning to this day.

The beginning of pedagogy

The role of teacher was created in Ancient Greece, where teaching was first seen as an art form. Going to school to learn was something that only the wealthiest could afford for their children and educators were central figures in the learning process. They imparted their invaluable wisdom and students took note.

But it wasn’t these educators who were the first pedagogues. Due to their status, the rich families used slaves to escort their children to and from school. They were seen as worldly and experienced and imparted their knowledge on the children they were chaperoning.

It's from here that the word pedagogue was created. Roughly translated as ‘leader of children’, it describes a person whose job it is to guide students and tutor them, not just academically but morally and spiritually too.

The science of teaching

Since then, the term pedagogue has evolved to mean ‘those actively engaged in teaching children’. And by the time we reached the 19th century, science took over. Industrialisation meant that more educated workers were needed and less serfs. There was pressure on governments to push more children through the school system and have them ready for work. 

Schools effectively became workforce factories, with teachers constantly striving to drill discipline into students and ensure they were ready for life in the factories and mills. This meant making teaching as efficient as possible.

Once science and psychology were added to the mix in the 19th century, pedagogy became an entirely different beast. The development of behaviourism and classical conditioning through experiments with cats and buttons and mice in mazes, expanded our understanding of how children's minds work and what makes them learn.

Pioneers, such as Maria Montessori, Jean Piaget and Paulo Friere pushed the science of learning into the psychological sphere, examining students’ learning patterns and applying their own theories to teaching. This has continued to the present day, and there are now hundreds of pedagogical techniques and approaches.

Why pedagogy is important for teachers

Understanding and implementing pedagogy can improve the quality of your teaching and help you connect with students. By being mindful of which learning theories you are using and how they impact the class, you can help students achieve deeper, more meaningful learning.

By combining elements of different pedagogical approaches, teachers develop more informed and better suited classroom approaches for themselves. But with teacher workload on the rise, many simply don’t have the time to study these techniques.

By giving teachers more time to study their profession, schools will benefit from the new ideas teachers will bring to the classroom and the impact they will have on learners.

The difference between a pedagogical approach and pedagogical techniques:

Pedagogical approach - A pedagogical approach is an entirely unified way of looking at teaching. It takes a majority of elements from one of the overall approaches to pedagogy, such as Behaviourism, Constructivism or Liberationism, and applies that approach to all aspects of teaching. 

Pedagogical technique - A pedagogical technique is more granular than an entire approach. It’s usually a specific set of actions that the teacher employs in the classroom. This could be computational thinking, deep learning or flipped learning. 

Why is the use of pedagogy in decline? 

We posted a twitter poll asking teachers if they actively use pedagogical techniques in the classroom. The results showed that a staggering 37% of our teachers don’t have the time or freedom to implement new learning techniques in the classroom. This likely correlates with the creeping increase of teachers’ workloads.

If we don’t take an honest look at workloads, and actively make time to study the academics behind the craft of teaching, we’re going to lose much more than just a work-life balance. The very purpose of education and its role in society is to allow each generation to improve, go further and be better than the last.

Trying to do this without the help of science and pedagogical theory is like trying to drive a car at night with the headlights off. Teaching relies on a teachers’ knowledge of how learning works and how students receive and process tasks.

In our upcoming weekly blogs, we’ll be looking at different pedagogical approaches and techniques and how teachers can apply them to real classroom scenarios, providing more food for thought and a fresh outlook on teaching and learning.

Read more from our pedagogy blog series

Behaviourism

Liberationism

Social Constructivism

Connectivism

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Should Kids Get Homework?

Homework gives elementary students a way to practice concepts, but too much can be harmful, experts say.

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Effective homework reinforces math, reading, writing or spelling skills, but in a way that's meaningful.

How much homework students should get has long been a source of debate among parents and educators. In recent years, some districts have even implemented no-homework policies, as students juggle sports, music and other activities after school.

Parents of elementary school students, in particular, have argued that after-school hours should be spent with family or playing outside rather than completing assignments. And there is little research to show that homework improves academic achievement for elementary students.

But some experts say there's value in homework, even for younger students. When done well, it can help students practice core concepts and develop study habits and time management skills. The key to effective homework, they say, is keeping assignments related to classroom learning, and tailoring the amount by age: Many experts suggest no homework for kindergartners, and little to none in first and second grade.

Value of Homework

Homework provides a chance to solidify what is being taught in the classroom that day, week or unit. Practice matters, says Janine Bempechat, clinical professor at Boston University 's Wheelock College of Education & Human Development.

"There really is no other domain of human ability where anybody would say you don't need to practice," she adds. "We have children practicing piano and we have children going to sports practice several days a week after school. You name the domain of ability and practice is in there."

Homework is also the place where schools and families most frequently intersect.

"The children are bringing things from the school into the home," says Paula S. Fass, professor emerita of history at the University of California—Berkeley and the author of "The End of American Childhood." "Before the pandemic, (homework) was the only real sense that parents had to what was going on in schools."

Harris Cooper, professor emeritus of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University and author of "The Battle Over Homework," examined more than 60 research studies on homework between 1987 and 2003 and found that — when designed properly — homework can lead to greater student success. Too much, however, is harmful. And homework has a greater positive effect on students in secondary school (grades 7-12) than those in elementary.

"Every child should be doing homework, but the amount and type that they're doing should be appropriate for their developmental level," he says. "For teachers, it's a balancing act. Doing away with homework completely is not in the best interest of children and families. But overburdening families with homework is also not in the child's or a family's best interest."

Negative Homework Assignments

Not all homework for elementary students involves completing a worksheet. Assignments can be fun, says Cooper, like having students visit educational locations, keep statistics on their favorite sports teams, read for pleasure or even help their parents grocery shop. The point is to show students that activities done outside of school can relate to subjects learned in the classroom.

But assignments that are just busy work, that force students to learn new concepts at home, or that are overly time-consuming can be counterproductive, experts say.

Homework that's just busy work.

Effective homework reinforces math, reading, writing or spelling skills, but in a way that's meaningful, experts say. Assignments that look more like busy work – projects or worksheets that don't require teacher feedback and aren't related to topics learned in the classroom – can be frustrating for students and create burdens for families.

"The mental health piece has definitely played a role here over the last couple of years during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the last thing we want to do is frustrate students with busy work or homework that makes no sense," says Dave Steckler, principal of Red Trail Elementary School in Mandan, North Dakota.

Homework on material that kids haven't learned yet.

With the pressure to cover all topics on standardized tests and limited time during the school day, some teachers assign homework that has not yet been taught in the classroom.

Not only does this create stress, but it also causes equity challenges. Some parents speak languages other than English or work several jobs, and they aren't able to help teach their children new concepts.

" It just becomes agony for both parents and the kids to get through this worksheet, and the goal becomes getting to the bottom of (the) worksheet with answers filled in without any understanding of what any of it matters for," says professor Susan R. Goldman, co-director of the Learning Sciences Research Institute at the University of Illinois—Chicago .

Homework that's overly time-consuming.

The standard homework guideline recommended by the National Parent Teacher Association and the National Education Association is the "10-minute rule" – 10 minutes of nightly homework per grade level. A fourth grader, for instance, would receive a total of 40 minutes of homework per night.

But this does not always happen, especially since not every student learns the same. A 2015 study published in the American Journal of Family Therapy found that primary school children actually received three times the recommended amount of homework — and that family stress increased along with the homework load.

Young children can only remain attentive for short periods, so large amounts of homework, especially lengthy projects, can negatively affect students' views on school. Some individual long-term projects – like having to build a replica city, for example – typically become an assignment for parents rather than students, Fass says.

"It's one thing to assign a project like that in which several kids are working on it together," she adds. "In (that) case, the kids do normally work on it. It's another to send it home to the families, where it becomes a burden and doesn't really accomplish very much."

Private vs. Public Schools

Do private schools assign more homework than public schools? There's little research on the issue, but experts say private school parents may be more accepting of homework, seeing it as a sign of academic rigor.

Of course, not all private schools are the same – some focus on college preparation and traditional academics, while others stress alternative approaches to education.

"I think in the academically oriented private schools, there's more support for homework from parents," says Gerald K. LeTendre, chair of educational administration at Pennsylvania State University—University Park . "I don't know if there's any research to show there's more homework, but it's less of a contentious issue."

How to Address Homework Overload

First, assess if the workload takes as long as it appears. Sometimes children may start working on a homework assignment, wander away and come back later, Cooper says.

"Parents don't see it, but they know that their child has started doing their homework four hours ago and still not done it," he adds. "They don't see that there are those four hours where their child was doing lots of other things. So the homework assignment itself actually is not four hours long. It's the way the child is approaching it."

But if homework is becoming stressful or workload is excessive, experts suggest parents first approach the teacher, followed by a school administrator.

"Many times, we can solve a lot of issues by having conversations," Steckler says, including by "sitting down, talking about the amount of homework, and what's appropriate and not appropriate."

Study Tips for High School Students

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Is it only about technology? The interplay between educational technology for mathematics homework, teaching practice, and students’ activities

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  • Published: 19 May 2023

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  • Slaviša Radović   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8840-6053 1  

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Current research on the use of digital technology in education has overgrown. It is becoming clear that technology will not unfold its pedagogical potential outlined in the literature on its own. To harness its full benefits, it is paramount to thoroughly understand the educational context and underlying pedagogical principles. This research reports how an educational technology can support students’ knowledge development from homework mathematics learning practices for 11 to 14 year-old students. The article describes the shift learning goals from producing the correct answer to understanding how to address current and future mathematical challenges as an important interaction between educational technology, teaching practices and student learning activities. The study revealed specific features of technology integration with mathematics teaching and learning practices. The findings highlighted the effectiveness of digital support for homework activities, indicating that there were benefits only when students and teachers used the full range of features and engaged in the process. Finally, the report provides practical tips and ground rules that can contribute to the successful implementation of educational technology for homework activities.

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Introduction

From very earliest studies it has been shown that technology-enhanced mathematics education can significantly contribute to various aspects of students’ learning process and their learning outcomes. Current research regarding the use of digital technology has overgrown (e.g., Ball et al., 2018 ; Drijvers, 2019 ; Hillmayr et al., 2020 ). It ranges from: providing quick and reliable feedback (Drijvers, 2019 ); supporting students self-regulation and analysis of their mistakes (Radović et al., 2019 ); creating simulations for exploring mathematical problems (Hillmayr et al., 2020 ); seeing relations between algebraic and geometric representations of objects (Godwin & Sutherland, 2004 ); learning with applets and dynamic images (Ball et al., 2018 ); and enabling students to practice various skills and techniques at the speed and pace that suits them (Metwally et al., 2021 ).

The results of empirical studies have recognized numerous pearls (e.g., Drijvers, 2019 ), perils (e.g., Hillmayr et al., 2020 ), challenges (Bray & Tangney, 2017 ), as well as the opportunities that technology-enhanced learning brings for both students and teachers (e.g., Hillmayr et al., 2020 ). Metwally et al. ( 2021 ) argued in their research that technology has the potential to enhance cognitive potentials of students, support their development of problem-solving and higher thinking skills, and expand students’ knowledge. Moreover, technology in learning is often correlated with increase of students’ motivation during learn (Radović et al., 2019 ). Radović and Passey ( 2016 ) argued that the responsibilities of learning are shifted to students so that they develop their skills of self-management and self-assessment. However, there are many factors with an impact on the outcome of technology integration into mathematics learning (Bray & Tangney, 2017 ). Studies often emphasize technology design, curriculum specificities, teacher practices, and underlaying instructional design (Godwin & Sutherland, 2004 ; Lim & Oakley, 2013 ). To harness its full potential, it is of utmost importance to thoroughly understand the educational context and underlying pedagogical principles (Drijvers, 2019 ; Hillmayr et al., 2020 ). To focus the discussion of previous research on the educational problem that is central to the research outlined in this manuscript, we will concentrate on a specific aspect of technology enhanced learning practice: homework in mathematics.

Researchers have studied various technological approaches developed for homework, including online homework platforms that automatically assign homework, management systems that improve the efficacy of homework organization and control, and anti-plagiarism systems that reduce copying activity and increase engagement during homework (Zhai et al. ( 2023 ). Other researchers have introduced different tools that enhance the process, such as MathAid (Viberg et al., 2023 ) or ASSISTments (Murphy et al., 2020 ). The outcome of these initiatives reviled affirmative characteristics that include providing feedback on answers and analysing mistakes (Ceviker et al., 2022 ), adaptive questions with appropriate levels of knowledge and difficulty (Zhai et al., 2023 ), and personalized study plans based on the collected data targeting each student's individual strengths and weaknesses (Serhan & Almeqdadi, 2020 ).

Moreover, technology for homework has made it possible for students to practice and improve their understanding at their own pace and comfort (Ceviker et al., 2022 ; Diara, 2023 ; Magalhães et al., 2020 ), with automatic feedback immediately available (Diara, 2023 ; Zhai et al., 2023 ). This also enables teachers to shift their focus from grading to adapting their instruction to meet students’ needs (Murphy et al., 2020 ). For instance, teachers can analyse common errors and misconceptions among students and modify their following teaching classes accordingly (Ceviker et al., 2022 ; Diara, 2023 ; Murphy et al., 2020 ).

Nonetheless, integrating technology into mathematics homework comes with several challenges. Viberg et al. ( 2023 ) stressed out the need to shift the teacher's role from being an instructor to that of a facilitator, which requires a planned and structured approach to instructions. In recent research, Murphy et al. ( 2020 ) recognized that the quality of homework is perceived higher by students when the homework process supports their learning and is relevant to what happens in class, including teacher follow-up. Other scholars emphasize the importance of relevant and innovative teaching and learning methods, highlighting the challenge for teachers to design effective learning experiences that incorporate technologies for homework with appropriate pedagogical methods (Magalhães et al., 2020 ; Viberg et al., 2023 ).

It is becoming clear that technology will not unfold its pedagogical potential, outlined in the literature, on its own. Rather, effective and efficient integration of digital technology is about the instructional interplay between educational technology, teaching strategies, and student learning practices (Bray & Tangney, 2017 ; Metwally et al., 2021 ). In order to achieve a comprehensive understanding (Viberg et al., 2023 ), the next section of this paper will establish the theoretical and research foundation for homework activities, examining both the advantages and challenges faced by both students and teachers. “ Research questions for this study ” section will then focus on defining the research questions, exploring how technology can be best utilized to enhance the benefits of homework activities. The subsequent section, “ Research Methods ” section, will introduce the research methodology, including the study's context, as well as the experimental and control learning environments. The following sections will present data analysis and research findings, concluding with a discussions, limitations, and conclusions.

The term “homework” refers to tasks assigned to students that are meant to be completed outside of regular school hours (Cooper et al., 2006 ; Magalhães et al., 2020 ). In Serbia’s education system, homework serves an important pedagogical purpose with several prominent characteristics: it is assigned after each lesson, typically takes students between half an hour to an hour to complete, aims to help students review and reinforce the material learned in class, while also allowing teachers to identify areas where students may be struggling or misunderstanding the concepts being taught. Teachers and educators have long viewed homework as an important way for students to practice and reinforce material taught in class (Ceviker et al., 2022 ). However, the value of homework continues to be debated both in the scientific community and in broader society, particularly in the United States (Gill & Scholssman, 2004 ; Murphy et al. ( 2020 )). Interestingly, historical reports from the late 19th and early twentieth centuries reveal that homework was not always viewed as a critical component of the learning process. Critics referred to it as “mechanical schooling,” with some even suggesting that it could be detrimental to student learning (Heffernan, 2019 , p. 80). Gill and Schlossman ( 2004 ) note that the most negative attitudes toward homework were present in 1901, when California law abolished homework for children under 15 and limited it in public high schools. However, during the space race of the 1960s, homework became more widespread and was mandated at all levels of education, with policies dictating the number of hours students were required to work (Cooper et al., 2006 ).

In current mathematics education and research, data on homework point to both positive and undesirable influences on students’ learning and learning outcomes (Heffernan, 2019 ; Metwally et al., 2021 ; Scheerens et al., 2013 ). Existing literature indicates that traditional, paper-based homework assignments may be viewed by students as a mundane aspect of their education, often leading to negative attitudes towards them (Ceviker et al., 2022 ; Cooper et al., 2006 ; Magalhães et al., 2020 ). This can lead to procrastination, frustration, and burden to complete assignments, which can lead to copycat reactions from students (Magalhães et al., 2020 ). Studies also imply that student interest in homework can often diminish, especially when its characteristics are not balanced (e.g., amount, difficulty, pedagogical value, instructional rationale) (Cooper et al., 2006 ; Corno & Xu, 2004 ).

Despite these perils, homework is still valued by students (Murphy et al., 2020 ). Several literature reviews (Cooper et al., 2006 ; Fan et al., 2017 ; Magalhães et al., 2020 ) recognized several categories of benefits: (1) direct impact on learning and achievement, (2) connecting math learning at home and at school, and (3) increasing teachers’ knowledge of students' thinking and understanding.

Learning outcomes

Numerous research studies comparing students who regularly do homework and those who do not have shown that completing homework has a direct positive impact on learning outcomes (Cooper et al., 2006 ; Fan et al., 2017 ). Homework is highly valued for its potential to develop time management skills, study habits, self-regulation, and lead to better academic performance and higher grades (Corno & Xu, 2004 ; Fan et al., 2017 ). According to Huyen Tham et al. ( 2020 ), students have reported that homework can facilitate the development of a self-study routine, reduce stress levels, and enhance their sense of learning autonomy. A review study by Cooper et al. ( 2006 ) found a positive correlation of approximately 0.60 SD between homework completion and academic achievement. Although a more recent meta-analysis by Baş et al. ( 2017 ) found a smaller average effect of around 0.20, it was still significant. However, the amount of time spent on homework is still a topic of scientific debate. Metwally et al. ( 2021 ) conducted a review that showed a positive relationship between homework time and student achievement, including retention of knowledge, exam and final grades, homework assignments completed, and overall performance. However, as noted by Scheerens et al. ( 2013 ), who reviewed 128 research articles, the results are inconclusive, with 32% of studies showing negative effects, 33% showing no significant effects, and 35% showing positive effects.

Connecting mathematics learning at home and in schools

Homework not only has academic value, but also fosters student responsibility and blurs the line between formal and informal learning contexts, facilitating knowledge acquisition both inside and outside the classroom (Radović & Passey, 2016 ; Radović et al., 2019 ). This is demonstrated in the findings of Murphy et al., ( 2020 ), Diara ( 2023 ), and Ceviker et al. ( 2022 ) research, which identified benefits such as a shift toward self-regulated learning; increased flexibility and autonomy for students; and better connection between home and school activities. Homework breaks down the traditional boundary between home and school learning, allowing classroom materials and educational obligations to be applied to informal learning situations (Fig.  1 ).

figure 1

An overview of learning settings and learning activities (Radović & Passey, 2016 )

Enhancing teachers’ knowledge of students’ thinking from analyzing their homework

As Cooper and colleagues ( 2006 ) argued, one way to gain insight into students’ knowledge and skills can be done through evaluation of homework. Moreover, it can help teachers not only deepen their understanding of students’ way of thinking and level of understanding of mathematical concepts, but also in planning instructions (Ceviker et al., 2022 ). Such an approach allows teachers to respond in a timely manner to clarify perceived ambiguities, adapt homework assignments and follow-up classroom discussions to students’ needs and to demonstrated misconceptions (poorly formed, fragile or missing concepts) (Murphy et al. ( 2020 )). In addition, analysing students’ homework allows teachers to be aware of individual needs of each student (Cooper et al., 2006 ; Radović et al., 2019 ; Zhai et al., 2023 ). Murphy et al. ( 2020 ) found that the type of intervention or tools used can impact teachers’ ability to target specific problems during their classroom review of homework.

Homework copying between students

Despite the potential benefits of completing homework, students in the traditional learning settings and paper-based homework often resort to copying it (Diara, 2023 ; Zhai et al., 2023 ). Academic dishonesty undermines the student’s integrity and places a burden on teachers who must invest time and effort into preventing it or handling the aftermath when their efforts fail (Emerson & Smith, 2022 ). According to Sweet’s ( 2017 ) report, 80% of surveyed students admitted to copying homework at least once a month. Similarly, Felder's ( 2011 ) study found that 49% of surveyed students engaged in unauthorized collaboration on homework. Students often justify their misconduct as a means to manage their workload given their time and resource constraints (Magalhães et al., 2020 ). Other reasons cited by Palazzo et al. ( 2010 ) include difficult homework problems that require too much time and a lack of interest in the learning that comes with homework. Felder ( 2011 ) suggests that this behavior is more prevalent in academic environments that prioritize students’ academic performance over the quality and quantity of their knowledge acquisition.

When students copy homework, teachers lack accurate information about their work, which can lead to incorrect assumptions about their mathematical abilities and the causes of their errors (Palazzo et al., 2010 ; Radović et al., 2019 ). This creates an ongoing challenge for teachers and researchers to develop more effective approaches to encourage and incentivize students to complete homework regularly, as well as to assist teachers in analyzing homework to better understand students' thought processes and plan their instruction accordingly (Heffernan, 2019 ).

Research questions for this study

Numerous studies examined the empirical relationship between homework and academic achievement, motivation, and self-regulation (Heffernan, 2019 ; Magalhães et al., 2020 ). Studies have also analyzed practices such as copying homework and possible remedies (Felder, 2011 ; Palazzo et al., 2010 ; Radović et al., 2019 ). Another strand of literature considered educational technology as an enabling tool for students’ homework engagement and academic gains (e.g., Cooper et al., 2006 ; Hillmayr et al., 2020 ; Murphy et al., 2020 ; Radović & Passey, 2016 ).

In researching the instructional interplay between educational technology, teaching strategies, and student learning practices, this study operates under two main postulates while acknowledging the potential benefits and drawbacks of homework. The first postulate is that the use of technology in education can brings many benefits, but vary in terms of implementation, student activities, and the teacher’s role. The second postulate is that homework is not necessarily effective, and its success depends on its characteristics and pedagogical implementation. This study was conducted to address a gap in research and evaluate students' learning gains in different learning environments where technology was implemented, and students’ and teachers’ activities were affected by the method of homework technology implementation. The study sought to answer one main research question:

RQ: To what extent do student learning outcomes differ in different learning environments where technology was implemented and students’ and teachers’ activities were affected by the method of homework technology implementation?

Research methods

To evaluate different instructional interplays between technology and homework activities this study employs mix method research design (quantitative and qualitative) with pre and post testing. Three variants of learning environments were designed: (1) Traditional Homework (control group, CON); (2) Technology supported homework with final solutions (experimental group 1, EXP1); and (3) Technology supported homework with explanations (experimental group 2, EXP2). The detailed differences will be explained in the “ Treatment and the context of the study ” Section. Treatment and the context of the study.

The study was conducted during the period of 8 weeks. Multiple data sources were used: PreTest assessment (initial knowledge test), every second weeks’ knowledge test (progress test), and at the end of the study PostTest assessment (assess students' overall knowledge acquired during the intervention time). Additionally, student individual responses to homework tasks were collected, and used in qualitative part of the analysis.

Participants

This study took place in four different elementary schools in Serbia. Participants were 325 students from 12 different classroom cohorts who gave written consent to participle in the study. There were 165 fifth, 103 sixth, 35 seventh and 22 eighth grade students (from 11- to 14-year-old). Classes were randomly assigned to one of three conditions within each school: CON group ( n  = 120), EXP1 group ( n  = 97), and EXP2 group ( n  = 101).

Treatment and the context of the study

The experimental conditions were three variations of the mathematics learning environment. The different interactions between educational technology, teaching practices and students’ learning activities are shown in Table 1 .

In the control condition, students did homework as usual, without using educational technology. At the end of each lesson, the teacher provided students with a list of homework assignments that were the same for all students. In the subsequent lesson, during the introduction (usually lasting a few minutes), the teacher briefly reviewed the students' paper-based solutions, addressed any issues with the tasks, resolved any doubts raised by students, and proceeded with the scheduled lesson material.

Students in the experimental groups (EXP1 and EXP2) completed their homework on the eZbirka web platform, which differed from the control group in several ways. Firstly, the tasks were slightly randomized for each student, making it difficult for them to copy from others. Secondly, the platform provided automatic feedback on students’ submissions, allowing them to self-assess and compare their answers with rubrics. This feature allowed students to practice as many times as they wanted. In contrast, the control group completed homework as usual, with no automatic feedback and no opportunity for redoing their work. Teachers in the experimental groups also had the advantage of checking students’ results before the next lesson, which enabled them to address any issues or concerns before class began. This personalized approach allowed teachers to adjust their teaching plans in advance according to the needs of their students.

The experimental conditions differed in the type of solution submitted by students. In EXP1, students provided short answers, enabling teachers to check if the homework was completed and whether the answers were correct. However, teachers were unable to determine the nature of any errors made by the students (such as calculation errors or misconceptions). In contrast, students in EXP2 not only provided the final answer but also detailed the steps they took to arrive at the solution and the reasoning behind their chosen problem-solving strategy. If they were unable to solve the problem, they also explained the reason for their difficulty. This provided valuable insight to the teachers, who could use it to address any misunderstandings in the next lesson.

Each homework assignment comprised of six tasks intended to aid students in comprehending the material taught after each lesson. The tasks were adjusted to align with the curriculum and encompassed various levels of complexity and mathematics competencies. Using the eZbirka web platform (depicted in Fig.  1 ), students typed in their solutions for each task in the designated answer field. The answers were then saved in the database and promptly available for teachers to review and analyze. Upon submission, students were given feedback and had the option to self-assess their solutions. If the feedback helped them enhance their learning and comprehension, they could attempt another homework assignment with different tasks Fig.  2 .

figure 2

An example of homework for the teaching unit “Addition and subtraction of fractions with the same denominator” for students in the eighth grade

Analysis of knowledge tests result

Since the data were normally distributed, a parametric test was performed. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to determine whether there was a statistically significant difference between the study groups in terms of knowledge developed. The significant results, adjusted with the correction for multiple testing, were further examined by post hoc tests and pairwise comparisons between groups.

The comparison of the mean values and effect of the different learning environments on students’ learning performance and test results are shown in Table 2 . Although the participants in the Exp 2 group tended to score higher on the PreTest, the ANOVA test showed no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of students' performance on the PreTest.

Regarding students’ results on the assessment of knowledge during study (knowledge test 1–4), we can observe some significant differences between the groups. As for knowledge test 1, the analysis of the results shows that the students of the three groups achieved relatively similar results (Table 2 and Fig.  3 ). After the first 2 weeks, the results of the experimental groups begin to improve (with several significant statistical differences depending on the research condition). As for the Knowledge Test 2, the ANOVA showed that there was a statistically significant difference in the mean test score between groups ( F (2, 296) = 3.97, p  = 0.02). The post hoc multiple comparisons test showed that the mean value of the test score differed significantly only between the control group and EXP2 ( Mean Diff  = 0.525, p  = 0.02). As for knowledge test 3, analysis of the results showed no statistical difference. For knowledge test 4, however, the ANOVA showed that there was again a statistically significant difference in the mean test score between the groups ( F (2, 111) = 3.8, p  = 0.02). The post hoc multiple comparison test showed that the mean value of the test score was again significantly different only between the control group and EXP2 ( Mean Diff  = 0.878, p  = 0.02).

figure 3

Comparison of mean scores of Knowledge tests performance by group

Finally, the posttest scores of the three groups of students were compared (Table 2 ). The results of the ANOVA showed a statistically significant difference in the mean test score between the groups with respect to students’ final test knowledge ( F (2, 313) = 4.47, p  = 0.01). The post hoc multiple comparisons test showed that the mean value of the test score was again significantly different only between the control group and EXP2 ( Mean Diff  = 0.574, p  = 0.01). Students in the Technology-assisted homework with explanations (EXP2) group developed significantly more knowledge.

Pearson's rank correlation was performed to determine the relationship between the knowledge test results of students in EXP2. The analysis suggested that students' results were completely correlated (Table 3 ). Increase in knowledge on the knowledge test was correlated with higher results on the final test.

Analysis of student homework task solving description

The purpose of this qualitative part of the study is to analyze and illustrate students’ errors and misconceptions while working on homework tasks (Prakitipong & Nakamura, 2006 ; Trance, 2013 ). To this end, Newman’s Error analysis shame was used to code errors based on four types: (1) Comprehension (errors in understanding the task), (2) Transformation (error in problem transformation), (3) Mathematical processing (errors in process skills), and (4) Encoding errors (errors in writing answers) (Newman, 1977 , 1983 ; Trance, 2013 ). From homework solutions of students in the EXP2 group, we selected characteristic tasks and answers to illustrate the extent to which teachers were able to analyze and classify student errors as a reference for choosing appropriate teaching strategies for the next lesson to reduce and even eliminate student errors and misconceptions. This process could not be replicated with homework solutions from the EXP1 participant group because the students’ thinking process and problem-solving steps were often missing.

Homework task: comprehension errors

With comprehension errors, students have problems with misunderstanding the requirements of the task. They do not understand the meaning of symbols or questions, or they misunderstand mathematical terms. It also includes the inability of students to determine what is known and what is required of the problem (Newman, 1977 , 1983 ). One of the most common ways of making these types of errors was selecting information incorrectly, or not being able to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information (e.g., using all the information provided in a task or neglecting relevant information), or not being able to recall information that was not provided directly in the task.

The student solved all the previous tasks in the same lesson, where he had to calculate and handle systems of equations. In this case, the student was confused because one of variables was missing. Here an error occurred because student was not able to gather required information that was not directly provided in the task.

This lesson incorporates solving real-world examples of equations that contain fractions. The student demonstrates pure mathematical knowledge of solving equations, but also a degree of misunderstanding of the relationship between the unit of measurement and the measured value.

Homework task: transformation errors

The transformation error is an error when the student incorrectly transforms the problem into a mathematical model such as equation, picture, graph, or table. This type of error is also noted when students try to answer the task without using all the mathematical procedures. It also occurs when students use an incorrect operation or mathematical concept without analyzing whether it is possible.

Student made the proportion correctly, was able to solve it, but did not understand how to answer the authentic and real-world question—learner did not understand the mathematical concept of percentage. The result reported as a solution suggests that the student answered even without analyzing whether the solution was possible.

Homework task: mathematical processing errors

Errors of this type correspond to students’ failure to perform mathematical rules or procedures, or lack of practice in solving mathematical prblem. Process skill error is when student using the correct procedure but making mistakes in calculation or computing. These include errors in solving algebraic expressions, or functions, errors in arithmetic and mathematical interpretation.

The teacher may notice the student’s handling of fractions (three-fifths of 400 does not equal 220), but the lack of understanding of the mathematical requirements (in the second part of the answer “5/8 equals 250” is calculated from the original value noted in the task requirement—400, and not from what is left form calculation).

The learner, in this case, self-defining a problem in knowledge. This error corresponds to students' failure to perform the mathematical process of grouping sums.

Homework task: mathematical encoding errors

Encoding error is the student’s error in writing the answer correctly, unable to show the truth of the answer or validate the mathematical solution in terms of the real-world problem, or not writing the conclusion of the answer. This error is often reflected in student’s impossible or unrealistic answer.

Although the student showed that he understood the requirements of the assignment, his solution suggests that he was unable to correctly apply the mathematical laws to solve the real problem. The solution given by the student cannot be implemented. The characteristic of the diameter is that it passes through the center of the circle, but without knowing where the center is—it is impossible to determine the diameter.

This is an example of the student’s failure to interpret a mathematical answer as a solution that fits into the real-world context of a task. His answer of 5 kg is, within the context of this task, an answer that makes no sense.

The literature by Cooper et al. ( 2006 ), Heffernan ( 2019 ), Bray and Tangney ( 2017 ), Radović et al. ( 2019 ), and others suggest that students and teachers should utilize technology to enhance the homework process. However, to facilitate wider adoption of technology, it is essential to provide teachers with adequate support to develop appropriate teaching strategies and promote effective interactions (Viberg et al., 2023 ). The goal of the present study was to provide empirical evidence on how to optimize learning outcomes for students in both home and school settings (Bray & Tangney, 2017 ; Hillmayr et al., 2020 ) by researching the interaction between educational technology, teaching practices, and student learning activities. The study yielded both qualitative and quantitative findings, which provide several important points of discussion.

The present study found statistically significant differences in students’ grades between the Technology-assisted homework with explanations (EXP2) group and the Traditional homework group. This was demonstrated through two knowledge tests during the study, as well as the final knowledge test, at the end of the experimental period. To some extent, this result is consistent with prior research on assigning and collecting student homework. For instance, Murphy et al. ( 2020 ) noted that information about common wrong answers for each task helped teachers to address students’ cognitive issues and promote better comprehension. In the present study, students who provided explanations for their problem-solving activities (EXP2), enabled teachers to better identify those who struggled with various aspects of the homework and mathematical concepts. As Murphy et al. ( 2020 ) observed in an earlier study, providing more and better explanations may be especially helpful for lower-performing students. One could interpret students’ activities as providing them with more time for self-reflection and awareness of their understanding. By writing down the steps they took to arrive at a solution, as well as the reasoning behind their chosen problem-solving strategy, or explaining the reason for their difficulty, students were able to clarify better their understanding.

However, the present study brings another important result to be discussed. While technology can be advantageous for homework activities, its benefits may not always be statistically significant for students’ learning. Specifically, the present study found no statistically significant differences in learning outcomes between students who used the same technologies for homework but with writing only final solutions (EXP1) and those who completed traditional homework. This outcome suggests that effective practices must be developed through interaction between teachers and students, and as Viberg et al. ( 2023 ) have noted, the development of these practices should be led by teachers. Moreover, according to Zhai et al. ( 2023 ), the effectiveness of technology depends on the role of the teacher and students’ activities. Therefore, for technology integration in education it is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of the educational context, pedagogical principles, and lesson design. This aligns with previous research on the subject, which emphasizes the challenges of effectively integrating digital technology into the mathematics classroom (Bray & Tangney, 2017 ; Hillmayr et al., 2020 ). Later, we will discuss several specific practical features of technology integration in mathematics education during homework based on the study's findings.

The qualitative component of the study showcased how teachers could effectively analyze and comprehend students’ errors and misconceptions while reviewing their work. In the EXP2 group, teachers were able to adjust their instruction to cater to their students’ needs by scrutinizing patterns of misconceptions in homework, which was not feasible for students’ homework in the EXP1 group. Through a systematic process that involves identifying the errors and misunderstandings’ patterns, analysing their causes, adapting lessons to meet students' needs, and implementing corrective action, teachers made significant progress in comprehending and addressing students’ difficulties in learning mathematics (Murphy et al., 2020 ; Viberg et al., 2023 ). This study demonstrated that this pedagogical process of teacher was highly beneficial for student learning.

Limitations

Several limitations of this study must be considered. First, we only measured students’ direct learning outcomes—knowledge development. Studies are needed that use measures other significant variables than grades, and take into account motivation, satisfaction during learning, development of self-regulatory skills, etc. Second, in this study we did not evaluate the teachers’ perspective on the process, which may help to better understand the overall effect of technology integration in education. The third limitation pertains to the implementation of technologies in homework specifically for mathematics courses. Therefore, generalizing the findings of this research to evaluate its effectiveness in other STEAM subjects (such as science, technology, engineering, and the arts) or other learning activities cannot be confirmed. The fourth limitation is the relatively short period of experimentation, which was limited to 8 weeks. To obtain more accurate results, it would be worthwhile to conduct a longitudinal study that spans an entire semester or academic year. It is also essential to recognize the strong possibility of the existence of unobserved confounding variables, including unobserved mediators that may be correlated with targeted homework activities and student achievement, such as homework time, number of tasks completed, homework completion rates, and cognitive load during students’ learning.

In the future research, we will try to apply this research method and expand this work to include larger samples of students and teachers to allow for more comprehensive findings.

Conclusions

In conclusion, this study has contributed to the field in two significant ways. Firstly, we conducted a rigorous experiment that intersected three crucial elements of contemporary education: (a) technology, (b) mathematics homework practices, and (c) teacher-student interactions. The results demonstrate that this overlap provides a promising area for intervention in the ongoing pursuit of enhancing students’ mathematics achievement, as well as the teachers’ activities of identifying patterns of errors and misunderstandings, analysing their causes, adapting lessons to suit students’ needs, and implementing corrective measures. Secondly, we show that technology cannot independently establish effective connections between learning environments and situations. The critical factors are the pedagogical activities that the technology supports, how it is implemented in the learning process, and the teaching approach employed (Bray & Tangney, 2017 ; Drijvers, 2019 ; Radović et al., 2019 ). It is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of the educational context, pedagogical principles, and lesson design.

Taken together, the findings of this study suggest four practical recommendations that can contribute to the successful implementation of technology for homework activities (also presented in Table 1 and Fig.  4 ):

Provide opportunities for students to articulate their problem-solving methods and thought processes. Students should use language that reflects their comprehension of the subject matter and the complexity of the concept or problem they are describing.

Use students’ answers to gain valuable insights into their cognitive processes, identify any misconceptions, and assess their level of understanding. This information can then be used to tailor the teaching approach and provide targeted guidance that addresses student needs.

Provide students with timely feedback on their homework performance or rubric for self-assessment to enhance their learning experience. By receiving immediate feedback, students can identify areas of strengths and weaknesses and take steps to address any gaps in their understanding.

Allocate sufficient time in the next class to briefly summarize the main errors and misconceptions that students exhibited. Adjust teaching approach to address common areas of difficulty and create a classroom culture that values learning from mistakes and encourages students to ask questions and seek clarification.

figure 4

The schema of successful implementation of technology for homework activities (Radović et al., 2019 )

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Radović, S. Is it only about technology? The interplay between educational technology for mathematics homework, teaching practice, and students’ activities. J. Comput. Educ. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-023-00277-9

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Utilizing AIMath proves highly beneficial for self-study and exam preparation.

This online math AI solver is a dynamic addition to students’ study routines, seamlessly complementing traditional methods and textbooks.

Its adaptability and swift feedback on practice problems make it an indispensable resource, empowering students to deepen their comprehension and achieve improved academic performance.

Support for curriculum and homework

Moreover, AIMath is a valuable support system for formal curriculums and homework assignments.

The broad spectrum of solutions and detailed explanations provided align seamlessly with educational systems’ diverse requirements. 

By offering reliable and immediate assistance, AIMath becomes a crucial ally for students seeking to successfully complete assignments and grasp new concepts introduced in their classes.

Who is AIMath designed for?

AIMath, designed for a diverse user base, is particularly tailored to:

  • Students: The sophisticated technologies embedded within AIMath have a proven track record of improving student test scores. By delivering comprehensive explanations and fostering independent problem-solving skills, this math AI homework solver significantly boosts academic performance among its users. The AI not only equips students with the correct answers but also ensures that they understand the rationale behind each step, resulting in deeper learning and better retention of mathematical concepts.
  • Educators: AIMath also serves as a formidable resource for educators. By integrating this AI math homework solver into their teaching methodologies, teachers can offer supplemental support to students outside the classroom. The math AI solver’s in-depth explanations and real-time assistance enable teachers to direct their students towards an additional layer of instruction, reinforcing lesson plans and improving educational outcomes.

Key features of AIMath

With so many math AI solvers on the market, what sets AIMath apart from its competitors?

Comprehensive coverage of mathematical topics

AIMath distinguishes itself by its ability to address a wide spectrum of mathematical subjects.

These include arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, and even advanced fields such as discrete math and linear algebra. 

By incorporating a comprehensive range of topics, AIMath ensures that users with varying degrees of proficiency can find the help they need, whether they are tackling primary school-level calculations or university-level problems.

Global accessibility through multi-language support

One of the significant advantages of AIMath is its multi-language support, catering to a global audience.

By providing solutions in numerous languages, this math AI solver bridges the communication gap and ensures that language barriers do not hinder students’ quest for mathematical understanding.

Real-time problem analysis and solutions

AIMath’s efficiency as an AI math helper derives from its real-time problem analysis capabilities.

This feature enables the system to produce accurate solutions promptly, which is especially beneficial for students requiring immediate assistance with homework or exam preparation. 

The state-of-the-art algorithms employed by AIMath allow it to interpret and solve even the most intricate math problems within seconds, drastically reducing students’ time on problem-solving.

Universal access and 24/7 availability

AIMath’s universal access and 24/7 availability highlight its commitment to constantly supporting learners of all ages and from all locales.

With just an internet connection, users can access the robust features of this AI math homework solver at any time and from anywhere in the world. 

How do you solve your homework problems with AIMath?

Let's walk through the step-by-step guide for using AIMath, the AI-powered math solver:

  • Visit the AIMath website.
  • Type your math problem into the provided input box. 
  • Click the button to submit your math problem.
  • AIMath will process your query using its AI algorithms. Within seconds, you will receive an accurate answer and a detailed explanation.

The evolving role of AIMath in bridging education gaps

As we look to the future, what benefits can we anticipate from the continued use of AIMath?

Addressing geographic and socio-economic barriers

One crucial role of AIMath in education is its remarkable potential to mitigate geographic and socioeconomic disparities in learning. 

With AIMath, students in remote or underserved areas gain improved access to quality math education.

It democratizes learning by making high-quality math assistance available to anyone with internet access, regardless of their location or socio-economic status.

Achievement of educational equity

The ongoing evolution of AIMath actively contributes to the attainment of educational equity.

By ensuring that all students have equal opportunities to understand and excel in mathematics, this math AI solver lays the groundwork for a more equitable educational landscape. 

Education is a fundamental right, and the increasing prominence of AI math solvers positions it as a key player in realizing this ideal on a global scale.

Final thoughts

As an AI math solver, AIMath provides precision and insightful guidance through the complexities of mathematical landscapes.

It effectively addresses comprehension gaps and fosters a deep appreciation for the elegance embedded in numerical intricacies. 

Trustworthy and helpful, AIMath stands as a reliable AI Math companion for students, teachers, and anyone eager to learn mathematics.

Have any thoughts on this? Drop us a line below in the comments, or carry the discussion to our  Twitter  or  Facebook .

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Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. However, our opinions, reviews, and other editorial content are not influenced by the sponsorship and remain objective .

The post AIMath is the most efficient math AI solver for math learning appeared first on KnowTechie .

AIMath is the most efficient math AI solver for  math learning

teaching pedagogy homework

After a pregnant New York teacher collapses at school and dies, community mourns

teaching pedagogy homework

New York public school teacher Courtney Fannon spent some of the last moments of her life at school, collapsing shortly after sending her husband a quick text on Friday. 

Fannon spent that day like she would any other day at Kendall Central School, gathering her thoughts and materials before heading home for the day. 

All Kendall Central teachers were on campus that day, completing professional development trainings. The school was closed to students that day, district spokesperson Steve Dawe told USA TODAY Thursday.

Minutes after sending the message to her husband, she was found unresponsive in a school building, Matthew Smith, a close friend of the couple wrote on GoFundMe. 

Fannon, who was pregnant with her first daughter, Hadley Jaye, was transported to a local hospital, where life saving measures began for both mother and daughter. They died later that evening. 

“The world lost 2 beautiful souls, Courtney Fannon and Hadley Jaye Fannon, long before any of us were ready to live in a world without them. They were called to eternal rest the night of March 8th, after a very tragic and unexpected turn of events,” according to the GoFundMe post. 

The funds raised through GoFundMe, about $47,623 as of Wednesday, will go towards covering any final expenses, including medical bills, funeral service costs and keep Fannon’s husband Kurtis afloat for the short-term.

District cancels school Monday, issues statement in wake of Fannon’s death

All Kendall Public Schools were closed to students on Monday, including Kendall Central School, where Fannon taught special education since 2018.

“Courtney was a special education teacher who served her students with passion and joy each day,” according to a message by District Superintendent Nicholas Picardo.  

“When she wasn't in her classroom sharing her love and gift for teaching with her students, she could be found walking our halls with a smile and a friendly hello,” Picardo said. 

Picardo said they were “saddened to share the news,” adding that they would “communicate the details of support for our larger community in the coming days.”  

Counselors were on site Tuesday for any students or staff who needed support during this difficult time, the statement reads. 

“We ask that you please respect the family's privacy at this time. We have shared information via ParentSquare for caregivers who might need a resource for helping children handle feelings of grief.” 

Community comes together to extend condolences, support for the family of the 'special' educator

Smith, who organized the fundraiser on behalf of Kurt Fannon hopes the effort eases some of the burdens left in the “wake of this devastating news.” 

“Kurtis was left to not only manage final arrangements for Courtney and Hadley, but he is living mine, and many others, worst nightmare of having to return to a home, filled with baby toys, bottles, furniture and a finished nursery, that will no longer be filled with the cooing sounds and shuffling of a newborn,” he writes. 

There is an endless supply of good and positive things to be said about Courtney, according to Smith. 

“She was a special education teacher in the Kendall School District and was the perfect person to fill the role. She was loving, genuine and organized in a way that always placed her students ahead of herself, ultimately changing the lives of her students and caregivers, always for the positive.” 

A funeral mass for Courtney and Hadley Jaye Fannon will be held on Saturday, March 16 at 11 a.m. at St. Vincent DePaul Church in Churchville, New York, according to reporting by The U.S. Sun. 

The family has asked people to send donations in Fannon and Hadley's name to Homestead for Hope , which is a “nonprofit inclusive community farm for individuals with and without disabilities to learn, work, live, and grow in nature’s classroom” in Rochester, New York.

“She was selfless and my heart breaks for those that knew her best, as I only had the chance to know her for the last 10 years through Kurtis,” Smith wrote.

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Education Department starts sending financial aid data to colleges after months of delays

FILE - Education Secretary Miguel Cardona participates in a roundtable discussion with students from Dartmouth College, Jan. 10, 2024. After months of delays and technical hiccups, some colleges and universities have started to receive federal data they need to put together financial aid offers for incoming students. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

FILE - Education Secretary Miguel Cardona participates in a roundtable discussion with students from Dartmouth College, Jan. 10, 2024. After months of delays and technical hiccups, some colleges and universities have started to receive federal data they need to put together financial aid offers for incoming students. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

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WASHINGTON (AP) — After months of delays and technical hiccups, some colleges and universities have started to receive federal data they need to put together financial aid offers for incoming students , the Biden administration said Monday.

The Education Department says it sent a first batch of student records to a few dozen universities on Sunday and is making final updates before expanding to more universities.

The delay has cut into the time schools usually have to assemble financial aid packages before the typical May 1 deadline for students to commit to a university. Many colleges have extended enrollment deadlines as they wait on the federal government, leaving families across the nation wondering how much financial help they will get with college tuition.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid overhaul delayed the form’s usual rollout from October to late December. The department then soft-launched the new version to address lingering bugs in the system, but many families reported difficulties accessing the form.

Congress ordered the update in 2020 to simplify the notoriously complex form and expand federal student aid to more low-income students. The new application reduces the number of questions from 108 to fewer than 50, and it uses a new and more generous formula to determine eligibility for federal student aid.

FILE - A woman walks by a Yale sign reflected in the rainwater on the Yale University campus, Aug. 22, 2021, in New Haven, Conn. Connecticut lawmakers are considering banning the use of legacy and donor preferences in admissions to all colleges and universities across the state, including private ones like Yale University. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

The delays have had cascading impacts across higher education. FAFSA information is used to award state and federal education grants, and schools use it to assemble financial aid packages for prospective students. In the meantime, families often have only a murky idea of how much they would need to pay, which can be a dealbreaker when choosing colleges.

Advocates fear the holdup will deter some students from pursuing higher education at all, especially those who were already on the fence.

Repeated delays have become a blemish for the Biden administration, which has blamed Congress for rejecting requests for more money to overhaul information systems and update the decades-old application process.

Republicans in Congress say the Government Accountability Office has launched an investigation into the administration’s handling of the overhaul.

Every year, about 17 million students submit the FAFSA as part of their applications for financial aid. So far, 5.5 million students have been able to fill out the new FAFSA form, according to the department.

The department updated its formula to account for inflation, which will increase the amount of aid students are eligible to receive. But the initial release didn’t include the updated inflation tool.

In a letter to the department in February, over 100 Democratic lawmakers pressed for answers on how the department planned to minimize the impact the delays have had on families.

“Any delays in financial aid processing will most impact the students that need aid most, including many students of color, students from mixed status families, students from rural backgrounds, students experiencing homelessness or in foster care, first-generation students, and students from underserved communities,” they wrote. “For institutions to support students’ ability to make informed decisions about their future, they need clear guidance and resources from the Department immediately on any and all next steps.”

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org .

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A child being handed a school meal, only their hands are visible.

‘Desperate neglect’: teachers washing clothes and finding beds as poverty grips England’s schools

Schools risk being overwhelmed by hungry, exhausted children from freezing homes, headteachers and campaigners warn

‘If a child is hungry, it doesn’t matter if you’re a bloody good teacher’

Schools are finding beds, providing showers for pupils and washing uniforms as child poverty spirals out of control, headteachers from across England have told the Observer .

School leaders said that as well as hunger they were now trying to mitigate exhaustion, with increasing numbers of children living in homes without enough beds or unable to sleep because they were cold. They warned that “desperate” poverty was driving problems with behaviour, persistent absence and mental health.

The head of a primary school in a deprived area in north-west England, speaking anonymously to avoid identifying vulnerable children, said: “We have a child who we put in the shower a couple of times a week.” He described the family’s bathroom as “disgusting” and said they couldn’t afford to buy cleaning products.

His school routinely washed uniforms for children whose families didn’t have a washing machine.

The school recently stepped in to help after discovering a pupil begging outside a supermarket and its free breakfast club was “really needed”. But lack of sleep had become another big symptom of poverty – and a barrier to learning.

“We’ve got a lot of kids in homes with not enough beds or a mum sleeping with two or three children,” the head said. Support staff would often take children out of class who weren’t coping because of exhaustion to let them sleep for an hour or two. “Some children are falling asleep in lessons, and not just the little ones,” he said.

The school had many children living in “desperate neglect”. “Kids are sleeping on sofas, in homes with smashed windows, no curtains, or mice,” he said. “I come out of some of these properties and get really upset.”

A report published on Friday by the Child of the North campaign, led by eight leading northern universities, and the Centre for Young Lives thinktank, warned that after decades of cuts to public services, schools were now the “frontline of the battle against child poverty” , and at risk of being “overwhelmed”. It called on the government to increase funding to help schools support the more than 4 million children now living in poverty in the UK.

Anne Longfield, founder of the Centre for Young Lives and the government’s former children’s commissioner, said: “The government has dismantled public services over the past decade and schools are the last people standing. They need proper support to tackle child poverty.”

A school meal on a canteen counter

Katrina Morley, chief executive of Tees Valley Education trust, which runs four primary academies and one special school, all with exceptionally high numbers of children on free school meals, described sleep as “a real issue”. “We have children without beds or they might have to share with siblings,” she said. “Some don’t have enough bedding and no heating so they can’t sleep because they are cold.”

The trust works with local charities to provide families with support on issues like finding beds, and has also discreetly donated blankets over the winter.

A teacher at a primary school in the south-east who works with children at risk of exclusion, 90% of whom are from working families relying on food banks, said children were vaping and buying cheap energy drinks “to suppress their hunger”. Their behaviour was “erratic” as a result. “Every child I deal with is fighting issues that would keep us off work,” he added. “We can’t just teach in a bubble and ignore that.”

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Jonny Uttley, chief executive of the the Education Alliance, which runs 11 schools in Hull and East Yorkshire, said hunger or an inability to replace or wash uniforms were the most overt signs of poverty they saw. Some of their schools now provided some children with PE kits and washed them between lessons.

“We’ve got families who can’t afford the electricity to run a washing machine, or it’s broken and they can’t replace it,” he said. “Or parents are simply struggling to cope.”

But in secondary school, where teachers didn’t see parents at the school gate and many young people felt ashamed to admit their family was suddenly on the edge, working out how to step in could be harder, he said. His trust relied on pastoral staff who keep in touch with families, but Uttley warned that although “poverty is in every school in the country now” many cash-strapped schools were being forced to cut pastoral staff just when they were needed most.

Ben Davis, head of St Ambrose Barlow RC high in Salford, said: “There is this simplistic, romantic idea that education lifts people out of poverty, but you have to do something to mitigate the impacts of poverty or children can’t learn.”

His school employs a full-time therapist, and she encounters many young people who feel ashamed of growing up in poverty. Davis said this made them vulnerable to criminal exploitation. “We feel if we don’t try to help, who else will?” he added.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We understand the pressures many households are under, which is why we have extended eligibility for free school meals more than any government in the past half a century – doubling the number of children receiving them since 2010.”

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COMMENTS

  1. Homework

    Clearly setting out the aims of homework to pupils. Understanding and addressing any barriers to completion, such as access to a learning device or resources. Explicitly teaching independent learning strategies. Providing high-quality feedback to improve pupil learning. Monitoring the impact homework on pupil engagement, progress and attainment.

  2. PDF Practice and Homework Effective Teaching Strategies

    Considerations: Practice and Homework - 8Effective Teaching Strategies T/TAC W& M 2004 updated 2019 Keep direct parent involvement in homework to a minimum. Many parents feel that it is their responsibility to help their children with homework. As a result, they often help their children to redo assignments that have been done incorrectly.

  3. Key Lessons: What Research Says About the Value of Homework

    Too much homework may diminish its effectiveness. While research on the optimum amount of time students should spend on homework is limited, there are indications that for high school students, 1½ to 2½ hours per night is optimum. Middle school students appear to benefit from smaller amounts (less than 1 hour per night).

  4. Pedagogy

    Pedagogy is the combination of teaching methods (what instructors do), learning activities (what instructors ask their students to do), and learning assessments (the assignments, projects, or tasks that measure student learning). Key Idea for Pedagogy. Diversify your pedagogy by varying your teaching methods, learning activities, and assignments.

  5. Does Homework Really Help Students Learn?

    Sara Rimer A journalist for more than three decades, Sara Rimer worked at the Miami Herald, Washington Post and, for 26 years, the New York Times, where she was the New England bureau chief, and a national reporter covering education, aging, immigration, and other social justice issues.Her stories on the death penalty's inequities were nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and cited in the U.S ...

  6. Is Homework a Waste of Time? Teachers Weigh In

    In 2003, a pair of national studies found that most American students spent less than an hour daily on homework, and the workload was no bigger than it was 50 years prior. "There is this view in ...

  7. Designing Effective Homework

    Reinforce and allow students to practice skills learned in the classroom. Help students develop good study habits and routines. Foster positive feelings about school. In grades 6-12, homework should: Reinforce and allow students to practice skills learned in the classroom. Prepare students for engagement and discussion during the next lesson.

  8. The Case for (Quality) Homework

    For middle-school students, Cooper and colleagues report that 90 minutes per day of homework is optimal for enhancing academic achievement, and for high schoolers, the ideal range is 90 minutes to two and a half hours per day. Beyond this threshold, more homework does not contribute to learning.

  9. The Value of Homework: Is Homework an Important Tool for Learning in

    Homework is seen as a valuable resource for teaching, allowing students to practice, and in doing so, learn the unit material. This study documented the importance of flexibility in the assignment and evaluation of quality homework assignments, but also the alarming lack of a written homework policy in 50% of the participating schools.

  10. (PDF) Investigating the Effects of Homework on Student Learning and

    Homework has long been a topic of social research, but rela-tively few studies have focused on the teacher's role in the homework process. Most research examines what students do, and whether and ...

  11. Why Homework Doesn't Seem To Boost Learning--And How It Could

    The research cited by educators just doesn't seem to make sense. If a child wants to learn to play the violin, it's obvious she needs to practice at home between lessons (at least, it's ...

  12. List of 107 Classroom Teaching Strategies (With Examples)

    Teacher has ample time to assess students' abilities to make adjustments to their pedagogy as they move through the 3 steps (particularly in step 2) Challenges. In large groups, students may fall behind at Steps 2 and 3. Theoretical Link. ... Yes, homework is a teaching strategy! A traditional approach to homework sees it as an opportunity ...

  13. Teaching with Homework

    This finding fits with the commonly cited "10-minute rule," which suggests that educators should assign about 10 minutes of homework per night, per grade level, giving a first grader 10 minutes per night, 20 minutes for a second grader, and so on. The article also examines the other side of the argument, citing countries such as Japan and ...

  14. What's the Right Amount of Homework?

    The National PTA and the National Education Association support the " 10-minute homework guideline "—a nightly 10 minutes of homework per grade level. But many teachers and parents are quick to point out that what matters is the quality of the homework assigned and how well it meets students' needs, not the amount of time spent on it.

  15. Evidence-Based Effective Pedagogy in Primary Schools

    London: Institute of Education Press (IOE Press), 2019.220 pp. £24.99 (paperback). ISBN: 978-1-85856-506-4. This book is the first and most systematic report of the key findings from the world-class and world-known massive research program— The Effective Provision of Preschool, Primary & Secondary Education (EPPSE).

  16. Homework in the 21st Century Teaching and Learning

    Homework, according to Dr. Linda Milbourne, is intended to be a positive experience that encourages children to learn. Teachers assign homework to help students review, apply and integrate what has been learned in class; to extend student exploration of topics more fully than class time permits, and to help students prepare for the next class ...

  17. Flipped Classroom Pedagogy

    Flipped pedagogy refers to a specific and widely used variety of blended learning, discussed in depth here.. What is flipped teaching? Flipped teaching is a specific variety of blended instruction in which traditionally in-class activities (especially lectures) are done as homework, while traditional homework activities (like working through practice exercises) are done in class.

  18. The cultural pedagogy of errors: teacher Wang's homework practice in

    It aims to explore how a system of homework activities mediates and engenders a cultural pedagogy characterized by transforming errors into resources for teaching and learning. The transformation itself embodies teacher learning processes tied up with making sense of errors and providing feedback and pedagogical support to help as many students ...

  19. What is Pedagogy? An Introduction to Learning Theories

    An Introduction to Learning Theories. Pedagogy, pronounced 'ped-a-godge-ee' (yes, we had to google that), is a term whose definition is regularly contested. Wedged somewhere between teaching theory and psychological vernacular, it's a word that sits just out of reach for many classroom teachers - not through ignorance or lack of knowledge ...

  20. Should Kids Get Homework?

    Too much, however, is harmful. And homework has a greater positive effect on students in secondary school (grades 7-12) than those in elementary. "Every child should be doing homework, but the ...

  21. Is it only about technology? The interplay between educational

    The term "homework" refers to tasks assigned to students that are meant to be completed outside of regular school hours (Cooper et al., 2006; Magalhães et al., 2020).In Serbia's education system, homework serves an important pedagogical purpose with several prominent characteristics: it is assigned after each lesson, typically takes students between half an hour to an hour to complete ...

  22. PDF Pedagogical Practices of a Special Educator: Engaging Parents Who Have

    As a special education teacher working with intensive needs children and their families, I have come to ... Nancy shaped my beliefs and practices as a teacher. This article describes a "pedagogy of walking ... Parents raised their children at home, while teachers taught children at school. Homework was mandatory and it came above all else in ...

  23. How teachers started using ChatGPT to grade assignments

    A new tool called Writable, which uses ChatGPT to help grade student writing assignments, is being offered widely to teachers in grades 3-12.. Why it matters: Teachers have quietly used ChatGPT to grade papers since it first came out — but now schools are sanctioning and encouraging its use. Driving the news: Writable, which is billed as a time-saving tool for teachers, was purchased last ...

  24. AIMath is the most efficient math AI solver for math learning

    By integrating this AI math homework solver into their teaching methodologies, teachers can offer supplemental support to students outside the classroom. The math AI solver's in-depth ...

  25. Oregon Department of Education : March 2024 Education Update : About Us

    Therefore, let's start by celebrating the over 900 Teacher of the Year nominees across our state. What a testament to the amazing instruction that is happening for our scholars. Oregon, we have our work cut out for us as we try to narrow this amazing field down to first, one Regional Winner in each of the 19 Education Service Districts, and later this summer, to one educator representing the ...

  26. What's New in Microsoft EDU

    Following on the heels of our Reimagine Education event on March 6th, we want to share some great new updates that we're excited to share with you, so here's what's new this month. Enjoy! March Topics: 1. Reading Coach updates. 2. AI and EDU updates. 3. Teams for Education updates. 4. Learning Accelerators updates. 5.

  27. New York mourns after teacher Courtney Fannon, unborn baby, deaths

    Courtney Fannon, a special education teacher in Kendall, New York died Friday, March 8, hours after she was found unresponsive at school.

  28. Education Department starts sending financial aid data to colleges

    The Education Department says it sent a first batch of student records to a few dozen universities on Sunday and is making final updates before expanding to more universities. The delay has cut into the time schools usually have to assemble financial aid packages before the typical May 1 deadline for students to commit to a university. Many ...

  29. Statewide student group splits evenly on AI use in homework

    Kingsport, TN (37660) Today. Partly cloudy. High 49F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight

  30. 'Desperate neglect': teachers washing clothes and finding beds as

    Jonny Uttley, chief executive of the the Education Alliance, which runs 11 schools in Hull and East Yorkshire, said hunger or an inability to replace or wash uniforms were the most overt signs of ...