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Provide clearer instructions on homework (28)
Assign more challenging homework for students who need it (31)
Don't assign more homework (8)
Provide more teacher feedback on homework and tests (16)
Provide clearer instructions on homework:
2 Clear directions need to be included with homework assignments
4 I think math problems need to be clearer, and stated at a level for 4th grade. I am sending you examples of math work that 1) my child couldn't understand, and 2) were not clear or level-appropriate.
8 Easier to understand. Clearer directions.
6 More clear instructions. More in-class examples. Better grading with detailed answer to each incorrectly solved problem.
3 Better homework sheets. (Sometimes it looks thrown together from different sources & even the size of print varies & is difficult to work with when too small à no room to carry figures, etc.) Perhaps a textbook would help guide the teacher & help parents concerning teaching methods since we do have to teach the math at home. My child is at grade level but often cannot do homework without being taught by a parent (who is not a teacher & this causes frustration for everyone involved!)
1 Q9: Very poorly put together. Some homework doesn't have proper explanations to accompany homework or no examples or practice problems with answers so the children know if they are studying correctly.
4 Q10: Yes a little. Sometimes it's worded so poorly it confuses even me.
7 Worksheets (homework and classwork) should be clearer and less ambiguous
5 Q9: Too long and not always clearly understandable
6 Homework should always include 2-3 examples for the student to use when they get stuck on the problem solving
3 Better instructions for child & parent, and good examples.
6 More written instruction for assignments or reference to the section in math book!
2 Q10: Yes. She usually does not have a complete understanding of the assignment, and there are often too many new vocabulary words in the instructions or word problems.
3 Do NOT change written home instructions orally without verifying every student has written down the changes.
4 Sending more explicit directions home with their objectives so parents can help children reach the goal
2 Better explanation of goal/purpose of homework
2 Clearer copies of work sheets!
3 Homework instructions can be very vague. If the parent can't understand what the teacher is looking for, then the student has no after-school support.
5 Better written instructions on homework worksheets
5 More instructions/guidelines from teachers before assigning homework on the topic.
1 Homework instructions are ambiguous even to an adult with extensive experience in mathematics. Sometimes the homework is of a level of difficulty that it requires either a private tutorial by the parent, or the parent completes the assignment. This can frustrate the child and decrease the motivation to learn. On a practical level, parents cannot devote such a large amount of time to a child's mathematics homework. While it is a parent's job to guide and advise a child with homework, it is not appropriate for a parent to do the actual teaching. The classroom is the proper place for teaching.
2 The instructions need to be more clear and understandable
4 Homework instructions
4 A little less homework or more explanation to parents so we can better work with our kids.
3 More homework with explanation
4 RANDOM -- no logic
K The directions need to be clear. If the county wants one particular answer to an assignment, the problem must be carefully worded without ambiguity.
4 Q9: Poorly designed
Assign more challenging homework for students who need it:
1 Q6: No. Math assignments not challenging
8 You should group people in their own learning speed groups and make the homework challenging and short, not long and easy!
3 More challenging homework
Our school is so busy trying to bring underachievers to grade level they seem to ignore needs of kids who might do better
2 More challenging homework
4 More challenging homework
3 More challenging homework
10 More difficult homework
8 Harder homework
2 Q6: Don't know about school, but homework is extremely easy for her.
3 Q11: Yes. Could be more challenged
Q14: More challenging homework -- not more of it
K More homework and make it more challenging
2 Q6: Yes. But I would like to see a lot more homework that would reinforce the skills & math facts
Q9: Easy. But not enough
Q11: Yes. But I want him to learn his math facts a little better. We will work on that this summer.
Q14: More rigorous homework. The teacher seems to be doing a good job of getting various concepts across, but my son could use more practice with the concepts.
4 Q11: No. Homework is approximately 10-15 minutes at night (includes parents proofing time) and lacks extra credit or challenging problems for the student
Q14: Homework assignments which are more challenging to the student
9 My child could use more challenging homework which is application based requiring more multi-step solutions and requiring deeper level thinking. Currently, much of the work is reviewing or applying one skill at a time. Help from me is not required because it is too simplistic -- and this is in Honors level math!
5 Extra homework and some challenge tests
2 Need more homework & more advanced level! Kids need a lot of practice, tests, homework to understand fully.
1 More challenging homework
3 More and harder Homework.
1 More challenges, more homework
K More homework that's interactive
3 Make it more challenging/more homework
2 More homework for the advanced students
5 More homework, more challenges, faster pace
1 In the math enrichment class, parents were told in a letter that homework would be given every day, but in reality, there was either no homework at all or only 1-2 homework per week. It seems like no one is monitoring the program.
K Such a variety of levels at this age -- could be enhanced with additional once per week homework for the kids who are advanced already!
8 Extra homework
2 Q9: Nonexistent. He gets almost none
Q14: I don't think they are challenging the kids in math; at least not in my son's second grade class
4 Giving supplemental/optional work, say for "extra credit" maybe.
2 Q9: Busy work
8 Less busy work
1 Q9: repetitive & not challenging
4 It would be helpful if additional worksheets were available for practice at home. Perhaps they could be available through a school's website.
1 More homework
4 More homework.
1 More structured materials and homeworks
6 More homework. Parent awareness.
2 More homework
1 Additional math homework should be given
1 More time spent. More homework that is math related.
5 More homework and more help with the math instruction
5 [ ] is doing an excellent job -- would like to see more homework
2 There is very little math homework
7 More class time & homework
3 More homework
More exams (periodic exams every month)
4 Don't skimp on math homework
5 More homework!
4 Additional worksheets sent home with student
1 More problems
K Not sure less homework a good idea
1 Q9: N/A -- no math homework given
3 Math homework should be every night!
2 I believe homework is needed every day to reinforce classroom instruction. Every other day is not sufficient. Students tend to forget the lessons, concepts.
2 Daily math homework
2 The same way they are supposed to read at home every day at least 15 minutes to 1/2 hours: they are supposed to bring extra math homework so they can practice every day.
2 More homework
1 More homework
Extra homework for weekends
1 More math homework. More application to real world
5 More homework & repetition
5 Students need more math homework
3 More math homework/more class time doing math
3 More homework
3 More homework
5 More homework.
2 More in class work, less homework/instruction
5 Q9: Sometimes too much/many problems
4 Less homework/busy work
K Q9: Easy/Average Difficult/Very Difficult. It varies nightly.
Q14: It's OK as is.
8 Last year extremely difficult -- in comparison this year average -- some students in this class who did not have last year's class so pace is slower to accommodate them -- no differentiation
8 More work is not better!
3 Ease up on the worksheets
5 Lastly, I don't approve of the summer math packets. The parents who help and encourage their children all school year need a break for themselves and their children. The children that really need the help to complete the packet probably don't get it in the summer either.
Provide more teacher feedback on homework and tests:
4 Homework assignments are not always screened by the teacher
6 Teachers need to correct and return student work including tests
6 Homework should be checked and graded accurately. Teacher help and reinforcement especially when introducing new problems
6 1) I think students need to have handouts which solve their math homework given to them when they turn in the homework. This way they can compare their work -- particularly when they get a wrong answer
2) I don't think that student correction is appropriate. This lowers the self-esteem of students when they fail at homework
2 It would be helpful for a student, if a teacher would give the correct answer on a student's paper to questions that were answered wrong. That way, a child can learn from their mistakes.
7 Teacher has to give the students appropriate feedback about the mistakes he/she made in the homework or tests
4 I would like to see graded homework papers -- to know what is not getting through to her.
9 The teachers need to start grading the homework
5 Having teachers collect and correct homework from individual students so that they can see where a child is having a problem. Right now the students correct their own work. Class tests should be sent home for parental review.
4 More homework -- or some way to show parents what the children are learning
6 Make sure that the answer sheets the teachers go by are the same version as the homework the students were given. Make sure that all workbooks and supplemental texts are the same version as the teacher is going by.
It would also help, if any answer sheet the teacher goes by provides all possible answers, particularly in IM and above classes.
We have had a problem with bringing wrong answers to the attention of teachers. They want to dismiss us rather than have a dialogue with us. Furthermore, we have discovered an apparent wall between the classroom teachers and county personnel who develop the programs. We do not understand what is behind this inability to communicate.
5 Teacher should review student's homework by problems, not just check whether they did it.
5 I also believe that math homework should be collected and reviewed by the teacher, so that the teacher can see what the child understands. If a child doesn't understand the topic, he shouldn't receive a poor grade for the work. If the teacher doesn't explain the topic well, the child shouldn't be penalized with a poor homework grade. Homework should be practice. Quizzes and tests should determine the grade. If the children exchange papers and grade each others homework, how does the teacher know who is having trouble. It is not clear to me how the grading is done. Each topic is only discussed for a few days. If a child has questions, there seems to be little time to discuss the topic again.
11 Needs to go over homework more regularly, must return tests & explain what was wrong
9 Tests should be graded promptly & then gone over in class
3 Q10: Yes. Also because homeworks are not always corrected by teacher
Homeworks -- better follow-up