There is nothing quite like the joy of ordering a good takeaway after a hard weeks work. My choice of takeaway at the time I want it!
We have a homework timetable (for homework that teachers set) that we must follow in the school I teach in which is a relatively good idea in that we are not allowing students to be overloaded with homework from all their teachers in one day. A good idea? Yes I thought so until a few months ago when I found myself annoyed when ‘Johnny’ didn’t have the small homework task done that I had set for him. ‘Johnny’ went on to explain that he had got the school bus at 6.30 am the previous day followed by after school rugby, the school bus home at 5 pm to quickly eat dinner and then out to another training session at 6 pm only to get home at 9 pm to go straight to bed as he had another early start the next day. I stood there looking at this 11 year old child and thought how wrong I was for being annoyed that he didn’t have his small task completed!
I work in an amazing international school in the Middle East and it is normal for students in this region to be up at 6 am to get the school bus and not get home until 6 pm sometimes with after school commitments. I also have added into this my own daughter starting Year 7 this year and for once seeing ‘Secondary School’ from a parents perspective rather than just a teachers. From early on this school year she has been bogged down with homework tasks and I had to stop and ask myself the question when is a child supposed to be a child. She is 11 years old. She needs to play and have some downtime.
This is how my love for a ‘Takeaway Homework’ developed. I had stumbled upon this idea developed by @teachertoolkit a while back but had never got around to making any for my classes. You know the old saying not enough hours in the day. Well this time I made it my priority to get at least one made and try it out. My Year 8 class were my pilot class for this new ‘Homework’. I gave each student a coloured copy of the eye catching ‘Takeaway Homework’ at the start of their new topic and explained the process.
I have never seen such enthusiasm in my class for a homework task. Students were telling me that finally they had a teacher that understood they had so much going on. They were excited to try out this new homework. They were the ones responsible for what they would do and when they would do it. I gave them three weeks to complete the two homework tasks; one had to be from the hot/very hot section.
To say this has been a success would be an understatement. Not only have the students enjoyed the tasks, I have been blown away by the quality of the homework I have received. Each time we start a new topic, we try a new ‘Takeaway Homework’ and each time I am even more and more astounded by the work I receive from my students. I can see it is not a mundane task for most of the students. They are enjoying homework again and learning so much from the process. I made my own ‘Grow and Glow’ feedback sheet for the students that I fill in for every task they complete. Students are awarded bronze, silver, gold or platinum for their homework and I give them positive feedback on what they did well (Glow) and how they can improve (Grow). I have changed the way I assign homework and only feedback in a positive manner thus allowing my students to develop a growth mindset.
My ‘Takeaway Homework’ sheets and feedback sheet are available free to download on TES. If you haven’t tried this go and give it a go. You will not regret it and the kids will love you for it!
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/waves-light-and-sound-takeaway-homework-11515176
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