Parents Supporting Homework and Assessments - Guidelines and Recommendations
Homework and study are valuable parts of schooling as they allow for practising, extending and consolidating the work done in class. They provide training for students in planning and organising their time and provide parents with insight into learning.
At St Patrick’s College, it is suggested that the following times be used as a guide, being mindful that time allocated to homework each day will differ from student to student:
|
Year Level |
Hours per day after School |
Hours on the Weekend |
|
Year 7 |
Up to but not more than 1 hour |
1 hour |
|
Year 8 |
1¼ hours |
1½ hours |
|
Year 9 |
1½ hours |
2 hours |
|
Year 10 |
2–3 hours |
4 hours |
|
Year 11 |
2–3½ hours |
4–4½ hours |
|
Year 12 |
3–4 hours |
5–7 hours |
Guidelines and recommendations for parents
Homework is a part of schoolwork that requires family and teachers working together. Unfortunately, homework can be a source of stress for many families. Stress can be higher when parents lack confidence in their ability to help with homework, when homework is not valued, and when there is a need to balance downtime with schoolwork. The following advice to families draws on the work of homework researcher Professor Cathy Vatterott (Rethinking Homework).
Parents are encouraged to …
- Provide an appropriate space to do homework.
- Ask about what your daughter is studying in school.
- Ask your daughter to show you any homework assignments.
- Assist with organising homework materials.
- Help with formulating a plan for completing homework.
- Encourage self-checking and working with classmates to study or peer-edit.
Parents may if they wish …
- Help interpret homework or assessment task directions.
- Proofread work, pointing out errors.
- If your daughter has trouble with literacy, read aloud required reading or instructions.
- Give practice quizzes to help prepare for tests.
- Help brainstorm ideas for projects.
- Praise your daughter for completing homework.
Parents should not …
- Attempt to teach new concepts or skills your daughter is unfamiliar with.
- Complete homework or assessments for your daughter.
- Allow their daughter to sacrifice sleep to complete homework.
Communicating with teachers
If your daughter cannot complete the homework because they don’t understand the work:
- Write a note in the student diary to the class teacher or email the class teacher. For example: “Janet doesn’t understand how to do the problems. Please explain this to her again and allow her to redo the task.”
If homework seems excessive:
- Document how much time was spent on the task or a particular part of the task.
- Email or phone the class teacher and let them know the amount of time your daughter has spent on their homework or a particular assessment task.
If literacy or numeracy skills, learning difficulties or disabilities are hampering homework completion:
- Write a note in the diary, or email or phone the class teacher and ask for modifications or adjustments to the task.
If homework, more generally, is causing stress or conflict, please inform the College:
- Email or phone the Pastoral Advisor.
If homework is too easy:
- If homework is frequently completed to a high standard within a short time frame, then speak with the class teacher about the need to stretch your daughter academically.
The College acknowledges the diversity among families and daily life and that the successful implementation of homework will differ from family to family. Involvement by parents will vary depending on time available, work commitments and the ability of the student.
Debra Bourne - Assistant Principal Learning and Teaching