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<\/p>\nOn the one hand, regular practice outside of the classroom can help students retain information and reinforce learning. On the other, it\u2019s also difficult to motivate students to do the work without coercion or consequences.<\/p>\n
While the debate over the efficacy of homework continues to rage on, one thing remains clear: there will always be students who seemingly refuse to submit their homework. So how in the WORLD do we get these kids to just DO IT?<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re struggling to get students to submit work on a regular basis, there may be a problem in your systems that, once fixed, can increase not only the likelihood of your students submitting but also increase their academic success. Here are four common mistakes that teachers make about submitting homework, and what you can do instead.<\/p>\n
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Before we delve into tactics, it\u2019s important to understand WHY students won\u2019t submit their work. We often chalk it up to laziness, forgetfulness, not paying attention in class or just poor time management. While these can definitely contribute to the problem, the issue often lies much deeper than that.<\/p>\n
First, fear of failure or overall confusion plagues many of our students. They don\u2019t understand the assignment or concept and lack the motivation or resources to get help. A lot of times, they don\u2019t speak up in class and ask questions for these same reasons, so they\u2019re less likely to practice something that they\u2019re confused about.<\/p>\n
Also, many of our students are perfectionists and won\u2019t submit work if it\u2019s \u201cnot right.\u201d As illogical as it sounds, if they didn\u2019t have time to complete the assignment, they\u2019d rather take the zero and not submit rather than give you incomplete work. Or if it\u2019s not up to their unreasonably high standards, they won\u2019t turn it in.<\/p>\n
Additionally, general overwhelm and mental health issues such as anxiety and depression definitely play a role for many of our students. Not all parents have been able to address these concerns in their children, and some may be inadvertently exacerbating the symptoms with their own high expectations. If a student simply can\u2019t handle even looking let alone starting your assignment, you definitely won\u2019t get any work from them.<\/p>\n
Finally, students may just not want<\/i> to do your assignment because they don\u2019t see the point. As harsh as it sounds, students know when they\u2019re given \u201cbusy work.\u201d To them, meaningless packets with 100 of the same problem are not only demoralizing but also a waste of time. So some students may just choose to not do it at all or they may start and eventually give up.<\/p>\nMistake #2: Not setting and maintaining<\/i> expectations<\/h3>\n
At the beginning of the school year, we\u2019re VERY good about training our students on what our work submission processes are. You may even have a syllabus with these expectations spelled out, assuming that our students and their parents read it.<\/p>\n
Most of us have a routine set, which works for the majority of the kids. But there are always a few that seem to slip through the cracks due to reasons in the first mistake. Maybe they have an IEP and need more intentional organization. Maybe they fell asleep in class and didn\u2019t hear you give the deadline. Or perhaps they were in the bathroom when you announced it. Either way, we can preach responsibility\u00a0 and accountability all we want, but if they\u2019re just incapable of doing it on their own, we can decide to help them or let them fall and \u201clearn their lesson.\u201d<\/p>\n
If we\u2019re unwilling to consistently help these students that struggle with deadlines, then honestly, we have to share the blame. They\u2019re still developing good habits, and what we try to reinforce only goes so far if it\u2019s not reinforced at home. While it\u2019s not our job to parent our students, we can still help with teaching and modeling what the expectations are and give grace when students stumble.<\/p>\n
Basically, if it\u2019s that important to you that they submit an assignment on time, then don\u2019t assume that all of the students know what to do or how to meet those deadlines.<\/p>\n
As mentioned in the previous two mistakes, there are a lot of reasons why students aren\u2019t submitting their homework. In terms of solving that problem in your class, you have two options: 1) Being frustrated but still letting them suffer the consequences, or 2) working with the students that struggle the most.<\/p>\n
It may seem unfair to make special accommodations or arrangements for certain students, but that\u2019s like saying it\u2019s unfair that, at 5\u20191\u201d, I need a stool to reach the top shelf while you may be able to easily stick your hand up there.<\/p>\n
Does it REALLY matter if we both get what we need from that shelf?<\/p>\n
Some students may need extra time or personal invitations to submit something. You might even have to modify the assignment for them just so that you have some form of work from which to assess. This can be annoying and time-consuming since you have so many other students to worry about.<\/p>\n
But if it really bothers you that Jason doesn\u2019t ever turn in his work, and asking or reminding him each time actually results in him turning in something<\/i>, then ask yourself if it\u2019s worth it.<\/p>\n
If eight students regularly fail to turn in their homework, investigate what\u2019s holding them up and what you can do to encourage them. Maybe they need an accountability partner. Perhaps you could show and remind them how to set a notification on their phone or device. You could encourage them to use a paper planner to stay more organized.<\/p>\n
These definitely take more effort, and sometimes the lack of rewards makes it unsatisfying. But often, a student just doesn\u2019t know how to advocate for themselves, and you being persistent can lay the foundation for them to be successful in other classes and in the future.<\/p>\n
Along with the previous mistake, sometimes we forget that we can also deploy the troops, i.e., our students\u2019 parents\/guardians. While at times we feel at odds with some parents since they have such a negative perception of teachers and the education system in general, many are willing to do their part if we are explicit about how they can help.<\/p>\n
It can be scary to send out notices to parents because they sometimes reply with an angry response or something completely unrelated. There have definitely been times when I wished that I hadn\u2019t sent an email at all because I was inundated with responses.<\/p>\n
But in the case of having students turn in their assignments on time, it just might be worth it. Students don\u2019t necessarily talk to their parents about their work, and if they are experiencing one of the aforementioned reasons why they won\u2019t do work, they\u2019re certainly not going to divulge. So just a simple email with a calendar of deadlines or just a reminder of an upcoming due date would greatly increase the rate of homework submission.<\/p>\n
For larger assignments, I\u2019ve also explained what is due to parents so that they can help their student double-check that they completed everything. You\u2019d be surprised how many parents want to sit down and help their student, but they don\u2019t understand what\u2019s expected. It does take a bit of time to do this, but with new tools like ChatGPT, you can craft these messages in a matter of seconds.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re using an online grading system, they often have the capability for parents to see your grade book and online calendar. If you have this, then taking the time to train parents with a screencast video that you send out will also help them stay on top of their student\u2019s progress.<\/p>\n
It might be a bit of a philosophical shift to avoid these mistakes. After all, real change doesn\u2019t happen instantly, especially if you want it to stick. During a time when we\u2019re all trying to master work-life balance, it can seem preposterous to take on what seems like more work.<\/p>\n
But what\u2019s the cost – both to yourself and your students \u2014 if you DON\u2019T do something different?<\/p>\n
Left to their own devices, students will try to stay under your radar so that they don\u2019t have to do any work, but we both know what the long-term consequences of that are. If they don\u2019t turn in their homework or assignments in general, you can\u2019t assess them, which means they can\u2019t get feedback, which in turn means you have to hope that they\u2019re gleaning SOMETHING from your lectures and class discussions. How will you know if they\u2019re improving in your class if they won\u2019t submit their work?<\/p>\n
And you\u2019ll continue to be frustrated about your low homework submission rate (if you weren\u2019t frustrated, you wouldn\u2019t have made it this far). Over time, that can leave a bad taste in your mouth and overall disdain for students that seem \u201clazy and useless.\u201d Morphing into that kind of cynical teacher is not something anyone wants, so ask yourself \u2014 is it worth putting in the effort?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"