Homework – Definition

Homework is a purposeful learning task related to the topic, assigned to the students by the teacher in order to keep them meaningfully involved outside the classroom and to provide opportunities for students to be responsible for their own learning.

Aim of Homework

To reinforce, practice and refine the knowledge and skills learnt in the class, to provide them with the opportunity for learning beyond the classroom, to encourage them to take initiative and responsibility of self regulated learning and study beyond what was explained and further keep them engaged through task completion and self discipline.

Implementation

The School’s homework policy will be available to staff and parents.
Classroom teachers will regularly set and discuss h/w tasks with students.
Homework will enable practice of classroom learning, prepare for new learning and/or expand on learning that has occurred.
Each set task must be purposeful, meaningful and relevant to the current or previous classroom curriculum. The purpose of h/w should be identified and articulated (learning content/aim/goal)
Teachers will provide feedback on set h/w to the students either in the form of a comment or against a set criterion.
Reading will comprise at least half of the nightly h/w allocations for each level.
Parents are expected to sign the h/w record sheet on a regular basis.
Parents may discuss the h/w expectations when the students are going on a personal holiday. However it is not the teachers’ responsibility to prepare such h/w.

Parental responsibility

Parents can help children by

Encouraging regular nightly reading.
Provide place for their child to do their home works, allow time to do it and provide appropriate response.
Helping to balance the amount of time spent between the home works and recreational activities
Understanding their child’s home works expectations
Discuss homework tasks with their child
Monitoring the time taken to complete homework tasks.
Sign the homework record sheet as requested by the teacher nightly

Quality Practice

It is not necessary to assign large amounts of homework however,it is important that the homework provides students with opportunities to practice skills,review content and deepen understanding of concepts learned.

Quality of Homework  Assignments

Homework assignments that increases the effectiveness and quality of homework include:
Work that is directly related to what has already been explained and practiced in class.
Work that gives students the opportunity to practice what they have already learnt in class by engaging in activities that help them understand more deeply the content or practice procedure they have been introduced in class.
Works that give students the opportunity to apply what they have already learnt in the class.
Works that offer students the opportunity to further explore their interest in relation to what has already been taught in class.
Works that allow to encourage students to be creative and take risks or to freely explore a topic.

Age Appropriate

Grade 1 and 2
The school doesnot have homework for these grades.However for additional parental support or early numeracy and literacy home fun is allocated which consists of Reading of texts/activities to,with and by parents
1.Simple reinforcement tasks associated with classroom activities.
2.Gathering of additional information or materials.
3.Unfinished classroom activities as h/w.
4.Reading and spelling high frequency words.

Homefun ,for these classes,will generally not exceed 30 minutes per day and will not be set during vacation periods.Reading should comprise at least 10 minutes of the homefun time allocation.

Grade 3 to 5
Homework will consist of:

Reading of texts/activities to ,with and by parents or independent reading.
1.Simple reinforcement tasks associated with classroom activities.
2.Gathering of additional information or materials
3.Unfinished classroom activities as homework.
4.Reading and spelling high frequency words.

Homeworks will generally not exceed 40-45minutes per day and will not be set during vacation periods.Reading should comprise atleast 15minutes of the homework time allocation.

Grade 6 to 8
Homework will consist of:

Independent reading on a daily basis.
1.Reinforcement tasks associated with Classroom activities.
2.Tasks such as continuation of classroom works, projects, assignments and research.
3.Unfinished classroom activities as homework tasks .
4.Spelling of high frequency words.

Homeworks will generally not exceed 60minutes per day and will not be set during vacation periods.Reading should comprise atleast 20 minutes of the homework time allocation.

Secondary Classes

As the students have to go ahead with experiential learning and take ownership of learning ,as a general guide ,from grade 9 onwards the students are expected to increase ,and require from 2 hour to 5 hours per week night with upto 4 hours on weekends during peak exam periods.

Homework during Permitted Leaves

Parents must discuss the homework expectations when the students are going on and are on approved leaves. However, it is not the teacher’s responsibility to inform the parent of the homework on such occasions.

Policy Evaluation

This homework policy will be reviewed as part of the school’s three year review cycle