Ms. Vaishali Borde
National Head Co-scholastics & Early Years Programme, Global Indian International School
The term ‘Homework’ is never met with enthusiasm by students or parents. Even more so is the term Holiday Homework!
According to Wikipedia, Homework, or a homework assignment, is a set of tasks assigned to students by their teachers to be completed outside the class. Common homework assignments may include reading, writing or typing project, mathematical exercises to be completed, information to be reviewed before a test, or other skills to be practiced.
The reason for giving homework according to teachers is to enable students to learn independently, practice what is taught in school, help in prioritizing tasks thereby learning time management, help avoid procrastination as there are deadlines to be met and reinforce concepts because the more you practice the better you get.
In the dynamic world of developing 21st century citizens, homework according to me should be a value add. While giving ample opportunities for Critical thinking, Creativity, Collaboration and Communication, homework should also develop skills like effective use of media literacy, information literacy, technology literacy and life skills like empathy, leadership, being flexible, taking initiatives and being productive. We need to refrain from the usual assignments like reading, math practice, essay writing and think of innovative ways of engaging students. Homework should always have a learning objective.
Few assignments suggested are –
- Ask students to watch a famous cartoon show/ serial on TV and give them the task to write a synopsis of the episode, a character description, or a questionnaire with reasoning on if they will continue to watch.
- Visit their house maid’s home and write about their experience
- Make a video of an ‘ Interview your mother’
- Organise a Clean –up activity with friends in the neighborhood
- Surf a YouTube channel on new gadgets and make a ppt on it
- Visit a monument of your city and create an infographic on it
- Do the grocery shopping for a week ( plan, buy, store)
- Maintain a travel diary if you are travelling during holidays
I am sure these assignments will go a long way in developing attitudes, facing real world challenges, creativity, physical and social encounters and develop a love for life-long learning.
One Response
Wonderful concept with wokable solutions any teacher or the parents love to promote.It is minus dull homework of the classroom study.As a result every learner will do it enthustically.Finally it will be studied in the life classroom. A motivated teacher who is not after syllabus comletion can only love to see the learning of his kids.
Thsnks for the inputs!