Takeaway Homework
Written by Andrew Nelson
I attended both the AGS Inspire sessions on Engagement and Takeaway Homework and left wanting to set a homework task where the pupils chose what they did, and I assessed what they did, rather than giving them a set task to do. So my blog is related to Takeaway Homework and Engagement.
I was interested in seeing what I would get back and also the percentage of homework tasks that would be completed. I was amazed with what I got back in terms of quality and pleased in terms of quantity. Out of 4 classes (Red, White and Blue band) only 3 students failed to hand their homework in on time, against countless pupils who handed their homework early!
With year 7 we had been studying the Grand Canyon, Skywalk and we had been investigating the different opinions held my various groups of people. My homework was presented on a slide, as below:-
Examples of the types of homework I received can be seen below:-
- A Monopoly Board
- A poem
- A poster
- A Paper Mashee
- A Model of the Skywalk
- A leaflet (with a key word crossword)
- An imaginary interview.
- A website – http://bazilshah110.wix.com/skywalk#!popularity/c24vq
- A YouTube clip – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePSpK5N1zN0
- A Minecraft game – http://tyresebowen16.wix.com/skywalf-facts
- A Facebook profile
- A Twitter Feed
- A PowerPoint Presentation
- A newspaper report
- A lesson starter
- A keyword literacy task
- A letter
- A video
- A Drama Sketch
- And best of all …. An information booklet with questions (differentiated as well) for next year’s, year 7!
The quality of work I got back improved as each group handed in their homework, as I used the previous groups’ homework to illustrate good practise and also highlight my expectations. Each group really amazed me and seemed fully engaged!
I asked several pupils who did their homework (from Red, White and Blue band) what they thought about their takeaway homework task. I got back some very interesting comments I will share with you:-
- ‘I think people have chosen to do such great homework because they get to show off what they can do and when you get other homework you have to do what the teacher has asked you’.
- ‘We show off our skills in a way that educates and helps us understand things in a fun, educating and interesting way’.
- ‘We can prove that we can do things we may not have been taught’.
- ‘Everyone has a strong point and a weak point’.
- ‘In other homework tasks we don’t find interesting (in terms of what we need to do) we might not spend as much time and effort on it’.
- ‘The homework given in was certainly outstanding and mind blowing’.
Although the comments above are overwhelmingly positive, this type of homework is not necessarily bullet proof. My concern moving forward is that ‘as everyone has a strong point and a weak point’ pupils would shy away from what they are not very good at and fail to develop a skill they are lacking in, while developing and enhancing an already developed skill. Marking is also very challenging, due the variety of mediums used.
Overall, my first experience of Takeaway Homework was extremely positive and am looking forward to my next!
Written by Andrew Nelson
