HOMEWORK POLICY 2007 INTRODUCTION The College Mission states “The College community provides young women with a holistic education characterised by the Benedictine values of: love of God, love of learning, hospitality, stewardship and peace.” It is in the spirit of these values that we acknowledge the importance that all members of the community are engaged in lifelong learning. RATIONALE The Homework Policy endeavours to support the needs of all students and is a direct link to the learning program at the College. Time given to homework is to be balanced so as to allow students to participate in other activities. Effective homework encourages in students a growing confidence in their capacity to learn and therefore is not set for its own sake. It allows students to practise and consolidate work done in class and to develop the key competencies of collecting, analyzing and organizing information. Homework provides an avenue for students to reinforce research skills and to develop skills in time management. It also provides parents with insights into what is being taught in the classroom and the progress of their children. Research indicates that regularly revising new concepts and skills learned in class is far more beneficial than attempting to revise only at the end of units. PRINCIPLES The policy is based upon the following principles. That homework: • has a direct link to the holistic learning program at school • is differentiated as learning occurs at different rates and in different ways • encourages in students responsibility for their own learning and to further develop in them independent learning • occurs best where the student, home and school have a common goal and understanding • is balanced across all subject areas • is incremental and therefore relative to the age of the students • is regular and ongoing • is inclusive of all • is followed up by subject teachers and consequences will follow our student conduct policy.
St Mary Star of the Sea College – Homework Policy 2007 www.stmarys.nsw.edu.au
GUIDELINES Use of Technology When setting homework that involves the use of technology, important consideration must be made. On occasions where all students do not have access to the required technology then alternative arrangements must be made for the students. Assignments Assignment work is considered part of Homework. Where a subject chooses an assignment in lieu of an exam – the assignment is not to be due during exam week. Exams Students will be expected to prepare and study for exams. There will be no homework given which does not assist exam preparation. If a subject chooses an exam, then they must not have an assignment due the week before or during the formal exam period. Student Diary Students must ensure that they write their homework in their student diaries and this is overseen by the subject teacher. Students should address any concerns regarding homework to their subject teacher. Subject teachers will address these issues and communicate these concerns to the Year Leadership Team. Parents are required to check and sign the diary weekly and are encouraged to monitor their daughter’s homework in all subjects. Regular communication between parents and the College is to be through the student diary. If homework is not completed for any reason parents are asked to use the diary to communicate with the subject teacher. Diaries will be signed weekly by staff during tutor group time. Timing As a guide: Year 7 and 8 could have an average of no more than 1.5 hours per night. Year 9 and 10 could have an average of no more than 2 hours per night. Year 11 and 12 are recommended to consider 3 hours per night. Students are encouraged to create regular timeframes for consistent completion of homework. It is more effective for students to have regular ongoing study in each subject rather than last minute preparation. Effective and efficient use of class time will ensure that students do not take class work home to complete. Balance It is important that students maintain a steady balance between the demands of consolidation of new work learned in class, assessment tasks, examination preparation, homework, extra curricula activities and home life. St Mary Star of the Sea College – Homework Policy 2007 www.stmarys.nsw.edu.au
Homework should be balanced across all subjects. No one subject should dominate the time set aside for homework. Types of Homework Homework may consist of: - practice exercises providing students with the opportunities to review, revise and reinforce newly acquired skills and knowledge. Examples include: • Consolidation exercises • Practising for mastery – eg. spelling words • Revising for topic tests of exams • Revising information about a current topic • Practising words or phrases learnt in a language other than English • Practising skills learnt in Music, PDHPE, Food Tech, D&T and Art • Reading for pleasure • Essay writing • Completing formal assessment tasks and other assignments - preparatory homework, providing opportunities for students to gain background information on a unit of work so they are better prepared for future lessons Examples include: • Background reading • Reading - eg. English text for class discussion • Researching topics for a class unit of work • Collecting items - eg. geometric shapes - extension Assignments, which encourage students to pursue knowledge individually, and imaginatively. Examples include: • Writing – eg. a book review • Making, creating or designing – eg. art work, drama/dance performances • Investigating – eg. Science • Researching – eg. History • Information and retrieval skills • Monitoring – eg. advertising in a local newspaper
St Mary Star of the Sea College – Homework Policy 2007 www.stmarys.nsw.edu.au