reconceptualizing homework as independent learning
DESCRIPTION
This presentation describes independent learning opportunities and keeping an independent learning journal as alternatives to traditional homework.TRANSCRIPT
John SpiriTokyo University of Agriculture and
Technology
Characteristics of Homeworka specific assignmentutilized in class and/orcorrected by teacherexplicitly required and/orhomework material to appear on test
Definition: In the broadest sense, homework occurs when students spend time on course-related study outside of scheduled class hours due to a teacher’s request/demand.
Researchers and university faculty, perhaps, prefer the term assignments over homework.
Reasons for HomeworkResearchers such as Warton point out that,
according to teachers, homework aims to:
promote academic learning
develop skills
ease time restraints on the curriculum
respond to political pressures
Perspectives on Homework
“Most research has emphasized the links between traditional achievement outcomes and time spent on homework.”
Warton
Given this focus, researchers’ assessments “ranged from homework having positive effects, no effects, or complex effects to the suggestion that the research was too sparse or poorly conducted to allow trustworthy conclusions.”
Cooper, Lindsay, Nye & Greathouse
Libertarian Educators Perspective
John Taylor Gatto winner of New York city Teacher of the year in 1989, 1990, and 1991, and New York state Teacher of the Year award in 1991, and author of Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling among other books has written:
“It is absurd and anti-life to move from cell to cell at the sound of a gong for every day of your natural youth in an institution that allows you no privacy and even follows you into the sanctuary of your home demanding that you do its ‘homework’”.
“Education as banking is not liberating but contributes to the docility and alienation of the oppressed.”
Paulo Freire
“We can depend on self-motivated learning instead of employing teachers to bribe or compel the student to find the time and the will to learn.”
Ivan Illich
“Viewed as an object to be worked upon, the child becomes a focal point for the imposition of ideals and ideologies… The child treated as an object is treated as an animal. The child treated as a subject would be treated as a human being.”
Joel Spring
Other Libertarian Educators Perspective
Considerations for Giving Assignments at a University
course requirementsdepartment requirementsa required course or nota course related to the student’s major or notteacher is full-time or part-timeteacher’s perspective
an Independent Learning System
involves a certain amount of choicenot requiredextra credit given which can raise gradenot utilized in classnot corrected by teacherinvolves CALL (avoiding sites that require
sign-up)
2nd Year Student Survey Responses
Do you prefer the ILS (choosing activities from the website, writing an ILS journal, etc.) or typical homework (hw) (teacher assigns activities which are then utilized in the class)?
1st Year Student Survey Responses Do you prefer the ILS (choosing activities from the website, writing an ILS journal,
etc.) or typical homework (hw) (teacher assigns activities which are then utilized in the class)?
2nd Year Student Survey Responses
Did ILS motivate you to study English?
1st Year Student Survey Responses
Did ILS motivate you to study English?
2nd year Student Comments, May 18, 2009 (Agriculture) I like youtube video but sometimes I can’t hear English because its speed is a little quick. So I
try it hard The ILS motivates me more than typical homework. The obligation of this homework (ILS) motivate me to study English and unless no homework I
have I perhaps never study English so I need this. Sorry I have not do ILS. I think ILS is good because studying English becomes so fun! I think reading nice sentences in English develops our English skills. I think ILS is good. I want to take les time to do ILS or typical homework. interesting! I can learn English every time I want to do it. If I have a lot of time, I can do much and when I
don’t have a lot of time, I can choose short learning program. It’s very good for me. I love Word Quest very much. Getting high score is fun. ILS is fun when I can find interesting websites. If you know a movie, story or music… that we should see, please tell us about them in class. Today’s morning, I couldn’t see Yomiuri English podcast on your website because of
mentenance. What’s happen?
Student Survey Comments
2nd year Student Comments, May 19, 2009 (Technology) I think ILS is very good I enjoy youtube videos I want to do more quizs than to read or watch videos at ILS. listening of You tube is good. The ILS: I can study what I am interested in. typical homework: I can correct my answers with my friends. This ILS makes me study English more so it’s good.
Student Survey Comments
Student Survey Comments First Year Student Comments, May 22, 2009 (Technology) It is difficult for me to write many sentences. I love English. It’s very good. I can learn English effectively. I like read readings on the website. I think: ILS is good system. In that website there are many topic. So it’s a interesting.
CALL Ideas for ILS1 Wikispaces to set up class websites2 Hot Potatoes for generating quizzes3 Scan youtube for short, understandable
topic-related video4 To subtitle video, dotsub.com5 To download video, Tubesock6 Other subtitling software includes
Submerge (Mac) and SubRip (Windows)
CALL Ideas for ILS
Subtitling
Submerge for Macneeds .srt file
SubRip
Adding Subtitles to Video
Div Media Subtitler lets you create subtitles for videos on your computer.
Thank you for listening.
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