Effective homework involves lessons the students has already learned. Homework becomes ineffective when students are asked to complete assignments on material the teacher has not yet covered in class, so homework assignments should be a review of what the students learned. This is effective because it gives students additional practice on familiar topics. Repetition is a key ingredient in a good education, especially with subject like math. Homework should be a way of enhancing what has already been learned in the classroom.
Effective homework should not take hours to complete. According to Cathy Vatterott, the Associate Professor of Education at the University of Missouri, too much homework can actually have a negative impact on a student's achievements. For homework to be effective, there should be time limits. The National Parent Teacher Association and other groups endorse the “10-minute rule.” This rule states that children should not have more than 10 minutes of homework per grade level. For example, a fourth grader should not have more than 40 minutes of homework per night.
Too often, children come home from school with a big project or paper due that the parents end up doing themselves. Effective homework does not require work from the parents. Some teachers follow this principle by telling parents to send in a note with their child if the child did not understand the topic. The teacher will then take the time to explain it more thoroughly to the child.
Teachers should make sure homework grades are not weighted too heavily compared to other grades in the class. Cathy Vatterott says homework should never cause a student to fail a class. Class tests, quizzes and in-class assignments often demonstrate a child’s knowledge of a subject better than homework grades. At many schools, homework makes up only 10 percent of a student’s overall grade.