I’m a big believer in homework. Just ask any of my students…at times they take convincing how beneficial homework is but now practically all my students go home with something to do.
Things can range from writing up a few sentences with a grammar point or new vocabulary to essays or books.
As most students can only attend class once a week that means they touch English for about 45-60 minutes a week but with an assignment to do it means they spend another 2-3 hours outside of the classroom checking vocabulary and thinking about English. It’s evident when students show up the following week whether they’ve spent a little time practicing especially for the lower level students. One of my students has actually written three books for her friends and family with my help and now is at present discussing publication with a few publishing houses. WOW!! I’m so proud of her as well as all my students that have devoted themselves to improving and putting aside time for self-study.
I know that homework can be tough and we might be busy but the speed at which we improve at anything is basically related to how much time we set aside to focus on it. My formula is simple:
effort = progress
The more effort they put in, the faster their progress. However despite our best intentions it’s easy to get sidetracked which is why it’s important to have others push us. That’s my job when it comes to my students progress.
Adrian
I also like to assign homework to my students at SSE Ohtsu. Student’s who are eager to learn always ask me for homework. Lately, I have found that assigning advance homework to low level students helps them feel more confident when we do the lesson. For example: after finishing “The Morning Routine”, i will assign the verbs from “To The Station” as homework, either to look up the definitions, write an example sentence with each one, or just translate. Then when the student comes for their next lesson, they are more confident with using those verbs.
Personally, i am studying Japanese at a small language school (actually looks very much like a Smith’s school, except teaching a different language!). I study twice a week and always have lots of homework. As such, I can confidently tell my students the power of getting extra exposure to the language between lessons, as my Japanese skills have been progressing swiftly. I also try to encourage my students to double their lessons, as i believe twice a week is the ideal amount of study time for making steady progress!
Well put Adrian: Effort=Progress, the more effort you put into homework and study time, the more you will progress.
Edward- SSE Ohtsu