Thing #4

I read the blog dy/dan by Dan Meyer and in his post, "why I don't assign homework" he expressed the exact issue I have with giving homework. I do assign homework about once a week and I feel the same dilemma he metioned; the kids that need to do the homework don't and the kids that don't need the practice do the homwork. I finally resolved this issue by deciding to assign fewer homework problems and less often. There is a slight chance that the right child will do the homework thus furthering there knowledege in that subject area. Also, in my class, students do not get recess unless they have completed all their homework, and so recess is a good time for me to fill gaps and bridge misunderstood concepts.
Mark's edtech blog post on SSR has inspired me to use blogging during SSR. During the first semester I try to be very faithful to 45 minunets of SSR daily. I think this helps to build interest in reading and stamina. The childeren love having SSR and they end up getting so involved in their books they will take them to lunch with them. My hope is that allowing the students to use the laptops during SSR they will want to look up their favorite blogs during recess and when they finish their assignments early in computer lab.