Why do we practice?

We encourage our tutors to be broken records with their students, especially when it comes to attitudes about homework. We want tutors to help their students define the right attitude and create a mantra to help their students believe in its purpose and significance. An effective homework mantra and resulting attitude adjustment can have real long-term benefits when it comes to homework completion.

While students are told that homework matters, they tend not to believe it. I’m sure you’ve heard about teachers who quickly check homework just to see that it’s done – the “effort” grade. So students rush through the assignment to have something to show, but they’re not really using homework as an opportunity to practice and master skills. Their attitude is that homework doesn’t really matter. We want their attitude to be that doing homework thoroughly will help them truly understand concepts and processes, that it will help them do well on the test, and that it will help them down the road when they use that foundation to learn a new skill. So a mantra to reinforce this attitude might be “Trying really matters.” Homework is a great place to learn from mistakes, so another mantra may be “Mistakes are good.”

When I meet with students who are ready to start ACT prep, I talk with them about the importance of homework. I tell them that in the beginning homework is important so they can practice using new skills and strategies independently. Once they get the hang of it, they must continue to do the homework so the processes become automatic and they can open up space in their brains for doing the trickier work. With some students, I make a sports analogy: Tom Brady doesn’t quit going to practice because he’s a really good quarterback; he’s a really good quarterback because he keeps going to practice. Think about what analogies you may use with your students or children to help them understand that effort and practice will lead to improved performance. And then remind them of that analogy often!

-Erin Doyle

Cultivating Homework Attitudes

Your child may have one of the following attitudes about homework:

          Homework is work: It's challenging, frustrating, and time consuming. Children with this attitude often have to be forced to do homework, which can lead to tears or even yelling.

          Homework is a learning experience: It's an opportunity to showcase hard work, to refine skills, and to learn new things.Children with this attitude realize that homework may be hard, but they see value in the work.


These are two distinctly different attitudes with very different consequences. The first focuses on difficulty. The second focuses on opportunity and growth. Which of these do you want to be the "tone" of homework in your household? And why is it important to consciously cultivate a productive and positive attitude?

Choosing your attitudes.

Children develop attitudes about homework that play over and over in their heads like tapes. If we, as parents, don't make a conscious effort to convey productive and positive attitudes, children will absorb the negative beliefs of those around them.

So how do you counteract negative ideas about homework? Decide on two to four "homework mantras" to consistently convey to your kids. Every household can have their own set of mantras. Here are some examples:

• Homework is your opportunity to learn.
• Mistakes are good!
• Effort matters most.

Be a Broken Record.

Once you've chosen your homework attitudes, you need to say them out loud. Over and over. It's easy to feel like you're just a walking cliché, but kids need to hear these messages loud and clear. They need to trust that you believe them, and they need time to internalize them.

It's just as important to engage your kids in conversations about these messages. When something goes wrong on a math assignment, try to remember to ask, "Is it okay that you made a mistake? Tell me why." Encouraging children to say the mantras for themselves is much more powerful than simply listening to you say them.

Modeling Matters.

Actions really do speak louder than words. It's so important for us to model the attitudes we want our children to adopt. When our children earn a poor grade, getting upset or disappointed doesn't show them that mistakes are learning opportunities. Similarly, when dinner is overcooked or you get lost driving to a new destination, getting angry and berating yourself or your spouse won't communicate the positive sides of mistakes.

Homework time can be stressful for children, but it doesn't have to be. Reinforcing positive attitudes about homework early on can set the tone for a successful school year ahead!

"The Trouble with Homework" by Anne M. Paul

There was a fascinating article this week in the New York Times, exploring the functions and pitfalls of homework.

"WHEN you think of America’s students, do you picture overworked, stressed-out children bent under backpacks stuffed with textbooks and worksheets? Or do you call to mind glassy-eyed, empty-headed teenagers sitting before computer screens, consumed by video games and social networking sites, even as their counterparts in China prepare to ace yet another round of academic exams? The first view dominates a series of recent books and movies, including the much-discussed film 'Race to Nowhere.' The second image has been put forth by other books, with titles like 'The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future.'

Divergent though they are, these characterizations share a common emphasis: homework."

Check out the rest of the article here!