Don’t eliminate homework. Make it more effective 

A 10-year-old in Colorado dialed 911 last April looking for help . . . with his math homework. He was stuck trying to divide 71 by 3,052, and, without his teacher or parents nearby, he didn’t know where else to turn. After listening to the problem, the dispatcher noted that the equation was backward before telling the student the answer. While this is an outlandish example, it nevertheless highlights the lack of support some students have when completing assignments at home.  

In the United States, there is an ongoing debate about whether homework is worthwhile, with critics saying that it’s busywork at best and, at worst, it’s detrimental to student learning. Only, the problem isn’t homework itself but how homework is done. Instead of implementing “no homework” policies, we can and should use technology to improve how students do their homework — or at least their math homework. 

Students learn best through interaction with teachers, who provide feedback throughout the day. When it comes to homework, though, students tend to be on their own. I believe they could learn more if they received immediate feedback showing whether they reached the right answer and, if not, where they missed the mark. As research makes clear, effective feedback is one of the most powerful tools for increasing student learning (Hattie, 2009).