“My son’s tutor keeps complaining that he doesn’t do his assignmentsâ€, said a worried Mary. Not just parents but a good number of teachers also face this same trouble that they fail to overcome.Despite your all efforts, kids continue to do what they like to.And we keep wondering what to do when students don’t do their homework.
Think of your days
In your days, you might have been an obedient student taking homeworks for granted. But the story is not same in today’s existence.Our children are not ready to accept whatever we offer them in the way we want. They have their own set of priorities according to which they work.
As homeworks are essential to do, both teachers and parents need to think of alternative ways to motivate their kids. If you think of punishments and scolding, trust me, that’s not going to work anymore. Children today have to stay under a lot of pressure. Imagine yourself, after a hectic day in office; you have to finish a project by night and hence, work again at home! How would you feel? That’s what our students are facing. Ultimately they end up doing no home task which is again important.
Then what to do when students don’t do their homework?
- Assign it in the middle:
What teachers normally do at the end of a class is write the homework on the board and leave the class. Students, who feel like, note it down. The rest simply skip doing that. What more happens is that some might not understand what they have been asked to. And we expect them to submit a finished work next day. Think something off the shelf. Tell about the homework in the middle of the class. Ask your students to discuss about the topic in the second half or hold an interactive session. All doubts will be cleared if they have any. Having known all the facts, learners will finish their project at home with much enthusiasm.
- Be more precise while assigning:
Some teachers just right the chapter numbers on the board. As a result, students get confused what exactly to do. Be more precise, like Chapter no. 9; page 42; Section 2 to Section 5. There will be fewer chances of miscommunication. That’s what to do when students don’t do their homework. Don’t let them be more dependable on their teachers. Teach them to be self-dependents.
- Change thehabit; make necessary alterations:
You might be tired of listening, “I didn’t have the time to do it.†But time is not the major factor. While students procrastinate, teachers continue to assign home tasks. At least this is never going to eliminate your worry about students not doing homeworks.They remain in a continuous burden of extended works. Alter the habits of doing serious homeworks. Give them something to do that will boost up their energy and they will happily perform the task. Hold a debate session among the students of your class and ask them to research on the topic beforehand. That homework they will willingly do to accept your challenge.
- New correction methods:
While discussing about alternative ways on what to do when students don’t do their homework, the experts came up with a new idea. It must be as hectic for the students to do an assignment, as for the teachers to check them. To reduce stress for both sides, professors can apply new correcting methods like –
- Exchange the homework copies among the students and ask them to check their friend’s work. You just monitor their activities. Students often enjoy being teachers, you know!
I loved controlling my sister in her studies turning her teacher for the day. Well, that’s a sweet memory now.
- Ask your students to read aloud their work and explain the class about their own take on that subject.However, set duration or else it may take too long.
- While students read out their work, ask their friends to make necessary corrections.
- Instead of collecting and correcting copies, let pupils demonstrate their work before the class. This will build their public speaking skills and confidence level.
If you can adopt these alternatives, you are likely not to hunt answers of what to do when students don’t do their homework. Create the situation and leave the rest to them. They should grow up to be an all-rounder. What is required is a little motivation. But how to motivate kid to do homework? Some tips for the most common problem parents face.
Few guidelines for teachers on giving homeworks
- Be patient. Understand the purpose of assigning homeworks rather than forcing kids to work.
- Reduce the pressure and give them assignments to do every day. Students must make it into a habit of gathering ideas daily.
- Help the learners to prepare a flexible routine. Be approachable. Don’t be too strict that students avoid sharing their problems with you.
- Slowly and gradually explain them the need of homeworks. Simultaneously let them know that you are aware of their stress and do care for them.
- If your students are from upper class, ask them to input their own innovative ideas how to make the class more interesting. Students can really give you some best suggestions.
Engage students in assigning homeworks:
Still wondering what to do when students don’t do their homework? Try this;
- Ask your students to suggest for the day’s home task.
- Give learners the choicefor selecting their project. As on which topic they would prefer working or how they are going to develop the project. Should it be a theoretical paperwork or some practical research work?
- An effective way to know whether the work is clear or not is to nominate a strong student to explain. Tell him to act as a teacher and clarify all problems of his classmates.
- From small groups for a group discussion session.
When you feel tensed about the idea of what to do when students don’t do their homework, the best thing is to think for an alternate system.A change is always welcomed by everyone. Utilise these young brains to bring about the changes and help them to grow.