http://www.usingenglish.com/teachers/articles/why-your-students-dont-do-their-homework.html

Some really good points there from everyone. Obviously with adult classes they should check their answers with the key and ask you any questions in the next class, although some classes might need training in how to do this and persuasion to actually ask questions, e.g. by you saying “I’m guessing everyone had problems with number two”, “Did anyone spot the deliberate mistake?”, “Please ask me things like ‘Is this also possible?’ and ‘Why is this wrong?’ and remember that the book is sometimes wrong” and “Don’t be shy, I’m sure everyone else has the same question” I then tend to follow that up with “Any (similar) questions about the English language, e.g. things you read this week?” I then go back to the language point or topic of the homework and tie that in with the first speaking activity of the class.

I basically do the same thing in young learner classes too, but giving them the key at the beginning of the class rather than to take home, making sure they use a different colour pen to correct, and double checking corrections when I can.

A point no one has made yet is that some learners come to class because they can’t motivate themselves and want to be forced to work hard, and the same is true of homework.

I agree, Andy, that “self-study” is a far better thing to promote than “homework” – I also know that as a language learner myself, I am more motivated about my self-study when I know that I can get some feedback form my instructor and ask questions about the bits that elude me, so I guess that is what I am aiming for when I give assignments to be done outside of class: to engage them in self-study that then feeds back into the overall learning process.

Sputnik, I’ve been pondering that myself. I think that with adult learners sometimes they really ARE too busy and over-committed to go forward and are happy to tread water, because at least that means they are not losing ground (she said, gleefully mixing her metaphors). I used to teach 3-month intensive exam prep, where pushing students to meet a goal and a deadline was part of the process. Starting autumn 2008 I began teaching an FCE prep class that meets for 90 minutes once a week. Several students are in their second or third go round. Last year I was very frustrated, but the students were amazed at how much they could see they had improved. I realized that I was the one who needed to adjust my expectations. :-) I still push them quite a bit harder than, say, a conversation class, but I have learned to accept that writing assignments will come when they come, etc. and that real learning IS taking place.

I think as teachers we probably should remember to ask our students about their goals at regular intervals and really listen to their answers… we’d probably all be much happier.

Beware accepting that giving homework is part of you job as an EFL teacher – a dangerous notion put about by some DOSses. We have plenty of other work to do without getting bogged down setting, marking, correcting and recording marks.

I prefer making the most of classroom time for investigation of language and practice activities. I think (know actually) students resent the 10-20 minute homework checking time that usually mars the start of the homework setters’ classes.

A HUGE difference between EFL teaching and school teaching is that we are more actively engaged in teaching during class time. School teachers are normally just presenting material in their classes and all the actual learning is taking place at home – often with the help of parents, older siblings or paid tutors. When students, teachers and DOS types bring these practices to EFL it rather destroys what is special and great about EFL.

When I do direct adult students’ self-study time, I stick up a completed example and let students check their answers on the way out or during the break. If anyone says how do you know who did the homework I ask them – ‘Why should I care?’ I can tell who is getting better at English from how they perform in class.

Thanks for a really intersting guest piece.

If students engage with English in any way outside the class I think it’s enough. I try to do two things in my classes.

1) I provide extra materials for students about our current lessons through handouts or emails. This could be the mentioning of a good book or article, a link to grammar quizzes online, further reading about a topic, or a review site. Whether the students actually go and check the stuff out is entirely up to them. I tell them if they find something interesting they should come back and share it with the class.

2) I give interesting homework assigments like making a glog, commenting on a youtube video, following a stranger for 5 minutes outside and then writing a description of their life and character, or choosing a monologue from a favorite film and performing it for the class. If I keep the time it takes to do the homework down to 10 minutes or less and if it’s interesting I’d say on average about 70% of the class does it, which is much higher than the 10% I got when I just gave book exercises n whatnot.

At my last school homework was actually part of the students’ grade and I had to give 20 pieces per course, which is a lot in my opinion. Whenever I checked homework I made sure to actually correct it for them rather than just look at it, so they felt like they got something out of it. In addition, I very visually awarded points in my register and put their homework scores on their exams and then showed their total score after the homework grade was accounted for. For students interested in passing, it worked quite well.

I think all your tips are good as well.

I like the discuss and negotiate idea. I generally don’t discuss hw with the students. I dont know why. Ill start doing so.

Personalizing is also a good tip as personal hw is easiest to do and meaningful to the student.