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The Purposes of Homework
The goal of homework is to teach students to work independently, plan effectively, get organized, and think on their own.
What is homework and why do teachers assign it? Ideally, homework reflects what happens in the classroom and helps students reinforce and internalize what they learn during the school day and practice new skills (O'Connor & McGuire, 1998). Occasionally, teachers assign new material for homework, which can confuse and frustrate students. In general, the goal of homework is to teach students to work independently, plan effectively, get organized, and think on their own (Cooper, 2001). Your job, as a volunteer providing homework help, is to help students in this endeavor.
The Role of the Homework Help Provider
When you meet with a student to provide homework help, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Start by considering the age and developmental level of the student and what you know about her academic strengths and weaknesses. Children struggle with increasing amounts of homework (O'Connor & McGuire, 1998), and it's likely that your time together is short. This can make homework feel like a race against the clock, often pressuring well-meaning adults to step in and do the work for the child. This may meet the student's immediate needs, but won't develop enduring skills. So, what is your role?
You can be most effective by helping the child think about his own learning and gain the necessary skills to complete homework independently. Model skills such as:
- Organizing and prioritizing the work
- Using appropriate strategies for different assignments
- Identifying potential stumbling blocks and how to overcome them
- Checking the work to make sure the student understands not only what he has done, but how he has done it
 Effective Homework Help Environments
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