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Effective Homework Help Environments (cont.)
If you provide homework help to different students each time you volunteer, you may not enjoy the benefit of an established relationship or familiarity with the student's typical assignments, strengths, and weaknesses. Nevertheless, you can still provide valuable assistance. To use your time effectively:
"I get angry sometimes when I have to do homework—mostly because I'm tired at the end of the day." (Elizabeth, third grade)
- Find out what the student needs to accomplish
- Determine together what is realistic in the time you have
- Affirm effective strategies you observe the child using and offer additional strategies as necessary
- Create a list at the end of the session of what the student still needs to do to complete the assignment on his own
Providing homework help to groups of students, especially if they are working on different tasks, can be challenging. With groups, try these strategies:
- Create a study hall environment in which you circulate and answer questions as necessary.
- Cluster students into mini-groups by assignment (i.e., if at least some students are working on the same assignment), content area (e.g., language arts, math, social studies), or grade level. This way, students are well positioned to help each other when you are busy working with another child.
- Encourage students to clarify assignments and share ideas with each other.
Helping Students Get Organized
Whatever the specifics of your setting, you will soon realize that many students struggle with organizational issues. Perhaps they are not sure what the assignment is, or maybe they have forgotten a key text or handout. For your homework help to be successful, the student needs to:
- Know what the homework is
- Have the necessary materials at hand
- Understand the assignment(s)
- Organize the work
- Develop the motivation to begin
"I'm really bad at organizing. When I have a big project, she [homework helper] helps me map it out on a day-by-day basis. She takes the entire assignment and breaks it into small pieces and puts it on a calendar so it's manageable, and I still get in some free time." (Christopher, eighth grade)
You can help him get these elements in place. One helpful tool is a homework planner in which the students can keep track of assignments, due dates, and required materials. Many children receive a homework planner or notebook from their schools, or are required to get one. Find out if your student has one. If so, take a few moments to discuss its relevance and how to use a planner effectively.
If your student does not have one, help her create a system to keep track of papers and assignments. You might suggest a folder for all homework-related papers, a separate small notebook for writing down assignments, or even a specific place in an existing notebook (denoted by colorful sticky notes) where the student can write down everything that is due.
 Helping Students Get Organized (cont.)
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