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Helping with homework

How to support students with their homework

Published April 2023

Homework tasks can offer great insights into what a child is learning at school, but they can also be daunting when they come to us for help. As a parent or guardian, you want to help, but you also want to ensure the student knows how to help themselves. This article gives some direction and caution.

Why we give homework?

The purpose of homework is to reinforce what has been taught at school. As a parent / guardian, start with this thought in mind and use it to regulate interactions with your child in this area. Homework should be a constructive builder on content or skills taught in the classroom. Sometimes a task may seem ‘random’ but supports your child in seeing the ‘class-based’ roots, so they link it to their general learning and a purpose. Where this is not clear, ask the teacher for guidance.

Research shows that homework is particularly effective for older students (generally senior school upwards) but less so with younger students where the relationship between attainment and homework has been found to be tenuous. For sure, homework can cause negativity between guardians and students at any age, so this is where you, as a parent / guardian, really need to minimize friction.

Homework can develop a range of skills not directly linked to any specific subject skill or content. For example, it can develop independence and organisation.

Set the environment

There should be a suitable workspace or area for homework at home. Preferably a space that can be organized by the student, quiet and is accessible to others if monitoring is required. Shared workspaces are successful in this regard as that space becomes a focus zone.

Homework spaces should not be afterthoughts if students are to be efficient. Not all families have these spaces, so perhaps a library would be a suitable replacement.

Enlist other students to help

At some stage, every parent will have that moment when they just don’t get a bit of issued homework and are of no support to the child. It is OK to leave tasks blank as homework is not designed to test you but to support student learning.

In these cases, ask the student to review classwork or speak to/consult a peer in the same class, if possible or an older sibling. This should help to confirm that the set homework is appropriate even if challenging. We all know how quickly a call or quick visit to a friend can become unwieldy, so monitor this strategy.

You may want to encourage students to go to homework clubs as these are supervised and safe places to enable peer-to-peer consultation. If homework can be completed before coming home, what a bonus!

Don't just Google or ChatGPT it

You need to train your child to make the most of research when stuck. Too often, research just means asking Google or the new bot on the net, ChatGPT. This is insufficient and does not build problem-solving capacity. There are bespoke homework help websites; many have short videos or quizzes to support learning. For example, Khan Academy is very popular and well organized. Remember, homework is about learning, not just providing the answers.

Ask other adults for help

Occasionally, the support of another adult may be required to get homework done. You may consider prompting the student to ask the teacher for support. If this is the case, this should be done in advance of the task due date.

Adult supervision may be just to keep the student on track and support him/her plan out and reflect on tasks if you are not available. Here, an older sibling or relative would suffice.

However, as sometime happens, a course that has been selected by your child or is required for their future aspirations is very challenging (even if enjoyable). Here, you have the option of specialist tutoring (online tutoring or face to face) and small group tuition. These may be costly and may also lead to reliance on an adult that defeats one of the primary purposes of homework, building independence. So use it with care.

Attend homework workshops

Home learning through homework is so valuable, especially in senior school; most schools will arrange parental workshops to give tips and access to homework support. For example, some schools make use of apps or software that can send you reminders and tips, or you can just direct your child to. Make time to attend these and request a refresher when needed. If these are not offered at all, suggest they are.

Still struggling?

If you have tried all the above and are still struggling with getting your child to complete homework, consult the school/teacher. There are several reasons you may be struggling. For example, is your child too distracted in class? Does your child lack specific organising skills? Is the set homework of poor quality? It may even be a flag that your child is not meeting age-expected standards or has a learning or behavioral challenge. These questions should form the basis of your engagement with the teacher and school to ensure that you get your child back on track.

Reflect

Do you know the homework expectations of your child’s school (e.g., set number of hours per subject/day)? □

Do you need upskilling to enable you to support your child appropriately when it comes to homework? □

Are you willing or available to be part of a school homework club run by parents/guardians to facilitate peer to peer support? □