Giving homework to students

[gfell]

One of the things I've noticed amongst ESL teachers is the fact that very few times they actually assign homework to their students.

One of our aims in language teaching is to produce "robust" learners who can and will learn on their own out of class. To promote this, we should provide copious materials for out-of-class study, including both grammar work sheets and also fun exercises as puzzles, crosswords and so on.

After all, as a kid in school my teacher would do this for my classes, so why not continue this fashion and do it also for your students?

[kdavid]

It's also important to note that the learning process does not end when the bell rings and the student steps outside of the classroom. On the contrary, this is where the student now has the chance to apply what they have learned--this is especially important when learning languages.

Unfortunately, for most of our students, the opportunities to use English outside of the classroom in their home country are quite few and far between. So, I agree. Students should be assigned homework outside of the classroom.

As Darwin said (roughly), "use it or lose it".

[leozeh]

I do agree with both of you guys.

But there's something I adopted this semester that is working really well with my students.
I created an e-mail list. So I send them exercises, English curiosities, tips, websites and also do surveys.
The feedback is really great.

What do you think?!

[gfell]

Am email list of tips and challenges? That sounds like a really sweet idea and I'm sure your students love this. But depends on the size of your email list, wont they start replying to you and asking you for more help.

You should mention to your school you offer this service and then perhaps they can compensate you a bit more.

[leozeh]

Well, the list is short and they can only come up with any doubts during the class. They totally loved the idea and I was thinking about that. I want to charge something for this extra service, but then on second thought I ignored the idea, but now I think your feedback was great and I am thinking about charging them extra.
The school won't pay for that. They are a bunch of losers just interested in making more and more money.
But again, thanks !!

[gfell]

Just be sure not to scare them away if you charge them. Try to offer great value and above and beyond their expectations if you charge them.

[kdavid]

Most foreign teachers out here in China have to stay as far away from our students after class is over as possible. Otherwise, constant hounding my parents would be impossible to avoid (if we handed out our email addresses or mobile numbers).

Even some university students relentlessly harass their teachers for English practice. And, while it is refreshing to see students so dedicated to learning, the constant hounding does get quite tiresome.

Maybe those in other Asian countries can relate?

[Motivated]

Giving homework to Mongolian students is a total waste of time and effort - and the four native teachers in my school have tried just about everything to get it happening.

Mongolians are generally lazy people, still suffering the effects of a communist hangover where there was little incentive to do anything.

Last school year I ended up with probably more than 10 lessons wasted because students just didnt bother to do their assigned homework for class presentation, leaving me to first give them a good blasting followed by an ersatz lesson.

Even the school director recognises the inherent laziness of Mongolians. They all want something for nothing, and if there's nothing in it for a Mongolian they won't do it. 70-80 percent of all my high school students plan on becoming doctors, lawyers and international economists, yet doing 10 sentences fro homework is too much for them to bear.

I'm out of ideas.

[kdavid]

Sounds like you're in the "frustration" phase of culture shock.

The Chinese are pretty studious. They live for homework, which is a shame.

[Motivated]

Nah, I'm well over the culture shock after teaching in Mongolia for the past couple of years. Ya gotta keep in mind that just about everything in Mongolia has been imported - they don't even make nails in the country! So there's an underlying attitude that foreigners will make everything okay in their lives without them having to step up and help themselves. Communism provided all, now foreign capitalism does. If Chinggis Khaan were alive today he'd be so disappointed in what's become of his once mighty people...