ontario ministry education homework help

ontario ministry education homework help

Enhancing Educational Support: A Comprehensive Guide to Homework Assistance from the Ontario Ministry of Education

1. Introduction to Homework Assistance Programs

Homework is work that a student does at home or after the “regular” day of school when the student is still at school, but usually not in the classroom or the timeframe of regular school classes or school day – e.g., in a library or a church building. The purpose of academic homework varies by the age of the student and the goals of the teacher and the learning organization. Parents, students, and teachers say that there is homework that benefits students by providing the time necessary to practice, memorize, and learn information or concepts; develop study skills and work habits; and provide opportunities to do thinking and problem-solving. This homework supports classroom teaching and learning. There is homework that is disliked, rarely completed, and frustrating to teachers, students, and families. This homework may be excessively long, too wordy, too repetitive, or not connected to the homework statements that are distributed in classroom lessons. Some say that the National PTA and National Education Association say that the rule of thumb is 10 minutes of homework maximum for each grade. This rule was designed as a maximum, or to help parents place a limit on how much homework is reasonable for each grade, they say, rather than as a “home on time” recommendation which may encourage the least amount of homework. In the booklet “Check Your Child’s Homework,” the National PTA and the NEA list a number of pointers for parents who want to help their children succeed in school. When a child calls and says, “Can you help me with my homework?” other helpful ways to respond are to offer guidance or to help find information and resources. According to Education Secretary Richard Riley, “When it comes to homework, parents, you don’t have to be experts. You just need to be supportive. And when parents are involved in their children’s homework, it tells children that what they do is important. Sometimes the help may add up to little more than telling them they’ll do fine and giving a hug.” Providing regular homework assistance can even help to build confidence and communication in the family, by offering opportunities to clarify problems in class and discuss some alternative ideas. In some cases, college professors build more on homework grading and class research projects than they can explore in their few weekly classroom meetings.

Introduction Homework assistance programs at schools, community organizations, and other locations are designed to help students in elementary, middle, and high school do their academic work. Homework assistance programs are known by a number of different names: homework clubs, homework programs, academic-support programs, and learning enrichment activities, after-school programs, after-school care programs with an emphasis on academic support, drop-in resource room programs, and before- or after-school tutoring. Homework assistance programs differ in program content, organization, and staffing. However, all focus on offering on-site academic support to help students complete their homework and learn from their class work. A critical review of research on after-school programs found that homework assistance is the most popular program offering. This manual offers information and suggestions for developing and offering homework assistance in a school or community location. Homework assistance is important to a child’s learning at any age. It helps them understand and do the homework by helping them learn new techniques and procedures.

2. Key Strategies and Best Practices for Supporting Students

Assist with immediate homework tasks and assignments: Homework assistance programs and homework clubs should prioritize supporting students to work on their homework and assignments. The student should lead the discussion, and the tutor should provide help and guidance, often using open-ended questions to guide. Acknowledge hard work and persistence (especially independent effort!) and encourage students by celebrating success and learning from mistakes. Acknowledge that the work is difficult and encourage students to try problems or answer the question themselves before helping them. Let the student determine when and if they fully understand what they are learning. Some students like to be challenged, others prefer to gain understanding and then solve the task with accuracy. Be flexible and non-judgmental. Provide mentorship for improved academic performance, but also provide social and emotional support. Foster a non-judgmental environment that promotes effort, risk-taking, responsibility, an open mind, a willingness to participate, and a willingness to try. Offer support and resources to help address and learn from poor choices.

Communities can take a variety of approaches when looking to support the academic progress of students outside of the school day. For students of all ages, homework clubs can be effective in providing immediate and often personalized assistance with homework and assignments. As part of a homework club or as part of a broader homework assistance initiative, here are some key strategies and best practices for providing effective support to students in this comprehensive guide.

3. Utilizing Technology and Online Resources for Homework Help

There are a number of different tools or places where students can get help online. Educational platforms offer students a way to practice questions that they might get for homework. There are also lesson plans and worksheets that provide homework help. Teachers and tutors can use problems from these platforms to reinforce students’ learning. Stewards and Webb recommend that homework help “includes the use of digital tools and technologies—e.g. mobile apps, computer programs, web platforms for certain activities.” Educational tools can include digital options for practice that reinforce learning. In general, homework help websites offer many of the same features as educational platforms. In addition to practice problems that reinforce learning, sites will offer guides on different topics and theorems, how to use proper references and citation styles. They also may have other assistive tools.

One key strategy for increasing support to students is the use of technology. Technology has been found in research to support and enhance homework programs. Incorporating technology into homework programs can increase digital literacy and engaged learning opportunities for students. Digital skills are fundamental in school and life. Ontario has a set of standards for digital literacy that students require. Students can develop their digital skills through the support of homework assistance that includes technological resources. Homework support providers should offer “high-quality guidance for helping students do internet research and use digital resources responsibly.” Together, homework assistance programs and internet and computer access programs give students the digital literacy and skills to access homework help programs from home. They also help to address the inequity in homework access.

4. Collaboration between Schools, Parents, and Communities

Schools can assist parents by defining policies and guidelines related to homework. In addition, schools can help parents identify their children’s strengths and weaknesses related to school subjects and specific study and learning skills. They help guardians see the need for study-skills instruction and homework assistance before poor academic performance becomes entrenched. Schools may also introduce organizations and inform parents about where to look for additional resources such as tutorials, community centers, child care, information referral. The school serves as a primary contact with parents and as a first source of referral for more intensive homework assistance. By identifying children who may need additional resources, parents can intervene when their children’s academic difficulties are still manageable. Synergy in collaboration between schools, parents, and communities is achieved when partnerships included in a shared vision: solid collaboration and information-sharing among schools, community agencies, and parents. The blending and sharing of resources. The different expertise of all partners. The engagement of industry, media, and the broader community in the activities. It maximizes community involvement in schools and learning ventures. The physical, emotional, social, and spiritual wellness. Facilitating coordination of efforts being made by schools and the broader community to support student learning within and outside of the classroom. Facilitating better, more effective and efficient exchanges and sharing of information among all individuals and agencies concerned about urban schools.

Ensuring collaboration among schools, parents, and communities provides the opportunity to view the needs of students in a comprehensive manner, from both the school and home perspectives. Schools can supply the instructional approaches used in the classroom; homework is one extension of this instruction. Parents provide the basic values and attitudes that support or contradict the positive image of homework established by the teacher. By combining parental and classroom perspectives, homework assistance can be made more meaningful and provide a more complete picture to students that attending to their educational development is an important facet of the adults that interact with them. Similarly, students are able to view their educational treatment as an important and positive endeavor undertaken by a number of the important adults in their life. Collaborating in a variety of ways encourages a reasonable division of responsibility. A major philosophical premise for enhancing homework assistance is that it is the responsibility of the school system to provide the leadership for its development as part of an overall academic improvement initiative. However, this partnership must be genuine, involving parents, children, both established and potential community volunteers, and community organizations.

5. Evaluation and Impact Assessment of Homework Assistance Programs

Ries does not mention the evaluation and formal assessment of services. However, she does note the importance of incorporating multiple approaches to determine if services are working. While some programs like to collect a lot of data on program outcomes, many prefer to provide ongoing service that minimizes disturbance of the patrons’ routine. Ries reminds us that all types of programming and services, from readers’ advisory to homework help, use high touch approaches, which are difficult to measure directly. Thus, she emphasizes looking at the entire package, through gauging, for instance, the “intangible results” in community awareness and user expectations. The impact assessment of homework assistance, like the assessment of homework assistance, would also encompass the use of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, allowing for a richer and more nuanced understanding of subtleties in interaction, as well as overall impact. Pollak also noted the importance of evaluation, given the ongoing and sometimes long-term nature of such programming, to help determine effectiveness and to provide feedback for quality improvement. Instead, we refer readers to the excellent evaluations of individual writing and homework centers already in existence, such as Risley-Curtiss and Hurwsorth (2006) that may be used to evaluate outcomes of homework assistance, or at least as a basis for outcome measurement. Social service agencies such as the United Way are already committed to this approach in their assessments.

First, it is important to evaluate the homework assistance initiatives you’re implementing to find out if they are effective in achieving their intended outcomes. Second, continuous assessment of the programs you offer can ensure that the support is of high quality and can help direct areas for improvement. Data can be used to make decisions that will have an impact on the programs, outcomes, and students. By evaluating and assessing the impact of homework assistance, we can know if the elements we are providing are contributing to an overall impact and the extent of the total investment. Most importantly, those programs must be centered on children and young people as individuals with particular needs and worlds of observation and interests. This will lead to a credible and trustworthy result, helping evidence-based decision-making, which leads to data-informed decisions.

Evaluation and impact assessment of homework assistance programs