Featured Application: Homework Help & Home Extensions
“When teachers design homework to meet specific purposes and goals, more students complete their homework and benefit from the results” – Epstein & Van Voorhis
Effective educators are always looking for ways to bridge the gap between school and home. However there can always be challenges for extending learning beyond the school day. Whether students need extra support or parents don’t understand the content being taught, meaningfully learning outside the classroom can prove difficult at home, when the teacher is nowhere to be found.
Until ShowMe! Now every student and their families can have access to their teacher anytime, anywhere. Using technology to enhance learning isn’t just for the flipped classroom or advanced tech-happy teachers. One of my favorite ShowMe applications can be used in any classroom by any teacher, no matter how tech savvy you are.
“Teachers cannot follow students home, so it is important that parents are provided with the tools to successfully be involved with their children’s homework.” – Nicole Schrat Carr
Common Core can leave parents wondering, “Whaaaaat”, struggling to understand new ways to solve problems without the traditional algorithm. It can also leave students frustrated, saying, “But that’s not how Mrs. Smith taught us!” If you are a parent, I’m sure you’ve felt this frustration too, thinking Mrs. Smith might be a little crazy. Here is an example of a ShowMe made just for parents, explaining the importance and strategies of CCSS in a division problem.
Including parents in student learning is one way to effectively bridge the home-school gap, but taking personal responsibility and feeling the ping of succeeding on their own is also important for student growth. ShowMes provide extra support and home extensions, giving every student the opportunity to have a teacher available at any time.
“Homework that students can’t do without help is not good homework; students are discouraged when they are unable to complete homework on their own” – Cathy Vatterott, ASCD author
Every student needs extra help at times, or even differentiated support. ShowMe provides extensions and aid, or even just to see Mrs. Smith show one more example. Here is a ShowMe created for students to work side by side with the teacher on a difficult math problem. The teacher completes an example, then encourages students to try the next one on their own. This helpful, yet independent support, allows students to take control of their own learning, get help when they need it, and apply it on their own.
There are many strategies to use Homework Help with ShowMe; here are 2 simple and easy ways. Click on each link to watch a ShowMe tutorial about each tool:
Resources:
References:
- Carr, N. S. (2013). Increasing the Effectiveness of Homework for All Learners in the Inclusive Classroom. School Community Journal, 23(1), 169-182.
- Epstein, M. H., Polloway, E. A., Foley, R. M., & Patton, J. R. (1993). Homework: A comparison of teachers’ and parents’ perception of the problems experienced by students identified as having behavioral disorders, learning disabilities, or no disabilities. Remedial and Special Education, 14(5), 40–50.
- Vatterott, C. (2010). Five hallmarks of good homework. Educational Leadership, 68(1), 10–15.
