Should World Language Teachers Assign Homework?
Ahh, the age-old question: to assign homework or not to assign homework? If you’ve clicked on this blog post expecting a simple yes or no answer to this question, I regret to inform you that the answer is not that easy; however, the good news is that I have some questions that you can ask yourself to determine if assigning homework in your particular French, Spanish, or Italian teaching context is appropriate.
Before we begin, I think it’s important for me to say that I personally assign homework in my World Language classroom. I think that a World Language class—regardless of level—should be a rigorous, serious, academic subject, and homework, therefore, serves as a critical reinforcement of course content outside of the classroom. That said, I understand that some teachers believe that homework doesn’t really move the needle forward in terms of student proficiency, that it can bog down students mentally and create unneeded stress, and that there is ultimately very little compelling research to support the notion that assigning homework is effective in promoting student learning and retention.
In this blog post, I’m going to discuss some of the benefits and downfalls of assigning homework, provide some guiding questions to help you answer this question for yourself, and finally discuss what types of homework assignments I find to be most effective.
Why should I assign homework?
Homework can be a wonderful opportunity to reinforce student learning and promote mastery of skills outside the classroom. It helps keep content fresh in students’ minds, especially if you are on an A-Day/B-Day schedule rotation and see your students every other day. Assigning homework allows students to improve important executive functioning skills such as responsibility, organization, time management, and respecting deadlines.
Think about how many hours of instruction/practice are required for students to progress through the proficiency levels. To go from novice to intermediate, we are talking about hundreds of hours. Unfortunately, we simply do not have that much instructional time in the school calendar, so assigning homework can help give students the time they need to improve their proficiency levels.
Why should I NOT assign homework?
Although homework can indeed help reinforce student learning, it is not a panacea for student learning woes. If a student struggles with content while in your classroom, there is a low chance that they will magically grasp the content at home. Homework, therefore, can be frustrating to students because it may not actually help them to better understand content. And considering that many of our students’ families do not speak the target language and may not be able to afford a language tutor, there are some real issues of equity surrounding the practice of assigning homework.
Additionally, there can be serious mental health concerns brought about by excessive homework, including increased stress, anxiety, and student burnout. Coupled with the questionable academic impact that research has shown homework to have (especially at the elementary level), there is an argument to be made for eliminating the practice of assigning homework altogether.
So…what do I do?
If you’re still unsure whether you should assign homework in your French, Spanish, or Italian classes, I want you to consider the following questions. If you answer YES to most of them, then you’re probably safe to assign homework; if you answer NO to most of them, then I think it might be best to reduce the amount of homework you assign or avoid assigning homework altogether:
Is homework regularly assigned in your students’ other academic subjects?
Would your homework assignments take students between 5-10 minutes to complete?
Would you provide students with feedback on their homework so that they know what they did correctly and what they need to work on further?
Do you intend to use homework to reinforce content that you have previously taught?
Will students have access to resources to help them complete assignments even if they are absent or have not really grasped the concept(s) you’d like them to practice?
Can students complete the homework assignment independently without needing the help of a language tutor?
Would your homework assignments meet at least one of the following criteria: Skills Mastery or Proficiency Boost?
Do your assignments promote responsibility, time management, organization, and respect for deadlines?
Practical Tips for Assigning Homework
If you have reached the conclusion that it is appropriate to assign homework in your World Language class, consider the following tips:
Determine a cadence for assigning homework. Will you assign it once a week? Twice a week? Every day?
Give students an opportunity to check their work. Give them the answer key or have them check their work with a partner to ensure they have access to the correct answers.
Hold students accountable. I don’t recommend collecting and grading every single assignment, but students need an incentive to do the work. If you never assign them a grade for their work, most will eventually stop doing it. I like to check homework for a grade at least once a week—I never announce when I’m checking it, so students know that they need to complete all assignments to ensure that they never lose points.
Target either SKILLS or PROFICIENCY. Avoid busy work. There should be a clear reason that you’re assigning something to your students: is it for them to build a particular skill they have been working on recently or improve their overall proficiency?
Create and enforce a late work policy. What will you do when students inevitably forget to do their homework and request to submit their work late? Consider a policy that is fair and equitable to students but also respects your own time as the teacher.
Personally, I don’t accept late work from students. If students do not have their homework, it is a zero; however, they have an opportunity to see me during flex extra help or after school help to make up their missed work, and I give back a few points that they lost. This policy feels fair to me, because it incentivizes students to have their work completed on time while also giving students an opportunity to redeem themselves if and when they do forget to do their homework.
Whether or not to assign homework in your World Language class ultimately depends on your teaching philosophy, your students' needs, and the learning goals you aim to achieve. Homework can serve as a valuable reinforcement tool if used thoughtfully, but it’s important to weigh the potential stress it may place on students. By asking the right questions and tailoring assignments to enhance language practice without overwhelming learners, you can find a balanced approach that works best for your classroom and helps your students succeed.
Do you assign homework in your World Language classes? If so, what works best for you and your students? Feel free to share your experience in the comment section below! I’d love to hear all about it.
Happy language teaching,
~ Michael
