3 1 and 3 2 homework practice

If the assigned homework included the newly learned algorithm along with some previously learned skill, it would be considered cumulative. Cumulative practice is critical for skill maintenance and is included in any model of effective teaching practices. Skill maintenance is especially difficult for students with LD.

Homework assignments given quickly at the end of class period. Teachers often run out of time at the end of the class period when assigning homework. Then, homework is given in a rushed fashion verbally and many students do not hear it. Or the information is merely placed on the board and students miss it.

There are over 500 articles and books on the topic of homework but only a few are actual research studies. In the area of LD there are fewer than a dozen. This guide presents a compilation of the implications for practice from those studies.

Practice (e.g., after the teacher has directly taught a math algorithm in class, the homework is to complete several problems requiring use of that algorithm). Preparation (e.g., pre-reading or looking over a new unit of study in a text for the next class meeting).