This week in class, we talked about the book we are reading and how important it is to incorporate the principles into teaching. I like the idea that homework should be a form of formative testing. I think it's a great way to informally see what your students know and how well they know it.
Example: Go home and do these 10 problems. It shouldn't take more than 30 minutes. If, after 30 minutes, you haven't finished, put it away and bring it to class.
If your students can't do the assigned problems in the recommended time, they obviously don't understand it well enough to move on. It's up to you to decide what to do now. Is it your fault or theirs that they don't understand it? Did you fail as a teacher or did they fail as students? What are the implications of that answer? How can you make your lessons more understandable and easier to comprehend? How can you inspire your students to put forth the effort to want to know?
Teaching is not just a "here's the material, learn it" profession. We have a huge responsibility in this era of video games and just-getting-by. We need to learn how to instill intrinsic motivation into our students so that they will succeed and expect more out of life. Is that possible?
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