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[quote=Anonymous]Could anyone share how they approach helping with homework? I'm trying to figure out how I feel about parents being involved with or correcting homework in elementary/middle school.

Currently I will check over their homework to see they've got it done correctly and neatly. If it's something with a definite correct answer, like multiple choice questions or a page of math problems, and it's wrong I circle the number and tell them to try again. If they get it wrong again after trying to redo it I tell them to get their book or their notes and I help them work through until they get it right or to look through the book/notes until they can find the answer. If it's something like writing a free response and there's no correct answer I check for grammar and in the older grades I will say something if the arguments seems weak in a part of the answer, like maybe you should look for more evidence to support this part.

Then I talked to a friend and she said that what I was doing was wrong because teachers want to see what mistakes the student made and that correcting the homework is dishonest. I'm not sure how that is the case, because I never just do it for them but only help them one step at a time like when you would go to a teacher for help after school and they would walk you through a problem. But still, I think it is important to ask if I am doing the right thing.

For me I think it comes down to what is the purpose of homework.

If homework is meant for practicing concepts and skills I think my method makes sense. You would not want to practice getting the wrong answers, just like you would not want to practice playing a piano piece incorrectly. If you get something wrong in practice, I think stopping to redo it until it's right is the best idea. If practice makes perfect then I want to make sure my kids are practicing correctly.

If homework is just another category of assignment like the ones they do in class, but extra, I think our method still makes sense because I want my kids to take pride in their work and only turn in something that is the best they could possibly make it. Before they put their name on something, if they have the time and resources to do so I think they should make sure it is free from mistakes. In class they are working quickly and don't have another person to glance over their work, but at home they have much more time and a second set of eyes. I remember even in university we would form study groups to check over our homework together to find and fix the wrong answers, sometimes this was even a part of the recitation class. Does the same principle apply to kids homework in school?

Or is homework meant to be a diagnostic, sort of like a pretest, where they are expected to show what they can do or what they are still stuck on, not necessarily to show correct answers? That doesn't make much sense to me since the homework is assigned after they have been taught how to do the work so I would think they should be expected to get it correct, but this seems like what my friend was saying homework should be.

I know homework isn't meant to be exactly like a test where they have only one try and no reference materials or assistance allowed, because they are allowed to look at their textbook or their notes, or sometimes there is a sample problem at the top of the worksheet or on the teacher's website.

What is your philosophy of what homework is for, and how does that impact your choice of how to help your child with homework?[/quote]

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