Home Study Policy
What is Home Study?
Home study is an integral and important part of your son’s education, and this planner will help you in playing an active role in his studies and in his education Each day your son should be involved in study at home Home study consists of:
Homework Task set by the teacher - major and minor tasks
Reading at Home – minimum 15 minutes
Organisation and planning – use of diary, revision notes, completion of work not finished in class
1. Major Homework Tasks
Assignments are teacher-directed work that involves the student in a variety of ways:
Practice Tasks providing students with opportunities to apply new knowledge, or review, revise and reinforce newly acquired skills, eg: consolidation exercise eg Maths, revising information about a current topic, practising works or phrases learnt in a language other than English
Preparatory Tasks providing opportunities for students to gain background information on a unit of study so that they are better prepared for future lessons, eg background reading, researching topics for a class unit of work, collecting items eg geometric shapes
Extension Tasks encouraging students to pursue knowledge individually and imaginatively, eg: writing e.g. a book review, making or designing something e.g. an art work, investigations e.g. Science, Humanities, researching eg history, local news
Directed Revision is a structured, detailed and clear Homework Task It is more than a direction to revise a topic or read a section from a book Students will complete revision notes and/or a detailed worksheet that will double as revision notes Directed Revision homework tasks are not marked and recorded
Major Homework Tasks are to be set by the Head of Learning Area and marked in accordance with College policy with the marks recorded in SEQTA The Head of Learning Area is responsible for ensuring Major Homework Tasks are set and marked appropriately
2. Reading
All boys are expected to read a minimum of 15-20 minutes each night This reading should be outside any reading expected by teacher assignments
3. Organisation
To cope with the expectations of studies and school life, boys must spend a minimum of 10 – 15 minutes each night reflecting on the day and preparing for the next school day(s). Writing in the school planner and planning for the next day are essential tasks that must occur on a daily basis
4. Minor Homework Tasks e.g. Completion of outstanding classwork
Ensuring any incomplete or missing coursework completed and a notetaking review of previous lesson content
Why is it Important?
Home study not only reinforces classroom learning; it also helps boys to develop skills and attitudes they need for successful lifelong learning by supporting the development of independent learning skills, including habits of enquiry and investigation
What Your Son Records in His Planner
Your son records Notes on lessons of the day, Major and Minor Homework Tasks and his Reading log (quality reading is an expected part of home study and parents are expected to play a role in encouraging regular reading)
A Major Homework Task is set weekly for each subject and is an extensive piece of work (usually written) that will take 30 minutes to one hour to complete (depending on what year your son is in)
Best practice is that the Major Homework Task is completed on the day set Please ensure that your son returns homework on the correct day as failure to return homework will result in a homework slip being issued.
There is no set timetable for Minor Homework (work to be completed from the days lesson), which teachers may set on any day other than major homework. A minor homework should take up to 10 to 15 minutes to complete and need not necessarily be written work
FAQ Balance
Take care to ensure that undue pressure is not occurring a balance needs to be maintained between the demands of study and recreational pastimes
This can generally be achieved through good organisation and planning, and builds on the effective study habits developed in primary school
When is the Best Time to do Home Study?
No one best time suits every child, but having a regular daily start time is important Decide upon a time that’s not too late and fits in with family commitments
You will need to allow an after-school break for a snack and some ‘down time’ Sticking to a routine time, varying it only for special occasions, is much better than a random time - there is an expectation that home study is to be done, less resentment about doing it, less procrastination, and less nagging
Depending on age and personality, you might have different habits to others, but you must begin home study by a certain time
What about Distractions during Home Study Time?
Television and home study definitely DO NOT MIX Try to have the household sufficiently disciplined that there is no television on to tempt anyone during work time
On the other hand, the sounds of chores, telephone calls, or a radio on low should not bother most boys too much Do not engage in conversation unrelated to home study While it is good to have family talk, it can become a reason why home study drags on forever Show interest in talk but postpone it to a more appropriate time eg dinner
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Where should boys do their Home Study?
Parents are often advised that boys need a desk in a quiet place alone to complete home study However, when you require supervision, especially when there is more than one child doing home study, the good old kitchen or dining room table serves perfectly well. The home study place needs to be well lit, and you should sit in a comfortable straight-backed chair
Is there a particular order in which Home Study Tasks should be done?
Please refer to the Home Study Outline Following a routine and breaking down home study into manageable chunks will make life easier
What if Home Study is too time consuming?
Teachers usually set home study with limits in mind, but what happens in reality may depend on the child and how interested they are in the work If you are given large amounts of home study that take hours to complete, let the class teacher know
Why does my son concentrate at some times and not at others?
Boys do not maintain concentration for long when they are not engaged in a task If your son is interested in a particular activity or can move between two or three different activities in one session, he can undoubtedly concentrate for a longer period of time Once boys become restless or distracted, they usually need a break
Homework Club
The Homework Club operates from the Angelicvm It’s open until 430 pm on Tuesday and Thursday each week, with staff and senior students as Mentors The Centre looks to provide resources and technologies, and an environment conducive to study