Mastery of School Material is Enhanced by In-class Work Time
In order to ensure student mastery of the material, we provide our students with time in class after the lesson to help solidify the targeted skill set listed in the objectives for the day.
Issues this Best Practice Addresses:
Students can become confused when they begin their homework on their own outside of class. They then practice the process incorrectly, thus making it much more difficult to master the skill in the correct manner.
Major Challenges to Implementation:
Allowing work time cuts into instructional time, which makes it difficult to address all of the standards expected for the course. Keeping all students fully engaged can be challenging when working one on one with individual students who need help.
Benefits Derived from Implementing this Best Practice:
Students have the opportunity to try the homework problems on their own and ask questions to their teacher before they go home, where they may not have as much guidance. Students are able to solidify their understanding of the material before exiting the classroom, and we as teachers are able to ensure that learning has occurred.
Evidence Illustrating Success:
The best piece of evidence is a decreased need for remediation, since that remediation for the students who are struggling is provided during regular class time.
Submitted by: Lainey Marshall, Chris Butler, Amy Miller, Burris Laboratory School