Orientation HomeWork? Yes. Think Outside the Classroom BoxD!
Homework should be broadly defined. It is not confined to academic tasks related to classroom work.
Homework is also an opportunity for personal reflection on the meaning, significance, or symbolism of a recent experience/event such as college orientation.
Orientation "homework" can focus admonishing students to work on a list of benefits they will receive from their graduation, how their daily routine will be amended to foster academic success, how family and friends see you now and how that perception will gradually change as you move toward graduation.
Orientation Homework is the school's opportunity to encourage students to "Think Outside the Classroom Box."
david,
I love this! So many things you can do to engage and prepare students before they even get to the classroom.
Susan Backofen
Homework is preparation and should be stressed as such. Have students reflect on how they prepared for their career and school choice and then equate that with their daily assignments to reach graduation. Most students have been conditioned to believe homework is all academics and as previously stated, they need to be taught to think outside the box.
One of the things I like my adult students to leave orientation with is an assignment about motivation. I give them poster board and on their first day of class they need to come back ready to explain their poster board and what motivated them to come to school. We put it on our "wall of motivation" and when they get discouraged, we go back to it and it helps to remind them WHY they are here to begin with!
James,
Agreed! That is a wonderful way to make the point that we are preparing them for work..not just giving them 'busy work'.
Susan Backofen
homework fosters ownership of our decisions and choice to attend school.
I agree that it promotes ownership of their decision. I think the homework assignment should be lighthearted and fun to be shared with the class as community building project.
