Job Discussion Forums

[crazyteacher]

What you guys think of this?

I teach in a university and I got tired of students not doing homework. This is problematic for me because the homework is always the basis of the first in-class activity. If the students don`t do the homework then they cant do the first activity.

In order to motivate the students to do the HW I make the students who didnt do the HW stand outside in the hallway untill the first activity is over.

This has been working really well for me and I just want to encourage other teachers not to be shy about doing something like this.

[valley_girl]

I can't say that I agree with your method. These are adults, not children. In my classes (I also teach at a university), students who don't do homework lose points from their "participation" mark. If you don't do your homework, you are unable to participate in the activity/discussion that follows from the assignment and therefore should lose points for the resulting lack of participation. I reserve more severe consequences (telling a student to leave) for extreme behaviours. Fortunately, it hasn't (yet) come to that.

[Gordon]

Seems a little extreme. I understand, I too teach at a university and am also sick of the lazy attitude students take regarding classes and participation. Have you seen how they act in classes with Japanese teachers? Asleep, on their phones, chatting... Those things I do not tolerate. If students don't do their homework, I dock marks and show them my mark book periodically. That usually does it. Don't compare uni here with uni in a western country. This is glorified babysitting with perks.

[taikibansei]

Interesting topic. To deal with this problem, I used to include a version of the following blurb on all my syllabi:

当然のことだが、宿題をし、教科書を持って出席することが必要だ。出席できなかった人は宿題を渡すので、次のクラスが始まる前に私の研究室に来なければならない。なお、あなた方から宿題の提出がなかった場合は「不合格」と見なす。又、Ｄの採点を受け取った宿題も「不合格」と見なす。４回以上の「不合格」の場合は単位が取れないので、注意して欲しい。

I'd then read it aloud to them on the first day of class...and then hold them to the standards described within. Usually, after just 5 weeks, most of the dolts had failed the class, making it easier to convince them not to bother to come.

[Sweetsee]

Sounds to me like you are taking care of business there and not just sitting back and going with it, unlike most folks probably. You know, don't rock the boat and all. I would be sure to run it by your superiors, though. If you have the school's backing, I think it's great!

I was told I can't at the SHS I teach. Also read something about how JTs don't ever ask students to leave the room because by law they have the right to be there, regardless of their behavior.

I doubt that many would do the same though. I doubt that any others assign homework. For that matter, how many of you at uni do assign HW?

[PAULH]

[denise]

I learned quickly that daily homework did not get done by about half the class, so I stopped assigning it. I'd rather have my students be able to follow the lesson than endure a punishment that will put them further behind. The homework that I assign is usually an on-going or a weekly project--e.g., vocabulary logs that are due every Monday. The students have all week, and they always know when the work is due. If they don't do it, their grades go down, but their participation in that day's lesson is not affected at all. (Plus, I don't like the disruptions that occur in my lessons if half the class has done the work and half hasn't--it takes time to get everyone caught up.)

I've learned that if I want students to get the material in my lessons, I have to give them class time to do it.

d

[taikibansei]

[taikibansei]

[canuck]

If you send a student out of class, you must have a purpose. To tell them to get out because they didn't do their homework in not productive. What did you tell them the first day of class? Did you set out rules? Did you agree on them as a class? If you did, then everyone can by into the system. Otherwise you could be fighting a losing battle.

In a high school situation, if you kick someone out of class, they will just wander the halls and not know what to do, as it isn't done by the Japanese teachers often. It's better to have a chair outside, or a desk and sit them there.

In the university situation, I would have some desks outside the class or in the back of the room and have the students do the homework there. They would lose their participation mark and you move on.

[denise]

[taikibansei]

[taikibansei]

For what it's worth, some perhaps interesting recent books/articles discussing trends and experiences at Japanese universities:

文部科学省 (1999).『我が国の文教施策（平成11年度） 第一節：21世紀の大学像と今後の改革方向』[Our country's educational policy (1999): Section 1 -- portrait of the universities of the 21st century as well as reform trends].
Available: http://wwwwp.mext.go.jp/jyy1999/index_39.html

大学審議会(2000)大学入試の改善について[About reforming the entrance exams].
Available: http://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/houdou/12/11/0011a13.htm

「ミス・マチ入学：解消疑問ー中教審が中間報告」（1999）[Mis-matched university admissions: Doubts about a solution--an interim report from the Central Committee on Education]. 読売新聞11月2日。

古郡廷治(1999)「大学生の国語力低下を憂おう」[Let's worry about the decline in Japanese ability in college students]『朝日新聞・論壇欄』6月10日。

「大学で増える日本語授業ー表現力低下に歯止め」[The rise in Japanese language classes at universities -- an attempt to halt the decline in language ability] (1999) 『日本経済新聞』5月13日.

中岡真一郎（1995）『大学崩壊』[Collapse of the Universities]早稲田出版

岡部恒治・西村和雄・戸瀬信之編 (1998)『算数ができない大学生』[College Students Who Can't Do Basic Arithmetic]東洋経済新報社。

Guest, Michael. (2000). But I have to teach grammar! An analysis of the role "grammar" plays in Japanese university English examinations. The Language Teacher, 24 (11), 23-29.

Kitao, S. K., Kitao, K., Nozawa, K., & Yamamoto, M. (1985). Teaching English in Japan. In: K. Kitao, K. Nozawa, Y. Oda, T. Robb, M. Sugimori, & M. Yamamoto (Eds.), TEFL in Japan: JALT 10 Shunen Kinen Ronbunshu[JALT 10th Anniversary Collected Papers], 127-138.

Mulvey, B. (2001). The role and influence of Japan's university entrance exams: A reassessment. The Language Teacher, 25 (7), 11-17.

PM me if you're interested in this and want to receive more info.

[Sweetsee]

Whow, easy there partner. I don't think every one disagrees with you. I for one do not. I believe many teachers would feel that it is counter-productive to kick them out of the room for the first activity. Someone mentioned some alternatives that sounded good.

Does the school support you in your plan?

We all know the system sucks but if you want to work in it you must adapt. I just can't see your plan working. Unless of course, you are able to change the system, which, let's face it, not in this lifetime.

The reason I ask if you are supported is that I doubt your Japanese colleagues would go along with you. And while you may achieve tremendous results, seemingly, you may find that when the time comes to re-up, they may bout you.

I made the mistake of waiting until after my first year to find out exactly what the deal was as far as troublemakers go. I had booted several out of the class and recently found out that it's not done.

So, as much as I thought I was handling things, in fact I was rocking the boat as it were. I want to keep my job so I just chill now.

How long have you been doing that and how has it gone down, anyway?

[crazyteacher]

What a load of responces. Cool! I enjoyed reading all these different opinoins. Having said that, let me respond to some of the comments




valley_girl said:
" In my classes (I also teach at a university), students who don't do homework lose points from their "participation" mark. "


Yeah I tried that at first but as you might imagine it didnt really have the same impact. I found that students just kept losing marks until they failed. You might say "Well, whats wrong with that?" But I think this is punishment but not rehabilitation. Making the students stand in the hallway untill the end of the first activity changes thier behavior.



denise said:



"I learned quickly that daily homework did not get done by about half the class, so I stopped assigning it. "

Yeah I was thinking about doing that but now the students do thier homework. I guess you found a way of working around the students reluctance to do homework.






canuck said:


"If you send a student out of class, you must have a purpose. To tell them to get out because they didn't do their homework in not productive. "

Sure it is. It teaches them to do thier homework. This is no small thing.

"What did you tell them the first day of class? Did you set out rules?"

Yeah. They all knew the rules

"Did you agree on them as a class? If you did, then everyone can by into the system. Otherwise you could be fighting a losing battle."

My classroom is not a democratcy. They buy into the system because they see that it works.



" In the university situation, I would have some desks outside the class or in the back of the room and have the students do the homework there."

Homework is to be done at home. Allowing them to do the homework in class is really just giving the students who didnt do homework an alternative in-class activity. I feel this legitimizes thier "choice" not to do homework.


denise said

" My teaching context is not like other universities"


"I'd rather reward students for doing their work than punish them for not doing it. "

Its great that you are able to motivate the students using only positive reinforcement however some teachers find that they have to use both the carrot AND the stick.





Sweetsee said:



"We all know the system sucks but if you want to work in it you must adapt. I just can't see your plan working. Unless of course, you are able to change the system, which, let's face it, not in this lifetime."


I didnt change the system and I`m not doing anything against the rules. Of course everyone`s situation is different (BTW Great website- "ESID") but I think its ok to push the envelope a bit. By this I mean, do something new, not do something that youve been told is not done in your school.

"The reason I ask if you are supported is that I doubt your Japanese colleagues would go along with you. And while you may achieve tremendous results, seemingly, you may find that when the time comes to re-up, they may bout you. "

My advice is to be reasonable. If your boss comes to you and orders you to stop, then do so (like you did). It would be a real nightmare boss who would let you continue on doing something wrong and then fire you at the end of the year without warning.




" How long have you been doing that"

A few years


"and how has it gone down, anyway"


Now its well known that if you take my class you need to have your homework done.