WHO IS THE BEHIND THE HW THINK TANK?
PAUL MOSS
Founder
I am extremely passionate about education, and thinking of and delivering better learning opportunities to students. I have become a teacherpreneur to help reform ineffective homework distribution in schools and have invented and am CEO of Degrumbler, the solution that solves the issues.
I have been teaching for 11 years across the world, and have a BA (English and Psychology), a Post Grad Dip Ed, and a Masters Degree in Education specialising in student motivation. My teaching can be summed up in one sentence: making effective use of student data to help drive student progress. Well, maybe two sentences: highly creative lesson planning. But perhaps above all, my teaching is largely typified by my own voracious desire to learn and improve.
I am currently teaching English at South Devon College, and am thriving in what is a very progressive learning environment. I am also a Teaching and Learning Coach at the college, a role that includes observing and coaching teachers to improve their practice. I deliver CPD at the college, aimed specifically at using tech to further assessment for learning, and developing effective feedback strategies for teachers. Finally, and of course, I am influential in shaping effective homework policy at the college.
I am an examiner for WJEC.
I speak at conferences and teachmeets about homework. I am an active contributor to educational forums, and have many published articles. I also have a successful blog and an active twitter account with many influential followers: @edmerger
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I am available to consult with you about any aspect of HW policy, from effective task setting to the right online solution.
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Otherwise, please join me for discussions about HW and other various educational topics on social media.
THE WHAT
of setting homework
which online tool should i use?
Kralovec and Buell (2000) assert that teachers, in general, are not well trained in how to create effective homework assignments. But, one of the main reasons why research into homework struggles to significantly link student achievement with homework tasks is because few of the studies focused on the quality of the homework tasks . It's certainly an odd omission, but perhaps only because 13 years later we now have an enhanced understanding of what constitutes excellent lessons. For a homework task to be successful, it must mirror an excellent learning sequence, a sequence identical, in terms of quality, to a classroom lesson.
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The following 6 elements are key to designing successful homework tasks.
THE WHY
The
pedagogy behind homework
If you are looking for research to justify your homework policy, then this is your place to do it.
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Homework is a controversial topic. However, the research is quite clear that it can contribute to academic achievement. Homework is a learning sequence. Any learning sequence needs to be planned, and planned well to guarantee progress.
