Update on My New Approach to Homework

After the last test on radicals, I decided I needed to change some things. You can my prior post on that subject. Homework is now due every day and points are docked if it's late. More students than ever are doing their homework. We either start off the class with a warm-up review problem or we go over homework. Both are good for review. I am always surprised when I do the warm-ups how little they retain from the previous day!! I now know that they probably didn't learn many topics along the way last chapter and I didn't realize it because I never assessed their learning on the previous day's material. Students now come in with questions on homework and we can address things they don't understand more immediately. I love this system! It's such a basic and traditional method, but it's new to me! It feels good knowing where students are at, hearing their questions, helping them recall information, and being able to address issues upfront, including talking to students who haven't done their homework about what's going on. I'm hoping that this change will improve their retention and understanding and that at the end of the chapter I won't be as frustrated with the results on their tests.