Try This

As I was doing some reading this week, I came across a blog post by Justin Tarte (@justintarte).  Dr. Tarte is someone that has some distinct opinions on homework and redos/retakes.  All of you now know why I was reading his blog.  Dr. Tarte is a good follow on Twitter also.  

The blog I was reading was titled "Five Alternatives to Traditional Homework."  Though I didn't find all of the suggestions to be practical, a few of them were interesting to me.

Here they are:

When you are out and about (with an adult), say 'hello' and ask every person you encounter or interact with 'how they are doing': Talk about a neat social experiment! Imagine that when standing in line, or browsing in a store, or simply walking in the parking lot to and from the car... how much can we learn from interacting with others and simply observing and experiencing the ups and downs of basic human and social interactions. Also, think about how this social experiment could go both ways... by being nice to strangers we possibly brighten their day while also being reminded of our influence on the attitudes of others.

Read about something you know nothing about: It doesn't matter if it's a magazine in the doctor's office or an article from the newspaper or something online. Go find something you know nothing about and read about it and learn something new. Simple and easy.

Click here to see the whole article if you are interested.

Questions To Consider:

1.  Can you incorporate such activities, as above, into content in your classroom?  Do activities like this have place in content areas?

2.  Could you use some activities like this as some type of "homework" for your students over Christmas break or even between Christmas and the end of the semester?

3.  The above types of "assignments" don't hod any place in assessing content acquisition but what place could they hold in your classroom?