INSIDE
From Miriam's Desk.  "When Teaching Becomes Learning". Opinions  A Bit of Research Letters From Students On Portfolios.	Sharing ideas on how to turn learners into producers of knowledge rather than consumers of knowledge.

In this, the first issue of the school year, I would first like to take the opportunity of wishing you all a very healthy and happy new year. May this year bring you and your families everything that you wish yourselves.  

This summer we held our annual summer day which we hope you all enjoyed. We appreciate the feedback that we received from many of you and invite you to write to me with comments about the study day or any other topic that you feel to be important.  

This issue includes pieces that have been written by pupils in the region and ideas from teachers and pupils on the subject of getting and receiving homework. I would like to thank all the teachers and their pupils for submitting material for this issue and to renew my appeal to you all to send us ideas, suggestions, comments, articles and other contributions for future issues. The Grapevine is designed to let you share your views with other teachers in the area. Please help us help you know what is going on in our region.  

We are planning a number of special refresher courses this year in addition to our courses for new Elementary and Junior High school teachers. We will be holding a course for Elementary and Junior High school teachers designed to introduce teachers to the principles behind the "Bridges" project. The project has its origins in the field of whole language and teachers will be encouraged to work together to enrich their own teaching.  

We will be opening a new course for Elementary and Junior High school teachers interested in adopting aspects of co-operative learning into their lessons. In addition there will be a course for teachers who have already taken part in these courses  in the past and who wish to work together to plan, adapt and develop materials.  

Please contact the following counsellors for information about any of the courses:  

	New Junior High school teachers - Debby Wolkinson. Tel: 8320057
	New Elementary school teachers. Dee Stein - Tel:9833454
	"Bridges" project for Elementary and Junior High school teachers . Hava Santo - Tel:06-345622. Shosh Leshem - Tel:8377099. The first meeting will take place on 2/11/97.
	Signal C.Q., Radio Fever and other  Israeli Educational Televison materials for Junior High and High school. Atara Magid - Tel: 8226995.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with ideas or suggestions for other refresher courses.  

We will also be continuing with the tradition of "Open lessons". Again I would like to take the opportunity to thank the teachers who were willing to open their lessons to their colleagues and invite you to follow in their footsteps. Please contact Margalit Azrad at the office on Tuesdays or Thursdays. (04-8353661/2)  

The next issue of "The Grapevine", which I hope will be out by Chanukkah, will be devoted to "Israel's Jubilee Year". We are waiting for any material from you or your pupils on this topic.  

Yours,  

Miriam  

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Mr. Eric Sotto kindly agreed to talk to the regional counselors at one of our regular meetings on the subject of "When Teaching Becomes Learning"¹. In his short and very thought provoking talk he suggested that people learn when they discover that they do not know something and that the only kind of learning that has a real influence is self-discovered and self-appropriated. Sotto says the job of teachers is to help students find answers in a logical and organised way. He believes that a lesson should not be judged on its content but rather on what the learners are actually doing during the lesson.  

I decided to put some of his ideas into practice in the classroom and here is a short report of the outcome. Having decided that I wanted to teach the passive to my 10th grade class, I had previously dictated a passage about a missing 12 year old boy ^{2 , 3}. The passage had many examples of the passive form used in context. As a result of the ideas presented by Eric Sotto, I decided to abandon my original content-based lesson plan and get the pupils to work in groups of 3 or 4. Their task was to discover on their own when, why and how the passive is used. The pupils were then asked to present the use of the passive to the class as a group assignment the following week.It was obvious that the limited time in the lesson would not enable the pupils to complete the assignment in class, and so it was assigned for homework as a group task.  

The results were amazing in their originality and in the amount of hard work invested. There were posters, memory games (with the verb in the third form and various forms of the verb "to be") poems and stories. I would like to share with you three examples of the pupils' work.  
   

Once upon a time there was a boy. His name was verb3. His daddy got a new job in a new city (in a new country in a new world) so they moved to Mars. Little verb3 was lonely. He had no brothers or sisters and no friends and he had to start all over again.  
Verb3 went to his new school. He said to the students, "Hi, everybody, I'm new in town. My name is verb in the third form!"  
All the kids laughed at his stupid name except one. His name was "Be".  

Verb3 and Be became very good friends and soon Verb3 discovered that his friend had a split personality. When Be talked about things in the future, he called himself "Will Be". When he talked about things in the present progressive he called himself "Am/Is/Are being" (three in one!) etc. Verb3 didn't have any problem with all his names. Just the opposite! He now had a lot of friends. Be and Verb3 were inseparable and lived happily ever after...  

¹ Sotto, E., When Teaching Becomes Learning, Cassell, 1994.  

² Davis, P. & Rinovolucri M., Dictation, New methods new possibilities, C.U.P., 1989.  

³ Freeman, S., Progressions English Grammar in Context, Evans Brothers Ltd., 1983.  

Miriam  

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I allocate homework with the above in mind and with the following basic philosophy - never give homework for the sake of giving homework and only give homework that is useful and that you are prepared to check thoroughly. The aim of homework is quality, not quantity! We can't expect students to take us seriously if we only give their homework a cursory tick or nod.  

I honestly believe that students should be allocated homework that they, and they alone, do. Homework is for students, not for parents (or for private teachers). Therefore, homework can and should be a learning activity within the range of the students' capability. The teacher is required to think and plan ahead to avoid the negative (and in my opinion) useless aspects of routine homework.  

I personally find that giving the students a writing task every week solves the problem.  

The writing task should be relevant to what is being taught in the classroom. It can be based on literature, implementation of a grammatical structure or reinforcement of new vocabulary (to name just a few). Obviously, the teacher has to check and evaluate the writing tasks.  

I am not abandoning or scoffing at the idea of drilling. Only the individual student knows how much drill he/she needs. Students must and should be given drills but the quantity of drill exercises can be decided upon by individual students according to their own, individual needs. When students realize that homework is there to facilitate learning, they will cease to view it in such a negative manner.  

Homework allocated by teachers, therefore, involves careful planning and obligates the teacher to check assignments regularly and seriously. Serious teachers breed serious students!  
Nina Golomb, Alliance  

As teachers, we constantly ponder over the effectiveness of homework. We are all fully aware of the rationale behind the issue, yet we are faced with disconcerting erosion in pupils' values, i.e. how many of them actually do the homework themselves and how many copy the exercises, before school begins, or during breaks.  

In my introductory talk on the first day at school I often list all the possible ways of copying just to show the pupils that I am not totally ignorant of what goes on. I tell them that all they get out of the accepted system of "doing" homework is learning how to copy. Seeing as there is no formal grade given for copying, they might as well give it up. (What I say probably falls on deaf ears.)  

As a prelude to writing this article, I generated a class discussion on homework. The following is a report on this discussion, which took place with an 11th grade. Approximately 70% of the pupils felt that the responsibility for doing homework should be theirs entirely and there should be no punishment given for not doing homework. Oren expressed his feeling thus: "I think that if a teacher does give homework, she should at least have the courtesy to believe her students when they say that they have done their homework and not do sudden checking".  

Idan, too, does not appreciate the teacher checking homework. "Homework is important so that the student will get a chance to revise the material. It makes gaps between those who do or do not succeed. Therefore, homework should be given."  

However, when the teacher makes a point of checking all the students' homework, the students tend to do their homework more, but also to copy more. Most students don't mind lying to their teachers as long as they think they will not be caught. When the teacher goes around the class checking homework, the student thinks that the teacher doesn't trust him/her and is insulted, so every time he/she has a chance to "cheat" the teacher, he/she does. (Teachers, beware - our motives are not disguised. We are more transparent than we think we are!)  

Merav: "Another problem with homework is that the teachers do not co-ordinate. Each teacher gives a great amount of homework as if there is only one subject at school and we have all day to do it. This uncomfortable situation drives the student who didn't do his homework for various reasons, to be dishonest and copy it."  

Ben: "The large quantities often scare the pupils from even trying to do the homework. If a pupil knows he/she has a lot of homework in a certain subject, the student is even scared to look at it."  

Oded: "Large quantities of homework aren't needed because the pupils only need to revise a bit. Large amounts of material are being thrown at the pupils and they can't always handle these amounts."  

Most pupils felt that homework should be given but only when necessary and in "regulated amounts". Is there something to be learnt from these comments? Is our use of homework or rather its over use, being counter-productive?  

To conclude, I will quote Oren. "My opinion is that homework should be learned completely. If it is, the student will have more time on their hands and use this time more productively."  

Fellow colleagues, are we nipping great talent in the bud by not allowing our potential artists in all spheres, time to create? I think not, but perhaps we should/could listen to our pupils' ideas and extract something from their comments.  

Angie Benjamin, Hugim  
  

When it comes to checking homework, there are some teachers who feel that too much valuable time is spent, which can be most frustrating. On the other hand, we teachers realize that homework is a valuable exercise in evaluating exactly what a student has digested. From the students' point of view, it is imperative that he is aware that the teacher appreciates his input.  

Maybe we should be more adventurous and try different approaches to checking homework in order to alleviate the tediousness involved. I would suggest forms of competition, such as grouping within the class, and prizes for the group with the highest points, via games and random checking. The latter can be invaluable, since a pupil will not know whether his homework will be checked and wouldn't want to disappoint his group, as competition stimulates a student to achieve.  

By diversifying ways of checking homework, we hope to minimize all the endless remarks in the pupils' diaries. We should be investing our energies in more beneficial areas.  

Miriam Levi, Yamit Elementary School  
  
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A survey was run at Ulpana Segula to investigate the effect of age upon students' attitudes toward homework. 120 students in six classes completed a questionnaire. Results follow.  

There is a well-known syllogism:   

The more you study -   
The more you know,   
The more you know -   
The more you forget,   
The more you forget -   
The less you know,   
The less you know -   
The less you forget,   
The less you forget -   
The more you know.   

This is a joke, of course. But let's have a closer look at one integral part of studying: HOMEWORK.  

Your homework won't let you forget that you are a pupil, even if you are at home. Sometimes it helps to understand that you didn't understand anything in the lesson.  

It also helps you improve your English. The majority of the girls at Ulpana Segula from the 7th to the 11th grades think so. But in the 12th grade, only half of the students agree. (Maybe they've improved their English enough by now.)  

"We get a lot of homework," say the 7th graders. (Welcome to the Ulpana!) They change their minds over the years. By the time they reach the 12th grade, they don't consider it a lot of homework.  

But whether they call it "a lot" or "a little", nearly half of the pupils spend less than an hour on their English homework. (Have a look at the 9th grade! Food for thought for the teacher!)  

Do you always check your homework after you finish it? Does the teacher always have to check it? "No" say the 11th graders. "We think not." The 8th and 9th graders tend to agree. "We aren't sure," say the 7th and 12th graders. "What?!? Of course s/he has to check it!" cry out the 10th grade pupils.  
  

When you are sick, you take acamol. When there's no milk in the house, you go out to buy some. If you are not ready for the lesson, there's also a way out. "Tell your teacher!" say more than 50% of the girls. In the 11th grade, almost everybody claimed they do that.  

Here, an interesting question emerges: How do the teachers respond? But, maybe this should be the subject of another survey.  

In conclusion, some direct quotes on the issue of homework: An 8th grader: "I don't like homework, but I really need it." A 10th grader: "What really improves my English is when we check and correct it, but just practicing at home won't give much." And two 11th graders: "We need a lot of homework to know more," and "Give me homework!"  

Shoshana Braverman, Ulpana Segula  

Teachers should give homework on week-ends. Homework is necessary. Homework is a waste of time. Homework helps us learn better. We all do our homework. Homework is effective. The teacher should give us a lot of homework. If your were a teacher, would you give your pupils homework. We all like doing our homework. We spend too much time on our homework. Teachers should give holiday assignments. Television first, then homework. What do you think?   

SURVEY RESULTS - YONATAN NETANYAHU JUNIOR HIGH, KIRIAT MOTZKIN  

A group of class 7 pupils prepared a class survey on "Homework". The results showed that most of the pupils are prepared to do homework but they don't want to spend too much time on it. They weren't sure whether they learned better from homework, but they felt that doing homework was effective. During the oral feedback session the kids felt that homework concluded a lesson nicely whereby they could reveal misunderstood material. They claimed that if they were teachers they would also demand homework activities from their pupils, but a very liberal amount. They didn't really like the idea of preparing assignments during vacations.  

While writing this report, I received a phone call from a somewhat hysterical parent complaining of the amount of homework her daughter has, worrying how she will cope during the forthcoming period of tests. What would you have said to this parent?  

Ruth Silberman, YONATAN NETANYAHU JUNIOR HIGH  

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Gaby Shoshani, Ulpana Segula  

"I think that writing compositions to the protfolio it's good. We practice in writing, learn new words. From the teacher's corections, we can learn more. When the teacher told us to write the protfolio, I didn't want to because it takes my free time at home. But, now I think that if something happens, so it's good to take a pen and a pencil and write about it." Avital Sabo  

I want to write you now, how is it important! In the protfolio we write all we want. This is very good because:  
a. The teacher has connection with me because of that.  
b. The student learn how to write better, when they write all the time and the teacher check it.  
C. When I don't know word, I open a dictionary.  
This is very important! You, try it! Batel  
  

To the teachers:  

In our school we need to do a portfolyo, we wrote compositions about any subject that we choos and we can also translate something from Hebrew to English.  

I think that this is very good thing to do because it's improve our English, and we can learn from it a lot.  

For example I put in my protfolio songs that I wrote by my self or songs that I translated. I try to do things that interst me and my teacher.  

However, sometimes the protfolio takes too much time, therefore pupils don't like to do it so much).  

Reut Alter  

I put this letter in my portfolio because I hope that in this way you'll know what a wonderful person my cousin was.   

Seven months have passed and I am writing to you.  
Seven months have passed since this terrible thing happened.  
Seven months have passed since our family became to be defiiciency.  
Seven months, and the tears are still dripping on the face.  
Seven months, and the pain doesn't become easier.  

I am still dreaming about you in the nights.  
I am still writing letters for you.  
I don't stop thinking about you,  
about your girl-friend,  
and about the people who had the luck to get to know you better than me.  

I am so proud, proud to know an angel like you,  
proud to be in your close family.  
I am proud to think about you, proud to remember you.  

In the entrance to our house there is a picture of you.  
In our grandparents' house there are three pictures of you  
and in your house there are a lot.  
And in all of these pictures you are smiling, you are happy.  

Whenever we talk about you  
we always remember how happy you always were  
and how you always made us smile.  
It's been seven months since you took your smile away.  
I can't stop thinking aboyt you, lying alone in the earth,  
flowers and mountains around you.  

Are you smiling now?  
Seven months have passed and you are lying there alone.  
Seven months have passed since you left us alone.  
Seven months have passed and you are gone.  
  

Ronny  

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