• 72 percent consider homework to be as important as the other class activities.
• 64 percent assign homework every class.
• 60 percent assign homework at the end of the class.
• 39 percent correct homework at the beginning of the class.
• 40 percent don't have a systematic manner of assigning the amount of homework.
• 36 percent assign at least one exercise.

1. Don't condition your students to leave class immediately after homework has been assigned. Assigning homework, always at the end of the class, will focus the students' attention on leaving not on the exercise that is asked to be done. When the teacher says the word homework, students seem to start to get ready to leave. Try to alternate the time of giving the homework assignment, so students can take their time taking notes and/or understanding the assignment.
2. Make sure the students understand the homework. It is extremely important that the student is familiar with the exercise he/she is going to do at home. Homework should be something that students have already talked about or done in class. Teachers should give clear instructions or ask students to read them, and check for understanding. Students should know what they are going to do at home. Unclear instructions can be a discouraging factor or a good excuse for not doing the exercise.
3. Create a correction habit. Remember to correct homework every time you assign it! Otherwise, students may think that the teacher is not responding to their effort, or they might prefer to study another subject next time. If the time you planned for homework has been taken by another activity, make sure you tell the students that you're not going to be able to correct the homework that class, and tell them when you will do it. Don't forget to ask for students' participation when correcting it. Teacher-centered homework correction can be monotonous and disparaging to the students. Homework correction can also lead to negative competition. Be careful not to praise too much when students get it correct or the less confident students won't share their answers. Remind them that they can learn from their mistakes. Be flexible when planning the time to correct homework. The habit of correcting homework the first or last thing in class can perhaps explain some student delays or early departures.
4. Assign just enough homework. Students' classroom habits depend on the teacher's classroom habits. Remember to assign a little bit of homework every class. Never less than one nor more than three exercises. Students usually have much to do. We don't want to overload them.
5. Give them the choice. You can plan more than one type of homework and tell the students to choose the one they prefer, or you can ask them what they want to do for homework so they are free to choose their own home exercises.
6. Better late than never. Do accept it when students bring late homework. They should be encouraged to do the exercises even if they are not on time. But be aware of the student who is always handing in late homework. Students are too lazy sometimes, and there are some who like to copy from others all the time.
7. Link homework with classroom activities. Homework is both a part of and an extension of the class. Find the appropriate time to join it to an activity, especially when correcting it. It can also be used to connect two classes, to start or end a unit review, or to review a specific subject.
8. Don't use homework as a punishment or reward. Both punishment and reward can work as palliatives. Some teachers assign a lot of homework when the students are not behaving well or give extra marks for those who do the exercises. One or the other attitude can make the students think of homework as good or bad, and not as an important or challenging activity that helps their learning process.

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