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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, the 5 best homework help websites (free and paid).

Other High School , General Education

Listen: we know homework isn’t fun, but it is a good way to reinforce the ideas and concepts you’ve learned in class. But what if you’re really struggling with your homework assignments?

If you’ve looked online for a little extra help with your take-home assignments, you’ve probably stumbled across websites claiming to provide the homework help and answers students need to succeed . But can homework help sites really make a difference? And if so, which are the best homework help websites you can use? 

Below, we answer these questions and more about homework help websites–free and paid. We’ll go over: 

• The basics of homework help websites
• The cost of homework help websites 
• The five best homework websites out there 
• The pros and cons of using these websites for homework help 
• The line between “learning” and “cheating” when using online homework help 
• Tips for getting the most out of a homework help website

So let’s get started! 

The Basics About Homework Help Websites–Free and Paid

Homework help websites are designed to help you complete your homework assignments, plain and simple. 

What Makes a Homework Help Site Worth Using

Most of the best sites allow users to ask questions and then provide an answer (or multiple possible answers) and explanation in seconds. In some instances, you can even send a photo of a particular assignment or problem instead of typing the whole thing out! 

Homework help sites also offer more than just help answering homework questions. Common services provided are Q&A with experts, educational videos, lectures, practice tests and quizzes, learning modules, math solving tools, and proofreading help. Homework help sites can also provide textbook solutions (i.e. answers to problems in tons of different textbooks your school might be using), one-on-one tutoring, and peer-to-peer platforms that allow you to discuss subjects you’re learning about with your fellow students. 

And best of all, nearly all of them offer their services 24/7, including tutoring! 

What You Should Should Look Out For

When it comes to homework help, there are lots–and we mean lots –of scam sites out there willing to prey on desperate students. Before you sign up for any service, make sure you read reviews to ensure you’re working with a legitimate company. 

A word to the wise: the more a company advertises help that veers into the territory of cheating, the more likely it is to be a scam. The best homework help websites are going to help you learn the concepts you’ll need to successfully complete your homework on your own. (We’ll go over the difference between “homework help” and “cheating” a little later!) 

You don't need a golden piggy bank to use homework help websites. Some provide low or no cost help for students like you!

How Expensive Are the Best Homework Help Websites?

First of all, just because a homework help site costs money doesn’t mean it’s a good service. Likewise, just because a homework help website is free doesn’t mean the help isn’t high quality. To find the best websites, you have to take a close look at the quality and types of information they provide! 

When it comes to paid homework help services, the prices vary pretty widely depending on the amount of services you want to subscribe to. Subscriptions can cost anywhere from $2 to $150 dollars per month, with the most expensive services offering several hours of one-on-one tutoring with a subject expert per month.

The 5 Best Homework Help Websites 

So, what is the best homework help website you can use? The answer is that it depends on what you need help with. 

The best homework help websites are the ones that are reliable and help you learn the material. They don’t just provide answers to homework questions–they actually help you learn the material. 

That’s why we’ve broken down our favorite websites into categories based on who they’re best for . For instance, the best website for people struggling with math might not work for someone who needs a little extra help with science, and vice versa. 

Keep reading to find the best homework help website for you! 

Best Free Homework Help Site: Khan Academy

• Price: Free!
• Best for: Practicing tough material 

Not only is Khan Academy free, but it’s full of information and can be personalized to suit your needs. When you set up your account , you choose which courses you need to study, and Khan Academy sets up a personal dashboard of instructional videos, practice exercises, and quizzes –with both correct and incorrect answer explanations–so you can learn at your own pace. 

As an added bonus, it covers more course topics than many other homework help sites, including several AP classes.

Runner Up: Brainly.com offers a free service that allows you to type in questions and get answers and explanations from experts. The downside is that you’re limited to two answers per question and have to watch ads. 

Best Paid Homework Help Site: Chegg

• Price: $14.95 to $19.95 per month
• Best for: 24/7 homework assistance  

This service has three main parts . The first is Chegg Study, which includes textbook solutions, Q&A with subject experts, flashcards, video explanations, a math solver, and writing help. The resources are thorough, and reviewers state that Chegg answers homework questions quickly and accurately no matter when you submit them.  

Chegg also offers textbook rentals for students who need access to textbooks outside of their classroom. Finally, Chegg offers Internship and Career Advice for students who are preparing to graduate and may need a little extra help with the transition out of high school. 

Another great feature Chegg provides is a selection of free articles geared towards helping with general life skills, like coping with stress and saving money. Chegg’s learning modules are comprehensive, and they feature solutions to the problems in tons of different textbooks in a wide variety of subjects. 

Runner Up: Bartleby offers basically the same services as Chegg for $14.99 per month. The reason it didn’t rank as the best is based on customer reviews that say user questions aren’t answered quite as quickly on this site as on Chegg. Otherwise, this is also a solid choice!

Best Site for Math Homework Help: Photomath

• Price: Free (or $59.99 per year for premium services) 
• Best for: Explaining solutions to math problems

This site allows you to t ake a picture of a math problem, and instantly pulls up a step-by-step solution, as well as a detailed explanation of the concept. Photomath also includes animated videos that break down mathematical concepts to help you better understand and remember them. 

The basic service is free, but for an additional fee you can get extra study tools and learn additional strategies for solving common math problems.

Runner Up: KhanAcademy offers in-depth tutorials that cover complex math topics for free, but you won’t get the same tailored help (and answers!) that Photomath offers. 

Best Site for English Homework Help: Princeton Review Academic Tutoring

• Price: $40 to $153 per month, depending on how many hours of tutoring you want 
• Best for: Comprehensive and personalized reading and writing help 

While sites like Grammarly and Sparknotes help you by either proofreading what you write via an algorithm or providing book summaries, Princeton Review’s tutors provide in-depth help with vocabulary, literature, essay writing and development, proofreading, and reading comprehension. And unlike other services, you’ll have the chance to work with a real person to get help. 

The best part is that you can get on-demand English (and ESL) tutoring from experts 24/7. That means you can get help whenever you need it, even if you’re pulling an all-nighter! 

This is by far the most expensive homework site on this list, so you’ll need to really think about what you need out of a homework help website before you commit. One added benefit is that the subscription covers over 80 other subjects, including AP classes, which can make it a good value if you need lots of help!  

Best Site for STEM Homework Help: Studypool

• Best for: Science homework help
• Price: Varies; you’ll pay for each question you submit

When it comes to science homework help, there aren’t a ton of great resources out there. The best of the bunch is Studypool, and while it has great reviews, there are some downsides as well. 

Let’s start with the good stuff. Studypool offers an interesting twist on the homework help formula. After you create a free account, you can submit your homework help questions, and tutors will submit bids to answer your questions. You’ll be able to select the tutor–and price point–that works for you, then you’ll pay to have your homework question answered. You can also pay a small fee to access notes, lectures, and other documents that top tutors have uploaded. 

The downside to Studypool is that the pricing is not transparent . There’s no way to plan for how much your homework help will cost, especially if you have lots of questions! Additionally, it’s not clear how tutors are selected, so you’ll need to be cautious when you choose who you’d like to answer your homework questions.  

What Are the Pros and Cons of Using Homework Help Sites?

Homework help websites can be a great resource if you’re struggling in a subject, or even if you just want to make sure that you’re really learning and understanding topics and ideas that you’re interested in. But, there are some possible drawbacks if you don’t use these sites responsibly. 

We’ll go over the good–and the not-so-good–aspects of getting online homework help below. 

3 Pros of Using Homework Help Websites 

First, let’s take a look at the benefits. 

#1: Better Grades Beyond Homework

This is a big one! Getting outside help with your studies can improve your understanding of concepts that you’re learning, which translates into better grades when you take tests or write essays. 

Remember: homework is designed to help reinforce the concepts you learned in class. If you just get easy answers without learning the material behind the problems, you may not have the tools you need to be successful on your class exams…or even standardized tests you’ll need to take for college. 

#2: Convenience

One of the main reasons that online homework help is appealing is because it’s flexible and convenient. You don’t have to go to a specific tutoring center while they’re open or stay after school to speak with your teacher. Instead, you can access helpful resources wherever you can access the internet, whenever you need them.

This is especially true if you tend to study at off hours because of your extracurriculars, work schedule, or family obligations. Sites that offer 24/7 tutoring can give you the extra help you need if you can’t access the free resources that are available at your school. 

#3: Variety

Not everyone learns the same way. Maybe you’re more of a visual learner, but your teacher mostly does lectures. Or maybe you learn best by listening and taking notes, but you’re expected to learn something just from reading the textbook . 

One of the best things about online homework help is that it comes in a variety of forms. The best homework help sites offer resources for all types of learners, including videos, practice activities, and even one-on-one discussions with real-life experts. 

This variety can also be a good thing if you just don’t really resonate with the way a concept is being explained (looking at you, math textbooks!).

Not so fast. There are cons to homework help websites, too. Get to know them below!

3 Cons of Using Homework Help Websites 

Now, let’s take a look at the drawbacks of online homework help. 

#1: Unreliable Info

This can be a real problem. In addition to all the really good homework help sites, there are a whole lot of disreputable or unreliable sites out there. The fact of the matter is that some homework help sites don’t necessarily hire people who are experts in the subjects they’re talking about. In those cases, you may not be getting the accurate, up-to-date, and thorough information you need.

Additionally, even the great sites may not be able to answer all of your homework questions. This is especially true if the site uses an algorithm or chatbot to help students…or if you’re enrolled in an advanced or college-level course. In these cases, working with your teacher or school-provided tutors are probably your best option. 

#2: No Clarification

This depends on the service you use, of course. But the majority of them provide free or low-cost help through pre-recorded videos. Watching videos or reading info online can definitely help you with your homework… but you can’t ask questions or get immediate feedback if you need it .

#3: Potential For Scamming 

Like we mentioned earlier, there are a lot of homework help websites out there, and lots of them are scams. The review comments we read covered everything from outdated or wrong information, to misleading claims about the help provided, to not allowing people to cancel their service after signing up. 

No matter which site you choose to use, make sure you research and read reviews before you sign up–especially if it’s a paid service! 

When Does “Help” Become “Cheating”?

Admittedly, whether using homework help websites constitutes cheating is a bit of a grey area. For instance, is it “help” when a friend reads your essay for history class and corrects your grammar, or is it “cheating”? The truth is, not everyone agrees on when “help” crosses the line into “cheating .” When in doubt, it can be a good idea to check with your teacher to see what they think about a particular type of help you want to get. 

That said, a general rule of thumb to keep in mind is to make sure that the assignment you turn in for credit is authentically yours . It needs to demonstrate your own thoughts and your own current abilities. Remember: the point of every homework assignment is to 1) help you learn something, and 2) show what you’ve learned. 

So if a service answers questions or writes essays for you, there’s a good chance using it constitutes cheating. 

Here’s an example that might help clarify the difference for you. Brainstorming essay ideas with others or looking online for inspiration is “help” as long as you write the essay yourself. Having someone read it and give you feedback about what you need to change is also help, provided you’re the one that makes the changes later. 

But copying all or part of an essay you find online or having someone write (or rewrite) the whole thing for you would be “cheating.” The same is true for other subjects. Ultimately, if you’re not generating your own work or your own answers, it’s probably cheating.

5 Tips for Finding the Best Homework Help Websites for You

Now that you know some of our favorite homework help websites, free and paid, you can start doing some additional research on your own to decide which services might work best for you! Here are some top tips for choosing a homework help website. 

Tip 1: Decide How You Learn Best 

Before you decide which site or sites you’re going to use for homework help, y ou should figure out what kind of learning style works for you the most. Are you a visual learner? Then choose a site that uses lots of videos to help explain concepts. If you know you learn best by actually doing tasks, choose a site that provides lots of practice exercises.

Tip 2: Determine Which Subjects You Need Help With

Just because a homework help site is good overall doesn’t mean that it’s equally good for every subject. If you only need help in math, choose a site that specializes in that area. But if history is where you’re struggling, a site that specializes in math won’t be much help. So make sure to choose a site that you know provides high-quality help in the areas you need it most. 

Tip 3: Decide How Much One-On-One Help You Need 

This is really about cost-effectiveness. If you learn well on your own by reading and watching videos, a free site like Khan Academy is a good choice. But if you need actual tutoring, or to be able to ask questions and get personalized answers from experts, a paid site that provides that kind of service may be a better option.

Tip 4: Set a Budget

If you decide you want to go with a paid homework help website, set a budget first . The prices for sites vary wildly, and the cost to use them can add up quick. 

Tip 5: Read the Reviews

Finally, it’s always a good idea to read actual reviews written by the people using these homework sites. You’ll learn the good, the bad, and the ugly of what the users’ experiences have been. This is especially true if you intend to subscribe to a paid service. You’ll want to make sure that users think it’s worth the price overall!

What’s Next?

If you want to get good grades on your homework, it’s a good idea to learn how to tackle it strategically. Our expert tips will help you get the most out of each assignment…and boost your grades in the process.

Doing well on homework assignments is just one part of getting good grades. We’ll teach you everything you need to know about getting great grades in high school in this article.

Of course, test grades can make or break your GPA, too. Here are 17 expert tips that’ll help you get the most out of your study prep before you take an exam.

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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10 Best Homework AI: Free Online AI Tutoring That Helps You Study

Boost your assignment and exam grades with these best AI homework helpers.

• March 17, 2024

Did you struggle to grasp the concepts taught in class and find it difficult to finish your homework? This is a common struggle for many students.

While some can seek assistance from a tutor, others may face barriers in accessing such support.

How can we address this issue and ensure equal educational opportunities for everyone? The solution lies in homework AI.

Leveraging the power of AI, homework AI tools provide users with accurate answers and offer detailed explanations, aiding in a deeper comprehension of the subject matter.

If you need help with your studies, explore this guide highlighting the top 10 AI homework helpers that can effectively assist you.

1. Genius Tutor – Best homework AI helper overall 

2. ExamUp – Best homework AI helper for improving test grades

3. HIX Tutor – Best homework AI helper for in-depth guides

4. Question AI – Best homework AI helper for affordable tutoring 

5. HomeworkAI – Best homework AI helper for all education levels

6. Mathful – Best homework AI helper for accurate math solutions

7. TutorEva – Best homework AI helper for animated AI help

8. Brainly – Best homework AI helper for community access

9. AI Tutors – Best homework AI helper for mobile use 

10. OddityAI – Best homework AI helper for better writing 

Genius Tutor – Best homework AI helper overall 

Stuck on a homework question? Genius Tutor is designed to give users instantaneous answers to all types of homework problems.

The groundbreaking AI homework help tool provides comprehensive support for many subjects, including math, biology, physics, literature, history, and chemistry. 

Powered by the most advanced AI model, it understands the context of your questions.

Regardless of difficulty, it breaks down solutions into manageable steps and offers comprehensive and clear explanations for the answers.

While it is best tailored toward high school and college students, anyone can benefit from using the tool to elevate their education. You can start using Genius Tutor for free with no hidden costs. 

Pros: 

• Provides a step-by-step breakdown of homework questions. 
• Highlights key formulas, rules, and formulas. 
• Fosters learning in a comfortable, judgment-free environment. 
• It is a straightforward tool without many extra features. 

Explore the capabilities of the Genius Tutor AI homework helper. 

ExamUp – Best homework AI helper for improving test grades

Exams can be a major source of stress for students. ExamUp reduces the pressure placed on students to memorize large amounts of information by simplifying complex concepts. 

It breaks down homework problems step by step, explaining the “why” and “how” of each solution.

Additionally, it features multilingual support, enabling users to grasp the concepts in their native languages for enhanced understanding.

The unique AI homework help tool is available 24/7 and acts like an online tutor whenever and wherever students want to study.

ExamUp offers a free plan that students can access at no cost. For advanced features, consider upgrading to a paid subscription. 

• Supports over 30 different languages. 
• It contains a built-in plagiarism detector to ensure original answers. 
• Provides guidance on math, computer science, and more. 
• ExamUp is not yet available as an app for smartphones.

Try ExamUp to get a powerful AI homework helper to ace your next exam.  

HIX Tutor – Best homework AI helper for in-depth guides

HIX Tutor is a sophisticated AI homework tool that enables students to gain a deeper understanding of their coursework.

This smart tutoring technology delivers comprehensive, in-depth guides that clearly explain the homework topic in a way that students at all grade levels can understand. 

HIX Tutor is a trustworthy study assistant with a 98% accuracy rate, ensuring you get correct answers on your homework.

Start using HIX Tutor for free to see if it works for you. Monthly and annual plans are available for frequent users. 

• Covers a wide range of subjects, including foreign languages. 
• Supports several inputs, such as image and document uploads. 
• Can understand textbook material and assist with practice problem-solving. 
• Requires a paid subscription after the initial free trial. 

Uncover the academic possibilities of HIX Tutor’s AI homework solver. 

Question AI – Best homework AI helper for affordable tutoring

Many students could benefit from having a personal tutor, but most families cannot afford this luxury.

Question AI serves as a personal AI tutor that makes it easier for students to tackle difficult subjects in school, such as math and science. 

The innovative ChatGPT homework tool alternative has a 98% accuracy rate and is more affordable than hiring a human tutor.

Anyone can try Question AI for free. To continue asking questions after the free trial, choose a low-cost subscription.

• Supports more than 100 languages, such as English, German, and French.
• It can be integrated into homework routines to promote learning.
• It helps students learn the material and achieve higher grades in school. 
• Students may become too dependent on it.

Use QuestionAI to solve homework question and unlock your learning potential. 

HomeworkAI – Best homework AI helper for all education levels

HomeworkAI is a convenient tool for instant assistance with assignments. The highly accurate AI homework helper is designed to simplify homework and study sessions with instant, one-click solutions. 

The user-friendly platform is tailored to help students and lifelong learners enhance their knowledge base at every level.

HomeworkAI is suitable for elementary, middle, high, and college students. Users can try HomeworkAI for free; no credit card is required. 

• Get expert help for everything from zoological classifications to algebra problems.
• Reduces student stress by generating instant solutions. 
• It can give users an academic advantage. 
• Some solutions may lack human-like creativity.

Students at all education levels can benefit from HomeworkAI. 

Mathful – Best homework AI helper for math solutions

Many students agree that Math is one of the most difficult subjects. Mathful is a viable solution for students struggling to do their math homework. 

This AI homework help tool is geared toward solving all branches of math, such as calculus, geometry, and algebra.

It doesn’t just give you the answer; it also provides users with in-depth, tailored explanations that help students better understand the math at hand.

It is free to try, and budget-friendly subscriptions are available. 

• Supports grades from elementary math to university level.
• It can assist with statistics, word problems, and more. 
• The tool uses encrypted transmissions and is safe to use. 
• It is limited to math homework help. 

Use Mathful to complete your math homework quickly and efficiently.  

TutorEva – Best homework AI helper for animated AI help

TutorEva is an online AI homework solver that offers comprehensive help. It can help you research an academic topic, check your homework for accuracy, and study for an upcoming exam.

It even shows colorful illustrations and animations to make learning more fun. You can try it for free, and premium subscriptions are also available.

• Gives one-stop access to textbook solutions. 
• Offers a browser extension to solve problems anywhere on the web.
• Students can join their textbooks and documents together. 
• Requires users to sign up to try the tool.

Brainly – Best homework AI helper for community access 

Many students enjoy being part of a community. Brainly offers a vast community of students, parents, and educators who work together to promote learning. 

Just ask a question, and the tool will swiftly analyze the problem and prepare a solution. In seconds, you’ll receive the correct answer and explanation. If AI can’t find a solution, ask the community or a live expert. 

It provides a 7-day free trial for testing out its features.

• Offers a scan-to-solve feature to save time.
• Students can get expert-verified answers.
• It is free to join. 
• Some features are not yet available, such as Test Prep. 
• The interface is busy and can be difficult to navigate. 

AI Tutors – Best homework AI helper for mobile use

Many students waste hours completing assignments and studying for exams only to forget the material when it matters most.

AI Tutors transforms how students answer questions and study by creating an interactive platform. 

Here, users can learn, ask for feedback, and even request quizzes on the material that they learned. The AI homework help tool is available as an app for convenient smartphone use. 

• Helps overcome location barriers for students who need homework AI help.
• Allows students to chat with real tutors 24/7.
• Comes with a built-in plagiarism checker, Google Translator, and more.
• Some solutions may contain plagiarism. 

OddityAI – Best homework AI helper for better writing 

OddityAI harnesses the power of AI using advanced algorithms and machine learning capabilities.

This AI homework help tool provides instant assistance with assignments, helps students prepare for major tests, and can be used to verify answers. 

It’s also a game-changer for writing help. The AI homework tool offers grammar checkers, literature analysis, and other tools designed to improve writing. Users can try OddityAI for free by signing up. 

• Flexible payment plans include subscriptions or credit purchases. 
• Can tackle complex subjects. 
• Helps generate ideas and verify information in essays. 
• May have difficulty providing solutions for niche subjects. 

In conclusion: Choosing the best homework AI helper

Homework is a daunting task for students of all grade levels. The sheer volume of assignments and the difficulty of certain subjects can be overwhelming, especially when students don’t understand the coursework. 

Homework AI tools help eliminate the stress and anxiety of homework. If you need help completing an assignment, studying for a test, or learning about a certain subject, opt for one of the best homework AI tools. 

1. Can AI homework helpers provide immediate assistance with homework?

Yes! Homework AI tools work quickly to analyze the question and generate accurate and detailed solutions, often within seconds. 

2. How reliable are homework AI tools?

While no AI tool is completely flawless, the best AI homework helpers have significantly high accuracy rates of 98% or higher, ensuring correct answers. 

3. Which subjects can an AI homework help tool assist me with?

Most of the homework AI tools support a wide range of subjects, such as math, physics, chemistry, history, geography, literature, computer science, foreign languages, and more.

Have any thoughts on this? Drop us a line below in the comments, or carry the discussion to our  Twitter  or  Facebook .

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• Articles / Homework

Smart Homework: 13 Ways to Make It Meaningful

by MiddleWeb · Published 08/04/2014 · Updated 11/17/2019

In the first installment of Rick Wormeli’s homework advice, he made the case for take-home assignments that matter for learning and engage student interest . In Part 2, Rick offers some guiding principles that can help teachers create homework challenges that motivate kids and spark deeper learning in and out of school.

These articles are adapted and updated from Rick’s seminal book about teaching in the middle grades, Day One & Beyond: Practical Matters for New Middle Level Teachers . Rick continues to offer great advice about homework, differentiation, assessment and many other topics in workshops and presentations across North America. Check back in Part 1 for some additional homework resources.

I’ve been accumulating guiding principles for creating highly motivating homework assignments for many years — from my own teaching and from the distilled wisdom of others. Here are a baker’s dozen. Choose the ones most appropriate for students’ learning goals and your curriculum.

1. Give students a clear picture of the final product. This doesn’t mean everything is structured for them, or that there aren’t multiple pathways to the same high quality result. There’s room for student personalities to be expressed. Students clearly know what is expected, however. A clear picture sets purpose for doing the assignment. Priming the brain to focus on particular aspects of the learning experience helps the brain process the information for long-term retention. Setting purpose for homework assignments has an impact on learning and the assignment’s completion rate, as research by Marzano and others confirms.

2. Incorporate a cause into the assignment. Middle level students are motivated when they feel they are righting a wrong. They are very sensitive to justice and injustice. As a group, they are also very nurturing of those less fortunate than them. Find a community or personal cause for which students can fight fairly and incorporate your content and skills in that good fight— students will be all over the assignment.

4. Incorporate people whom students admire in their assignments. Students are motivated when asked to share what they know and feel about these folks. We are a society of heroes, and young adolescents are interested in talking about and becoming heroic figures.

5. Allow choices, as appropriate. Allow students to do the even-numbered or odd-numbered problems, or allow them to choose from three prompts, not just one. Let them choose the word that best describes the political or scientific process. Let them identify their own diet and its effects on young adolescent bodies. Let them choose to work with partners or individually. How about allowing them to choose from several multiple-intelligence based tasks? If they are working in ways that are comfortable, they are more likely to do the work. By making the choice, they have upped their ownership of the task.

6. Incorporate cultural products into the assignment. If students have to use magazines, television shows, foods, sports equipment, and other products they already use, they are likely to do the work. The brain loves to do tasks in contexts with which it is familiar.

7. Allow students to collaborate in determining how homework will be assessed. If they help design the criteria for success, such as when they create the rubric for an assignment, they “own” the assignment. It comes off as something done by them, not to them. They also internalize the expectations—another way for them to have clear targets.

With some assignments we can post well-done versions from previous years (or ones we’ve created for this purpose) and ask students to analyze the essential characteristics that make these assignments exemplary. Students who analyze such assignments will compare those works with their own and internalize the criteria for success, referencing the criteria while doing the assignment, not just when it’s finished.

9. Spruce up your prompts. Don’t ask students to repeatedly answer questions or summarize. Try some of these openers instead: Decide between, argue against, Why did ______ argue for, compare, contrast, plan, classify, retell ______ from the point of view of ______, Organize, build, interview, predict, categorize, simplify, deduce, formulate, blend, suppose, invent, imagine, devise, compose, combine, rank, recommend, defend, choose.

10. Have everyone turn in a paper. In her classic, Homework: A New Direction (1992), Neila Connors reminded teachers to have all students turn in a paper, regardless of whether they did the assignment. If a student doesn’t have his homework, he writes on the paper the name of the assignment and why he didn’t do it.

11. Do not give homework passes. I used to do this; then I realized how much it minimized the importance of homework. It’s like saying, “Oh, well, the homework really wasn’t that important to your learning. You’ll learn just as well without it.” Homework should be so productive for students that missing it is like missing the lesson itself.

12. Integrate homework with other subjects. One assignment can count in two classes. Such assignments are usually complex enough to warrant the dual grade and it’s a way to work smarter, not harder, for both students and teachers. Teachers can split the pile of papers to grade, then share the grades with each other, and students don’t have homework piling up in multiple classes.

There are times when every teacher on the team assigns a half-hour assignment, and so do the elective or encore class teachers. This could mean three to four hours of homework for the student, which is inappropriate for young adolescents.

13. Occasionally, let students identify what homework would be most effective. Sometimes the really creative assignments are the ones that students design themselves. After teaching a lesson, ask your students what it would take to practice the material so well it became clearly understood. Many of the choices will be rigorous and very appropriate.

This is one reason I always recommend that, as a basic premise, we avoid Monday morning quizzes and weekend or holiday homework assignments. Sure, there will be exceptions when long-term projects come due. But if we are really about teaching so that students learn and not about appearing rigorous and assigning tasks to show that we have taught, then we’ll carefully consider all the effects of our homework expectations. Our students will be more productive at school for having healthier lives at home.

▶ More resources from Rick Wormeli:

Although Rick never mentions the word homework in this article about helping adolescent students improve their “executive function,” you will immediately see the connections! At the AMLE website .

NEXT: In our final excerpt from Day One & Beyond, Rick Wormeli shares his approach to homework assessment – with an clear emphasis on maintaining teacher sanity.

His books include Meet Me in the Middle ; Day One and Beyond ; Fair Isn’t Always Equal: Assessment and Grading in the Differentiated Classroom ; Differentiation: From Planning to Practice; Metaphors & Analogies: Power Tools for Teaching Any Subject, and Summarization in Any Subject , plus The Collected Writings (So Far) of Rick Wormeli: Crazy Good Stuff I Learned about Teaching Along the Way .

He is currently working on his first young adult fiction novel and a new book on homework practices in the 21 st century.

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MiddleWeb is all about the middle grades, with great 4-8 resources, book reviews, and guest posts by educators who support the success of young adolescents. And be sure to subscribe to MiddleWeb SmartBrief for the latest middle grades news & commentary from around the USA.

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This is a really great article. It has helped me tremendously in making new and better decisions about homework.

Fabulous sage advice! Although I love every single suggestion you’ve included, I am particularly fond of the elimination of the “homework pass”. As a former middle-level teacher and administrator, I too found the homework pass diminished the importance of follow-up work – a necessary component in determining the level of student understanding.

I do give 2 passes, but they just extend due date by a day. And if not used, they may be returned at the end of the 9 weeks for extra credit.

Rick Wormeli’s ideas and tips in this article continue to be stimulating and useful. That said, it’s been more than a decade since the first edition of his book on grading, homework and assessment, Fair Isn’t Always Equal appeared.

In the intervening years, Rick’s thinking about homework has benefited from his work with teachers and in schools and plenty of debate. In April 2018, he published a new 2nd edition of Fair Isn’t Always Equal that includes an even deeper discussion of homework and its relationship to best practice, differentiation, and the moral obligation of educators to insist on effective homework policies.

Visitors to the Stenhouse page for the new book can preview the *entire* text for free, so be sure to check that out.

Here’s a brief excerpt from the new book:

Tenet: Homework should enable students to practice what they have already learned in class and should not present new content for the first time. Principled Responses:

• I will not assign homework to students who do not understand the content. • I will give homework to some students and no homework or different assignments to others, depending on their proficiency. • I will use exit slips and formative assessment during class so I can determine proper after-school practice for each student. • I will not give homework because parents and administrators expect me to do so, or assign homework because it’s a particular day of the week. • I will assign homework only if it furthers students’ proficiency in the field we’re studying.

Thanks to Rick for giving us permission to share this!

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9 Ways to Finish Homework in College Even When You Don't Feel Like It

• Student Success

Do you put the “pro” in procrastinate?

In truth, we’ve all experienced how difficult it feels just to start. So we tend to ignore it and focus on something more fun instead. But then, before we realize, a project that at first seemed manageable now appears next to impossible to complete. 

So we go into a deadline-induced panic. 

Even if you think you work well under stress and pressure in college, you probably still feel the overwhelming sense of anxiety that accompanies procrastination, whether or not you meet that looming deadline.

But if you want to break your procrastination habit, you can. It’s fixable. All you need is a solid support system and a few clever productivity tactics to keep your self-discipline and focus in check.

So instead of falling into the frantic last-minute cycle again , use this list of tools and strategies to push ahead and finish what needs to be done.  

1. Play That Music

Music boosts your energy and keeps you alert. So if you are distracted by the slightest of sounds in a usually quiet atmosphere, music can drown out any spontaneous interruptions. It also has a powerful effect on your mood and recall. When you select the right song to play while studying, writing a paper or posting in the discussion board, the tune can trigger your memory.

2. Find a Study Buddy

If you find it difficult to sit down and create a study guide for your next exam, team up with a few classmates to draft a master study guide. Assign each person a section to work on. Perhaps one of your teammates has a better understanding of the material in a specific section and can help you better grasp the concepts. Then, combine everyone’s work for a complete and comprehensive guide.  

3. Grab Your Phone

Use your smartphone to your advantage. Make use of those awkward segments of time throughout the day when you may have a 10-minute opening. Waiting for your kid to finish soccer practice? Have a couple minutes before your meeting starts? Study anytime by loading your notes onto your phone or turning them into digital, on-the-go flashcards.

4. Make It Fun

It’s ok to face it - we avoid tasks because they seem boring. The easiest way to fix this is to make those tasks fun. For example, if you are writing a paper, invite a friend who might have their own work to do to join you at a coffee shop. Or recruit your kids to quiz you on your study material. Your kids will love helping (and they’ll learn something too!).

5. Take Advantage of Web Apps

Writing apps like Hemingway and Grammarly can ease the process of writing papers by helping you write more clearly. Think of these apps as your own personal writing coach. As you write, the app identifies hard to read sentences, as well as awkward phrasing, and promotes better word choices.

6. Set an Alarm

Not just any alarm. One programmed to tell you what you need to do and how it will impact your day. Think, “start working on your paper now and you’ll be able to go to a movie.” If you ignore that one, then set another saying, “if you start your paper now, you can watch an hourlong drama,” and so on. This type of self-reward system can help you better manage your time and still fulfill your wants later on.   

7. Recruit a Supervisor

Being accountable to someone is often the drive we need to kick us into gear. Use a similar tactic to ensure your schoolwork is done on time. Ask someone to check on your progress periodically to assure you’re staying on task. This someone can be your spouse, a friend or even your children. Choose wisely, though. You want someone who is serious about helping and won’t try to bother you while you are working. Your teenaged son or daughter will probably be very good at checking up on you and keeping you on task. Maybe even too good.

8. Do Your Least Favorite Work First

When you do your least favorite work first, you will increase your confidence and decrease your stress levels. And, naturally, avoid procrastination later on. Finishing the largest item on your to-do list will give you the productivity boost you need to do other assignments you may have pushed aside.

9. Change Your Perspective

Are things just not right in your usual study space ? Or do you just not like it anymore? Maybe it’s too loud, too quiet, too dark or just too hot. Consider making a change. Try working in your local coffee shop, in a community library or a nearby park. The change in scenery and perspective will impact your productivity for the better.

Written by Thomas Edison State University

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How to Do Homework Fast: 9 Best Tips and Guides

Homework can be tough or maybe easier but your primary goal as a student should be to complete your homework on time. Finishing homework on time is one of the signs of a successful college student .

Now it’s up to you, whether you want to finish your homework fast or procrastinate it. You’ll be surprised to know many kids don’t like to study just because of their homework.

But, I think you’re among those students who want to finish their homework fast and save time for other work. If I’m right and you’re already looking for how to do homework fast then you’re in right place.

Because in this article, I am gonna break down the 9 best tips to finish your homework fast while having fun . But before we get going, let me first tell you the benefits of doing homework fast :

• You get time for other works
• You can enjoy your whole day without worrying about the homework
• Doing your homework fast makes you a fast learner
• It makes a habit to solve questions fast helps you in the exams
• Finishing homework in time makes you a disciplined student

Now, you would have understood why you should finish your homework faster.

However, doing homework fast is not an easy job. You have to go through with a proper strategy and follow all the tips that I’m going to list here…

How to do homework fast?

1. find a good study environment.

A Study place really matters to studying effectively. A good study place can make your mood to study and also you’ll have a better concentration there.

So, if you want to stay focused and beat procrastination while doing homework fast then first find a good study environment.

A dedicated study room, library, coffee shop, or park can work great for you. Just find where you’re comfortable most and can give your best.

But make sure, the place you find for study should be distraction-free . Even if your phone is not a part of your homework, keep it aside wherever you study.

Read also: Why do I get bad grades after studying hard?

2. Set your schedule

During the day, besides homework, you may have to do many household works or other things. That’s why some students often forget to do homework or they stop doing their homework in the middle of other work.

To deal with these situations you have to either make a routine or set your schedule . I agree, that sticking with a routine won’t be easy for you, so why don’t you try to set your schedule?

The better way to set your schedule is to write a note and find the time that you have available for doing homework . Just before sleep or after waking up do it every day, it will keep you on a better schedule and time management.

3. Make a to-do list

A To-do list can be very helpful to finish your homework fast, especially when you have plenty of tasks.

So make a to-do list and write all the homework that you got from your teachers, this way you also won’t forget to complete any subject’s homework.

A to-do list not only would be interesting to make but, you will also enjoy finishing your homework according to it.

And, whenever you finish any particular homework from the to-do list, make sure you make a cross on it, which will motivate you to move further and finish the remaining homework.

If you have any boring or weak subject then do its homework first then move to an easy subject because when you start your study then your energy level and mood are at peak.

So, put your effort first on that subject that you find hard, and after that, you can easily finish your easy and interesting subject homework.

4. Keep all materials near you

Before doing homework, whatever stationery things or study materials you find useful for your homework, keep them close to you.

These small things really matter when you want to perform an effective study session and do your homework fast.

For example, if you have homework related to the Geometry subject then first, keep all the geometry tools on your study table, so that you won’t need to break your study in the middle to find any missing tools.

Similarly, whatever the tools, notes, assignments, or anything that you need while doing your homework, keep them near where you study.

Want to read: 17+ Useful things that college students can use

5. Make sure you understand the material

Although there is no need to ask still, I want to ask, do you understand the subject or topic well in which you have homework?

If your answer is No , then you’re making a big mistake.

Because when you don’t understand a subject or topic and your concepts are not clear enough, you can be stuck many times while doing homework on that subject, and this way, you can’t do your homework fast.

If I’m right and you don’t have enough knowledge in any subject then first understand the subject well. Here are some quick ways to understand the subject well before doing its homework:

• Review and revisit your notes
• Watch video lectures
• Focus on visual learning (like images, graphs, diagrams, etc.)
• Take help from friends

6. Challenge yourself with the time

Challenging yourself with time is a great way to do something fast. Isn’t it?

When you start doing homework, make a target like, I will finish this subject’s homework in 45 minutes. Similarly, set a period for each subject’s homework and then follow it.

To follow this tip effectively you can use a TIMMER for it . Chances are you’ll fail and you won’t be accurate with the target you’d set but with practice you can make yourself perfect.

Remember, don’t do all homework at a time instead you should try Pomodoro Technique and take regular breaks.

Taking breaks regularly while doing your homework fast won’t make feel like your homework like a burden because you have divided them into many sessions and coffee breaks.

Read also: 15 Study Techniques that are worth trying this year!

7. Find a study buddy for homework

Completing your homework with a study buddy, don’t you think it’s a great idea?

Of course, with a study buddy, you’ll not only enjoy your homework, but you both can finish your homework fast. The biggest benefit of group study is , that you exchange your knowledge and your understanding of the subject with each other.

So, if you have any friend who listens to you, supports your idea, and is good at studying, ask him for studying and doing homework together.

But, be active while studying with your study buddy and if possible then don’t use unnecessarily your phone.

8. Stay focused in classes

Staying focused in cla ss and paying enough attention there , can make your homework much easier to do faster.

Even, in my school days, I used to finish my homework during lunch break, so that I can enjoy my whole day at home without worrying about homework.

However, you don’t need to finish your homework during lunch breaks instead you can pay attention in class and clear all your doubts.

Whenever you learn something important during your professor’s lecture, make sure you take it in your notes. It will surely help you to do your homework faster.

Read also: What to do if you’ve failed a test?

9. Appreciate your efforts

Sometimes appreciating yourself can be very important. When there is no one to motivate you and appreciate your work then you should appreciate yourself.

Whenever you complete any of your tasks on time appreciate yourself. But it doesn’t mean, you should celebrate big and splash out money, Instead, you can enjoy an ice cream, a cold drink, or anything that you like.

These small things can bring a smile to your face and motivate you to move forward and keep doing great.

Read also: Best Study Motivational Quotes to Studying Hard

Conclusion:

In this article, I have listed the 9 best tips that must be helpful for you to do your homework fast. And, I hope you have enjoyed this article.

Now I’d like to hear from you:

Which tips from this post, do you like most, and are you going to try these tips from now on?

Let me know in the comment…

How to force yourself to finish homework fast?

It is certainly true that homework can be boring sometimes. Whether you want it or not you can’t avoid it. But what you can do is make it interesting by giving yourself a reward when you finish one task. Now the reward can be anything like listening to your favorite music, playing video games, or munching on your favorite candy bar. Keep giving rewards in breaks while doing your homework. It will keep you motivated and give you a sense of achievement.

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How to Create Effective Homework

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Based on a recent spate of articles on homework, it’s clear that the homework wars -- how much? how often? -- are still topic of big interest to both parents and teachers. Some teachers hate to give homework; others see it as a vital necessity. But according to some research presented by Annie Murphy Paul, the question isn’t how much, but whether the homework teachers do give actually advances learning.

“A recent study, published in the Economics of Education Review,” Paul wrote in “How Can We Make Homework Worthwhile?” , “reports that homework in science, English and history has ‘little to no impact’ on student test scores. (The authors did note a positive effect for math homework.) Enriching children’s classroom learning requires making homework not shorter or longer, but smarter.” Paul goes on to describe specific practices, like spaced repetition (in which information is presented and repeated spaced out over time), retrieval practice (testing or quizzing not for assessment, but to reinforce material learned), and cognitive disfluency (“desirable difficulties” used to make learning stick) -- all memory/retrieval techniques that may help homework move beyond busy work and advance real learning.

But to get those elements to work, said Fires in the Mind author and speaker Kathleen Cushman, students must be motivated to do their homework in the first place. One example Cushman gave was creating a project so interesting and involved, students naturally wanted to keep working on it after the bell rang. She pointed to a chapter in the book where she describes a particular motivation for some high school students she interviewed, under the heading “Homework We Actually Want to Do”:

“Christina and Nicholas both remembered a global studies unit on the French Revolution in which students acted out a courtroom trial of the king and queen. The project brought even routine homework assignments to life, they said.

“I was the queen. So of course I wanted to do my homework all the time, so I could know the facts of what happened and what didn’t happen, know what I wanted to say when someone tried to say I did this or that thing. I could say, ‘Oh no, I didn’t!’ - because I’d read my homework,” said Christina.

Christina was using a form of retrieval practice -- but because it was so much fun to be the queen, she only knew she wanted to stay in character. The queen had to study the information to get it right.

Another way teachers can take a good, hard look at homework practices, said Cushman, is to ask themselves a few vital questions: “Does this homework ask each student to practice something that the student hasn’t yet mastered? Does the student clearly see its purpose? When students are asked to repeat or rehearse something, does it require them to focus? Or can they do it without really paying attention?” If the homework meets these criteria, she said, then it falls into the desirable realm of “deliberate practice .”

Dan Bisaccio, former high school science teacher and now Director of Science Education at Brown University, said that after years of experience giving homework to high school students, he now “preaches” to his future teachers: “Homework should be practice and extensions of what happens in class and should not be ‘new learning,’” he said. “That is, students [shouldn’t be] having to teach themselves new content or skills.”

He said he agreed with Cushman that motivation is key, and tried to design homework that kept students interested. “Teachers need to clue into what motivates their students, giving them something that they really want to complete, and complete well.” One assignment Bisaccio used, called an “Experience Map,” asked students to create a map of their experiences after a field study or other important project - a technique employing both retrieval practice and the somewhat trickier interleaving, a “desirable difficulty” in which problems of different types are presented in one assignment, making students think harder to come up with solutions and answers.

“We ‘map’ mentally and physically each day. It helps to keep us orientated through our frenzied sun-up to sun-down daily experiences,” reads the assignment. Directions are to draw a field experience map, including -- with regard to the class -- where students have been, what they have done, new challenges, and insights. Special suggestions for drawing include “a place of danger, a favorite place, a place of power, a place with a secret.” Students are also called upon to map the places where they learned the most, where they were challenged the most, and where the funniest experience happened.

In addition, Bisaccio asked students to write what had challenged them most as a learner, what had stretched their limits most -- meant to be reflections just for students themselves, and asked to be kept on the back of the map. “What they wrote on the back was not shared with others,” he said. Once the assignment was completed, maps were posted to form a class atlas of what they had learned.

All the examples included here, however, are examples of homework in a traditional classroom. What about homework in a flipped classroom , where the lectures, usually videos, are the homework? A recent New York Times article on flipped classrooms may provide insight into flipping homework on its head, too: it quoted high school senior Luwayne Harris, saying, “Whenever I had a problem on the homework, I couldn’t do anything about it at home. Now if I have a problem with a video, I can just rewind and watch it over and over again.”