Thinking About Tutoring
Should Tutors Give Homework?
9 minute read
Ask ten tutors whether they set homework and you'll probably hear ten different answers.
Some believe every lesson should end with independent work. Others never give homework at all.
The more useful question is not whether tutors should give homework. It is why.
Key ideas
- Homework should have a clear purpose.
- More work does not automatically mean more learning.
- Independent practice can strengthen learning when it is thoughtfully chosen.
- Professional tutors think carefully before setting additional work.
Homework is not the goal.
Sometimes tutors feel pressure to set homework simply because families expect it.
A worksheet can make a lesson feel productive.
But completing more questions is not necessarily the same as learning more deeply.
Good homework has a purpose.
Busywork has a deadline.
Ask what the learner needs.
One learner benefits from practising yesterday's skill independently.
Another already has two hours of school homework every evening.
Another needs encouragement to read for pleasure rather than complete another worksheet.
Professional tutors begin with the learner, not the routine.
Three learners.
Three children leave the same tutoring session.
One receives ten practice questions.
One is asked to notice examples of persuasive language in advertisements.
One is told to do nothing except get a good night's sleep before next week's lesson.
All three have been given exactly what they need.
Quality matters more than quantity.
Five thoughtful questions can be more valuable than fifty repetitive ones.
A short conversation with a parent may achieve more than another worksheet.
Sometimes the most powerful homework is asking a learner to explain today's lesson to somebody else.
Before setting homework, ask yourself one question: "How will this improve the learner's understanding?"
Homework should encourage independence.
The best homework helps learners become less dependent on their tutor.
It encourages retrieval.
Reflection.
Curiosity.
Independent thinking.
Those habits matter long after tutoring has finished.
The best homework prepares learners for life without a tutor.
Sometimes the answer is no.
There will be weeks when another worksheet is exactly the wrong thing.
A learner may be overwhelmed.
Exhausted.
Preparing for school assessments.
Great tutors know when protecting motivation matters more than adding another task.
Why are you setting homework?
If you removed homework from your tutoring tomorrow, what would your learners lose? The answer may reveal whether your homework has a genuine purpose.
Homework is a tool, not a tradition.
Professional tutors do not ask, "Do I always give homework?"
They ask, "Will this learner benefit from independent work right now?"
The answer will not always be the same—and that is exactly what professional judgement looks like.