Should I be marking homework in my own time?

Overview of Marking Homework as a Tutor

There are a few different options for marking homework. One thing to note is that you don’t have to mark homework in the same way for every student and lesson. What I would advise is fitting marking around the student to see what the best option for them is. There are many different options when it comes to marking homework and whether this should be in your own time or in the lesson time, so just make sure that you pick the option that boosts productivity.

Option 1

The first option is marking homework outside of the lesson and emailing them the correct answers. This is productive as if you’re busy with content that week then it doesn’t take up lesson time. The student also still gets the feedback which they require. With this option, it requires good communication over email so make sure you are available to answer any questions that the student may have. This definitely may not work for all students as some students may want to discuss the homework in real-time.

Option 2

Therefore, another option is discussing feedback with the student at the beginning of the session. This may be helpful if the homework was on a confusing concept. Maybe one that is more difficult to discuss remotely? This way may also be helpful if the homework links to the tutoring session. Heck, this is may even be a great warm up activity for the student! If it does not link to the tutoring session that current week, it may also be a good recap of what the student has previously learnt.

Option 3

You could also mark the tutoring homework with the student in the session. One really important tip for this approach is making sure you are completely familiarised with the homework. This includes the answers and the content. Make sure you’re able to answer any questions confidently and this means looking at the homework and the answers beforehand. Not going into the session marking it blindly! I personally find it easier to mark the homework before the sessions so I feel confident when answering the student’s questions. But, this may suit somebody else’s teaching style better so do what works best for you.

One really important piece of information to remember is that here is no right or wrong way of marking homework. There are multiple factors that can affect when you mark it such as the student or what you have planned for your upcoming lessons with that student. Just try recognising how your student learns best (you may have to use trial and error with marking homework on this one) and use this to guide you when marking homework.