Reflective classroom perspective + practical ways forward
In recent classroom visits and conversations with teachers I mentor, a pattern keeps emerging. Students in secondary classes are handing in homework that looks complete and correct. Yet when teachers try to discuss that homework in class the next day, many students struggle to explain what they actually understand.
At first glance, it seems like homework is working; notebooks look good, and assignments are done on time. But the deeper question is: Are students really learning?
Many students now admit that homework, which once took an hour, can be finished in minutes using AI tools on their phones. This pressure to “get work done fast” is creating a new classroom reality. Teachers are unsure how to respond. Parents are relieved homework is done, but can’t tell whether real learning is happening.
This situation has made me reflect deeply:
➡ If homework is getting completed but understanding is not growing, does traditional homework still serve its purpose in today’s secondary classrooms?
Why This Matters
The world of learning is changing rapidly. Students are not learning for last semester’s test, they are learning for a future job landscape that doesn’t even exist yet. And technology, especially AI, is not going away.
Research shows that homework helps students learn not just when it is completed, but also when it is designed to make students think and understand concepts. A large study on homework strategies found that, even though schools give more homework, sometimes resulting in better overall results, the time an individual student spends on homework does not always improve their performance. This means homework works best when tasks match students’ learning needs and encourage real understanding, rather than simply giving more work to complete, especially now that AI tools can easily generate answers without real learning. frontiers
So the question we must really ask is not whether students should complete homework, but whether homework is helping them think and understand.
Students: From Completion to Understanding
Many secondary students today are efficient with technology.
They can:
- find answers quickly online
- use AI tools to generate text
- copy and paste with minimal thought
But these shortcuts do not always build:
- critical thinking
- deeper understanding
- ability to explain ideas in one’s own words
Research on deep learning strategies shows that activities such as explaining ideas to others, reflective questioning, and application in new contexts improve learning far more than rote rewriting. Dunlosky et al. (2013)
Teachers: Balancing Tradition and Change
I’ve heard many teachers say:
Homework always mattered, but now it feels like we are just grading copied work.
This frustration makes sense. Teachers want students to learn, not to finish tasks. But teachers are also reflecting on what good homework should look like:
Research-informed homework practices that work:
- Short, reflective tasks asking students to write what they thought about a question rather than how they completed it. Hattie, 2009
- Application tasks connecting classroom learning to real-life problems.
- Classroom dialogue about homework using homework as a starting point for discussion, not just a graded deliverable.
- Student choice gives students options for how they show understanding.
These practices help homework become a bridge to thinking rather than a checkpoint of completion.
Parents: What Real Learning Looks Like
Parents often feel relieved when homework is done. But that relief can mask something deeper: Is understanding happening at home?
Parents who engage in small conversations, like asking, What did you think about this assignment? Instead of Did you finish your homework? help students shift toward meaningful learning.
Research on family engagement in learning confirms this: small parent-student discussions about thinking and reasoning improve understanding and memory. Journal of Educational Psychology
So, What Needs to Change?
Based on classroom practice, mentorship conversations, and research evidence, I’ve found a few promising approaches:
1) Rethink Homework Purpose
Homework should help students think, not just complete.
2) Focus on Reflection and Reasoning
Tasks like ‘Explain why…’ or ‘What would happen if…?’ encourage deeper thinking than copying answers.
3) Integrate Classroom Discussion
Use homework as a starting point for dialogue, not as a late-night chore.
4) Teach AI as a Tool, not a Shortcut
Instead of banning AI, help students use it responsibly for brainstorming, summarising, or explaining ideas, while still practising critical thinking.
A Hopeful Conclusion
The world of learning is changing. Homework, as we’ve known it for decades, may no longer fit the classroom reality of 2026 and beyond, but that doesn’t mean learning is broken.
It means we have an opportunity to redefine homework so it:
- supports understanding,
- connects school and home thinking,
- embraces technology responsibly,
- and prepares students for future challenges.
Perhaps the real question today is not’Does homework still make sense?’ but ‘How can homework help students think deeper and prepare for a world where technology and understanding must go hand in hand?’
This version of homework, which is reflective, thoughtful, and discussion-based, feels like the kind of learning future classrooms need.