Listen to Kids: Trying Appreciative Inquiry

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  "What's a problem with school that you'd like to talk about and possibly fix?"
With this question, we launched an appreciative inquiry activity in 8th grade. Despite many concerns, one clear answer emerged in all four classes - Homework.
"So there isn't enough homework?" I asked.
"What? No!!" the 8th graders incredulously replied.
Using mentimeter.com, we collaborated to create a problem tree. What causes the perception or reality of too much homework? Between my four classes, students offered an array of causes and put the responsibility on teachers, students, and outside forces:

• Teachers assume kids are absorbing the HOW, but they aren't
• Learning time and work time aren't used well
• Kids are busy after school
• What's done in class and the work don't seem connected
• Kids aren't listening
• Kids waste time in class because they are distracted by friends
• Sports practices take hours after school
• Dance and other activities take up hours on multiple days after school

Then I asked what the result of having too much homework is. These answers were very eye-opening: 

• Stress
• Anxiety
• Bad grades/not learning or mastering the material/falling behind
• Conflict with parents
• Not getting enough sleep
• Less free time to pursue their interests
• Less time with family
• Pressure
• Exhaustion​

My favorite part of this activity is creating a solution tree. Three of four classes thought the solution was completing work in class, and one class thought teaching time management was the answer. (Note: This is what we already try to do on our team.)
How to make that happen involves shared responsibility between students and teachers and a mindset shift.

The fruits of getting work done in class that my students foresee are: 

• Less stress
• Family time
• Better grades
• Happier
• More sleep
• Time for relationships
•  Teachers and students working together
• Students feel in control of their own time.

So, we have a starting point. We have talking points when we have class time, but distractions are eating away at pressure work time.
Mostly this discussion felt serendipitous. One day earlier, I gave what felt like too much work time to complete a class assignment. It felt uncomfortable and even wasteful, but all my kids disagreed. Yes, they are teenagers who often want to take the easy way out, but they are also humans living through an ongoing pandemic. 
This extra work time feels like the change I need to make this year to make my class more equitable. I can continue to make our work relevant, engaging, and rigorous. However, the world beyond my classroom is beyond my control. My students are over-scheduled, have heavy home responsibilities, are pursuing their passion outside of school, have no internet access, have no quiet place to work, have no support at home, or JUST WANT TO BE CHILDREN a LITTLE LONGER. For these and a myriad of other reasons, I'm going to focus on slow thinking, working in class, and giving feedback when we are together
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