Why bother doing homework? Does your instructor even grade it? Didn’t you already do all this stuff in class?
In my last post I mentioned how much you are surrounded by a target language when you are studying abroad. It’s everywhere. Here at home, you get just a few hours a week of the language in class. You need a bit more just to start to pick it up. Homework keeps the language fresh in your mind, and helps you to focus on a very specific part of the language. And most instructors realize that homework is not fun, so we bribe you with points.
However, we are all aware that not everybody puts a lot of effort into homework. Some textbooks and workbooks have the answers in the back, there are lots of online translators, and then there’s the old trick of paying someone to do it for you. It’s in nobody’s best interest to give you points for something that you didn’t really do.
I had a French professor who assigned workbook pages, but told us that we had to correct our own work using a pen in a different color. She graded us on having all of the exercises completed and having the marks to show that we had corrected them ourselves.
In my classes, students get points for turning in workbook exercises, as long as they are done correctly (no writing “whatever” over and over again). I figure that even if they copied the answers, that will at least give them some practice. Is that cynical or realistic? I don’t know, but at least I get everyone’s homework.
If you’re serious about learning a language (or if you’re serious about not getting a bad grade), there are many things that you can do to help you reach that goal.
Meeting the requirements on the syllabus is one thing. Let’s look at the standard requirements in foreign language classes–today we’ll talk about attendance and participation.
Most foreign language courses require you to attend almost all classes. Think about it: if you went to another country to learn a language, you would constantly be surrounded by it (interacting with people, hearing it on the TV and radio, reading it in newspapers, etc). When you take a class that meets only a few hours a week, you have a lot less exposure to the target language. If you don’t show up half the time…well, sure, you can still pass the course, but your fluency probably won’t be that great.
Attending class allows you to participate, and participating in class helps you listen to and practice speaking the language. Each lesson focuses on one specific part of language learning (one grammar point or one vocabulary theme, for example), so the context for listening and speaking is clear, plus the exercises done in class help reinforce the grammar or vocab.
So the first step to being successful in learning another language is to just show up.
Next up: Why all the homework?
It’s a brand new year! Time to get back to those resolutions–maybe you are starting a new semester of a language, or starting from scratch. Make sure you get off to a good start!
If you are continuing to study a language, take some time and review what you learned in your last class. If you’re starting from scratch, go over English grammar so that you have a good starting point. OK, so grammar isn’t the most exciting topic, but it’s necessary. And I’m not suggesting that you become a grammar guru…unless you want to! 
