My First Try at Looking for Better ESL Homework Activities

I truly cannot put into words how much I dread doing homework. I have said this in the past and I haven't changed my mind yet. Nevertheless, I am aware of the positive effects that assigning homework can bring to the table (the ESL table). Now, being back to school as a student and not being able to refuse doing my homework, I've come to terms with the fact that homework is necessary evil. Now it's time for me to explore the options to make it less painful and annoying. 

A long time ago, I took a few subjects related to translation. Those subjects were said to be the most difficult ones throughout the whole Modern Languages Degree, even if the amount of homework was rather heavy, I managed to turn it in on time and I did not feel as much aversion to doing it. The teacher followed a method that I really liked and that I've used until now. Every piece of material that was going to be translated was handed out to us in advanced and the only thing we had to do was documentation. Even though most of the times all f the subjects were new, going to another sources in advance to doing the actual homework gave me everytime this sensation of being relaxed, the barrier of being suddenly introduced to a topic was no longer there. ESL students can always profit from this approach; whenever introducing a new topic, make them do some casual research so they are acquainted with the subject and handle it even if it is in their own native language. This way the fear of speaking for not being able to talk about the subject will be gone.

I have found out throughout these years of teaching, or attempting to teach, that assigning loads of homework or leaving students to work alone on projects is almost useless. I enjoy taking sometime off the usual class to devote to practice in the classroom and do the homework together. That way I make sure students do the work by themselves regardless of the result. I get really angry when students get someone else to do their homework, even if I know that theiy mean well doing so. I tell them to bring as much material they want to about a previously set topic and then we do the homework in the classroom (a brochure, a short essay, etc).

When I was in college, the classes that I enjoyed the most were taught by teacher assistants, they were mostly very young people from French or English speaking countries. They did not have teach us grammar as a formal subject or any other subject. Homework did not exist either and they were some of the most rewarding lessons to me. Practice was mostly focused on speaking and the the center of the debate was always a very controversial topic. From my own experience, I get that homework does not have to be a punishment. We as teachers have the task of looking for current topics that motivate students and at the same time, we must always remind them that the responsibility of learning is on their shoulders.