Republic of the Philippines

NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Cabanatuan City

GRADUATE SCHOOL

Program: Master of Arts in Teaching Major in Science and Technology

Subject: Teaching Strategies
Professor: Dr. Juanaria Aquino
Student: Cheriedel L. Villorante

Meaning and Importance of Assignment

One of the important elements in classroom management is the assignment. It is

generally recognized as the most important phase of teaching-learning activities carried
on outside the classroom. In most classes, the assignment is the stimulus of the learning
activity. In other words, assignment is the pupil’s sailing direction toward the
accomplishment of the desired goal. When we speak of assignment in school work, we
refer to a specific piece of work to be done by the pupils under certain conditions and in
certain ways. It may be a problem to be solved, reading to be done, themes to be
written, questions to be answered, projects to be carried through, a practice to be
performed, and the like. Assignments is the chief means of directing the pupils’ learning
activities outside the classroom or during the study period set aside for the preparation
of the lesson for the next day. It serves as a stimulus to learning ability. “To assign a
lesson,” says Roark, “is to designate a more or less definite portion of subject-matter to
be acquired, assimilated, and put into some form of expression.” Such a definition
recognizes four factors as implicit in the concept of the assignment, namely: (1) the task
to be done; (2) appropriate procedure for accomplishment; (3) pupil-acceptance of the
task and procedure; (4) learning is the product of pupil self-activity.

In the language of Bossing, “The assignment applies to that part of the

instructional activity devoted to the clear recognition and acceptance of the pupil of the
next unit of learning to take place and of the processes by which this learning may be
achieved most effectively.”

The importance of the assignment in the technique of teaching has remained

unquestioned. The assignment offers the greatest opportunity for giving direction to
learning activities through the setting up of objectives. It is also the determining factor in
directing the development of effective study habits. Johnson and Michael assert that the
assignment provides one of the teacher’s excellent opportunities to adapt work to
individual activities. The fundamental aim of the assignment is to give the pupils definite
work to do and to guide and stimulate them to the performance of such work which will
result in educative experience. The assignment period should be devoted partly to
motivation. Study is most effective when highly motivated. The assignment should point
out a goal to be reached and an ideal to be realized. It is the pupil’s sailing direction.” It
should be a spur to interest, a challenge to effort, and a guide to thought. In giving the
assignment the teacher should try to bring out the interesting aspect of the lesson and
suggest interesting types of activities. The teacher must also regard the assignment
period as a time for cooperative thinking and suggestion.

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 The importance of the assignment to the teacher cannot be overlooked. The
development of good assignments is the essence of the teacher’s work. Time, effort,
initiative, and imagination are involved in the process. It is in the assignment that new
work is developed and groundwork for understanding is realized. The assignments
determine the learning to be experience by the pupils and the teaching to be done by the
teacher. The assignment offers the greatest opportunity for the teacher to do good
teaching. It also provides an excellent opportunity to grasp indications of interests when
it is at its height and to adapt work to individual needs and abilities. Furthermore, the
assignment gives the teacher opportunity to select from his wider and richer experience
of range of activities that will meet the educational goals which have been established.

The assignments have also been considered as a specification by the teacher of

materials to be read or studied or work to be accomplished by the students. This
somewhat narrow view of assignment making has resulted in almost complete
domination by the teacher of assignment. Still widely used is the procedure of assigning
a certain number of text pages or chapters to be read by students and little else. This is
done despite the fact that overwhelming evidence supports clear cut objectives, student
participation, and adequately explained assignments as valuable organizing factors in
study and learning.

The adequacy of present procedures may be largely due to a belief that

assignments, teaching, practice and testing are separate entities. These processes are
obviously interrelated, and when treated as such should result in better motivation of
pupils. The assignment is largely a matter not of information but of motivation, i.e.
helping students find a direction for their energy. As such the first principle is that
assignment should provide for individual differences.

Assignment should also arouse interest and make for continuing motivation
through a unit of work, or problem. Questions, illustrative materials, demonstrations are
all a part of introduction to anew place of work. Pupils should be involved in the
assignment process. The ego involvement which obtains from giving students a
proprietary interest in their own course will cause them to indentify with the work, and
should result in better group morale and enthusiasm. Good assignments give pupils a
mental set which makes them anticipate future steps in learning. The youngster learns
what to look for, and how to go about doing so. Suggestions about how to look at a
problem leads to more rapid and efficient learning.

One time devoted to assignment there is no general agreement among

educational experts on methods of determining the amount of assignment. The general
practice in colleges and universities here and abroad is to base the length of the
assignment to the length of the recitation period. One hour class period required one or
more but not more that two hours. The ratio should be one hour to two hours or less. If
daily assignment is the rule, it would be wise to question the adequacy of an assignment
that did not require 80 to 100 minutes class period. Adequacy, based on nature and
functions rather than length per se, must be the ultimate determiner of the time devoted
to assignment. Classroom teachers should avoid long assignment; that successful
accomplishment is impossible in the time available for preparation, with consequent loss
of interest on the part of the learner. The teacher should gauge the difficulty of work so
that success is possible for each pupil or student. The teacher must always bear in mind
that the pupil is taking other subjects that require assignments.

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Bases of Assignment

The following are suggested as bases of assignment:

1. The pupils 4. The aim of the subject-matter

2. The subject-matter 5. Instructional materials available
3. The method of teachings

Kinds of Assignment

The most common types of assignment used in teaching are the following:

1. Page-by-page assignment 6. Contract assignment

2. Chapter assignment 7. Unit assignment
3. Problem assignment 8. Cooperative or group assignment
4. Topical assignment 9. Syllabus assignment
5. Project assignment 10. Drill assignment

Other educational writers have classified assignments into two major types, thus:

1. Old-type assignments – Such as the page-by-page, problem, topic, theme,

exercise and question type. This general type of assignment is the characteristic
of the traditional school. It is based upon the nature of the child.
2. New-type assignments – Such as the project, unit, contract, and job type. This
general type of assignment is characteristic of the child-centered movement. This
type considers the child’s ability, experiences and interests, and makes learning
more stimulating, encouraging and directive.

Functions of the Assignment

According to Risk “one of the purposes of the assignment is to teach the pupils
how to study.” It is certain that the assignment should contribute materially to training
pupils to this end. The following are other functions of an assignment:

1. To point out clearly and concisely to the pupils just what is to be done or what
they are supposed to do.
2. To show how the work is to be done.
3. To make the pupils see why they should do the work.
4. To connect the new lesson with one just completed so that the pupil may gain a
whole view of the subject.
5. To create the proper attitude toward the performance of the work assigned.
6. To anticipate special difficulties in the advance lesson, and to suggest ways to
overcome them.
7. To provide adequate provisions for individual differences.

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Things to Be Assumed in Giving Assignment

When a teacher assigns a lesson in textbook or other sources he must assume

the following:
1. That the pupils have the ability to do the work independently, to grasp its thought
and meaning, and to comprehend its ideas and interpret them.
2. That the pupils have the time, the ability, the necessary means, and a favorable
opportunity to prepare the lesson assigned.
3. That the pupils will be accountable for the assignment.
4. That the teacher has mastered the subject-matter sufficiently well to know how to
plan the work to be assigned and how to divide the unit lesson units.
5. That the teacher, in all honestly, has made preparation for assigning the lesson;
has measured the lesson carefully, not by the number of pages or chapters or of
problems, but by the amount of thinking and mental energy and time required for
its preparation; and has formed a plan of study for the class that is reasonable,
helpful, and suggestive.

Requisites of a Good Assignment

The assignment is studied in advance and planned with as much acre as any
other phase of instruction. A good assignment must conform to the following requisites:
1. The assignment should be perfectly clear and definite.
2. The assignment should be concise but detailed enough to enable the pupils to
understand the task assigned.
3. The assignment should be well understood by the pupils.
4. The assignment should be adjusted to the time available to the pupils.
5. The assignment should be well planned and well organized.
6. The assignment should be flexible and adapted to the needs of the individual
pupils.
7. The assignment should be adapted to the pupil’s ability, experience, interest,
home conditions, and available time for study.
8. The assignment should be carefully planned and should call more or less
reorganization of subject-matter.
9. The assignment should be, if possible, of some practical, use in itself, or be
useful in the pupil’s daily life.
10. The assignment should stimulate the thinking and reasoning power of the pupils.
11. The assignment should prepare the pupils for the effective execution of their
work.
12. The assignments, if long, should be written on the board for explanation.
13. The assignment must be checked by the teacher to see that it can be effective.

When to Give the Assignment

The writer gives the following suggestions on when to give the assignment for the
consideration of the reader.
1. The assignment may be given at the beginning of the period.
2. It may be given at the end of the period.
3. It may be given in the course of the discussion or recitation.

The Amount of Assignment

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 The length of the assignment is an important matter to consider in developing the
habit of preparation. The length of the assignment should be determined taking into
consideration the difficulty of preparation on the part of the pupils and their ability to
accomplish the work assigned. For, as in the case of too long a lesson, too difficult a
lesson is likely to interfere with the habit of lesson preparation. An assignment given in
advance to cover the work for one day should be assumed to require a much shorter
time than an assignment given to prepare the class for a unit to work to cover several
days or the entire work. The nature of the subject and the relative difficulty of the
advance work should also have much to do with the length of assignment.

The amount of material to be assigned must vary with the age and maturity of the
pupils and the nature and newness of subject-matter to be learned. A too difficult
assignment is likely to interfere with the habit intended to be formed in the preparation of
the lesson. It should be reasonable in length. The assignment should be neither too
short nor too long, but should be proportioned to other assignments. Too long
assignments may result in bad study habits. There is danger in either direction. The
length of the recitation period, extra-curricular activities, home conditions, and the
amount of time required to do the task must also be taken into consideration in judging
the length of the assignment.

Giving Assignments in Various Grades

In our school system the assignment in the primary grades has been neglected
on the belief that pupils are too young to do independent work. As a matter of fact, one
can hardly begin too early to form study habits. The primary grades present many
opportunities for developing independence in learning. Of course we cannot expect
pupils in the primary grades to work very long at independent lesson assignments. The
primary school pupils can, however engage in exercises which give practice in reading,
numbers, drawing, coloring, and the like. These activities under a competent teacher
provide real opportunities for pupils to developed habits of accuracy, and independence
in carrying on a study project without interference by the teacher.

In the intermediate grades, the ability to study independently should develop

rapidly. In these grades the pupils have acquired the fundamental techniques in reading,
writing and oral language. The types of assignment in these grades do not differ from
those of the primary grades except in matter of emphasis and amount of materials. The
pupils in the intermediate grades should be learning to work independently for longer
and longer periods of time. They should be given constant practice in the collection,
organization, and assimilation of knowledge, drawing conclusions, or following
directions. The teachers in the intermediate grades should always be conscious of the
necessity of developing the best possible habits of study.

It cannot be denied that what we sometimes call good teaching does not
accomplish this desired result. It has often happened that the direction and help offered
by the teacher have tended to make the pupil dependent, utterly unable to do the piece
of work for himself. Even when the pupil has supposedly been required to do much
thinking, the teacher has sometimes weakened his work by continually stepping in to
purpose, the next step whenever an obstacle has been encountered. The argument
which proves conclusively that pupils do not learn to work independently is found in their
inability in the elementary grades, in the high schools and even in the college to use their

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time wisely. Because of the lack of proper training which at present exists in most of our
elementary schools, it is not safe to assume that high school students can be relied upon
to study effectively unless fully definite and detailed assignments are made in both the
basic text and supplementary materials. The teacher must bear in mind that the student
is not adequately trained of future life until he will go to outside sources on his own
initiative and verify and supplement the text of the discussion. This again means that the
teacher must gradually lessen definite assignments and expect dull preparation on the
part of the pupil. The extent to which his experiences in this respect are met will be in
general a function of the earlier training to which the pupil has been subjected. The
teacher may find it necessary to return to rigid assignments and gradually create abilities
that will make for independence and self-reliance in matter of study. This is one of the
most important outcomes of education or a desirable end of education in the teaching
process, and the teacher who can attain it and not lessen efficiency of class preparation
is in this respect truly a master teacher.

The pupils in the elementary grades should be told in detail just what to aim for,
how to attain the goal, and how to determine when he has attained it. The pupils must
however have shown some ability to study before detailed supervision of this sort can be
lessened. This lessening cannot be done at once, but must come gradually as the pupils
develop. The teacher wants to help the pupils to do active studying but at the same time
they must keep in mind that it is their duty to make them self-reliant and resourceful.

Devices Used in Improving Assignment

The success of the recitation depends upon the effectiveness of the assignment.
There are several devices that can be used to improve the assignment in teaching. The
following devices are suggested for consideration:
1. The use of guide questions or problems.
2. The use of guide study sheet.
3. The use of pre-test.
4. The use of audio-visual aids or objects.

Principles to Be Observed in Giving Assignment

In giving the assignment the following principles must be taken into consideration
by the teacher:
1. The purpose or aim of the assignment must be known to the pupils.
2. The assignment must be well motivated to create a desire or willingness on the
part of the pupils to do the work.
3. The method to be employed and the materials to be used by the pupils should b
discussed.
4. The teacher difficulty must be cleared or be unlocked.
5. The teacher should employ visuals aids or material devices to stimulate interest
and to make the assignment clear in the minds of the pupils.
6. The method of checking up to be used in the assignment must be indicated by
the teacher.
7. The pupils must be given an opportunity to ask questions about the assigned
lesson or the task to be performed.
8. The content of the assignment must be well known to the teacher so that he can
evaluate it in terms of the needs of the class.
9. The chief function of the assignment is to teach the pupils how to study.

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10. The psychological principles of apperception should be utilized in giving an
assignment of a developmental nature.
11.The teacher must make use of the blackboard in explaining the assignment.
12. The reference materials selected by the teacher must be made available to all
students.
13. The assignment must be meaningful to the students.
14. The teacher must never give the assignment as a form of punishment.