Homeroom

Homeroom or advisory is the classroom session in which a teacher records attendance and makes announcements. It can also be called Registration or Planning Period. The concept is used in schools around the world.

Asia

Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, the home room concept (نگران) is widely used in schools. The home room teacher is responsible for almost everything concerning their class. At the start of the school year, it's the homeroom teacher's responsibility to make sure that everyone gets their textbooks and materials, which are supplied by the government. The teacher is also responsible for recording attendance.

Bangladesh

In Bangladesh a homeroom teacher, also referred to as "class teacher", has the duty of taking attendance records of students in a class and making any minor announcements not covered during assembly.

China

In China, students often do not move between classes for different lessons and have a 10-minute period in which additional home room tasks can be done. Often these tasks include the collection or distribution of homework or the cleaning of the classroom. In competitive schools, the composition of home room classes is sometime based on ability in one or more core subjects. For example, students with a talent for science and math might be grouped together in one home room, while students with more practical or artistic skills would be put together in another. In such cases, the class' home room teacher often specializes in one of the core areas used to select his or her class, in addition to provide both academic and life advises to students. Usually there will also be a student elected by the others as a class monitor to assist their teachers with homeroom tasks and act as intermediate between the teachers and students.^[1]

South Korea

Homeroom hour in Korea takes a significant role in a child's education. Homeroom teachers play many roles; acting as counselors, administrators, and disciplinarians. Homeroom classes in high school are specially important as the students make their transition to college. Homeroom hour starts before 1st period and also after the last period, lasting between 20–30 minutes each time. Teachers use this time to make announcements, discipline students, and take care of other administrative duties. More importantly, teachers take this time to establish order in class. If a teacher is easygoing, the class is likely to be disruptive. Likewise, if the teacher is strict, the class is likely to be orderly. School administrators and staff see the homeroom classes as a reflection of the teachers. Moreover, if the class has bad test scores, it is subsequently blamed on the teacher. The homeroom teacher is responsible for pushing the students to do their best. Students often see their homeroom teachers as their role models and often visit them in the staff room. It is also common for students to stop by to tease the teacher or ask frivolous questions. In the 12th grade, homeroom teachers especially press on the students to do well on their college entrance exam. The 12th grade homeroom teacher is considered to be the most important teacher in the student's education. Subsequently, they (12th grade teachers) have a lot of work and are reluctant to take on teaching this grade. After graduating, students often come back and visit their homeroom teachers. It is customary to come with gifts or food.

Japan

Home room in Japanese schools forms a greater part of students' lives, with home room teachers acting as a substitute parent in many ways. Students usually have the same home room teacher and fellow students during their entire life at a given school. Students are expected to take on tasks for their home room, including cleaning, day duty (note-taking and classroom organisation), and the organisation of competitive events between home room classes. Students also often eat lunch in their home room. Since teachers must usually travel to the students' home room, rather than students going to a classroom dedicated to a particular subject, the depth of lessons often suffers. Teachers must carry all materials needed for multiple classes, therefore the lessons usually end up taking on a lecture style with students simply taking notes in preparation for testing.

Singapore

Homeroom periods varies between schools in Singapore. Usually homeroom periods are used for class contact time and also a time to discuss about what is going on around the school itself or sometimes students go to the hall for briefing before any important events like a marathon or an exam. Most secondary schools call homeroom, contact time period or Form Teacher (FT) period as the term homeroom is rarely used.

Americas and Oceania

Argentina

Home room is a concept that does not exist in Argentinian schools, as a single classroom is often used for all assignments (except for lab work or outdoors exercise). Students usually stay in groups of 20 to 40 for at least 2 years without being reshuffled and often maintain the same grouping throughout both primary and secondary education, with only the group's room and assigned member of staff changing. Typically, Argentine schools will have a 15-30 minute form period in the morning, a one-hour period for lunch, and a similar period after lunch, albeit not all schools are required to have classes in both the morning and the afternoon. Schools (particularly private ones) will often use classes in the afternoon for secondary languages (English, French, etc.) and sports activities. Students are usually not given much choice in the subjects they study and they all are subject to most academic subjects. The main choice a student has to make in entering secondary high school is in deciding a high school that leans towards general knowledge ("bachillerato", which encompasses arts and a general overview of science), economics ("commercial", whose orientation is towards math, primarily oriented towards accounting and business) or engineering (whose orientation is towards the sciences). Each school is given a lot of latitude in terms of extracurricular activities (teaching of secondary languages, sports, etc.). Argentinian's education is often in flux, as governments every 5 years or so change the curriculum and number of required classes.

Australia

Home room in Australia is similar to the US concept, however it varies from school to school. Some schools do not have home room at all, and attendance and announcements are made during the first period of the school day in a "student bulletin", while other schools run a home room system which is identical to that run in American schools.

Alternative names for home room in Australia are "admin" or "administration," "form-class," "form-period," "roll-call" or "DEAR" (drop everything and read). Most schools, as well as having a form-class, also have an "assembly" which is attended by the entire population of the school. This often entails announcements, advertising for various aspects of school life and listening or singing along with the national anthem.

In many private schools, usually Catholic schools, home room is referred to as "PCG" (pastoral care group) where the teacher is called a "PCA" (pastoral care advisor). As in Romania, a 'PCA' also performs the role of a counsellor.^[2][3]

Canada

Home room in Canadian schools follows the US model as well, but the time it occurs differs depending on the school district (and, in many cases, varies by the individual school). Some schools do not have homerooms but the day is broken into 5 periods.

Panama

Home room in Panamanian schools is similar to the US model. However, it is not an optional period as all students are required to attend home room sessions everyday. It is called 'Consejería' (Counseling) and takes place every morning before the first period, lasting 10 minutes. The teacher fulfills the role of a counselor (consejero) as s/he is in charge of registering attendance, collecting homework and other assignments, and make announcements. Students are expected to take on tasks for their home room including cleaning, morning prayer, classroom organization, homework and assignment handling. Home room may also be used for reading and writing after main activities have been fulfilled.

United States

In the United States, homeroom is considered a planning period or registration. It is scheduled often at the first period of the day or it may follow the lunch break. Sometimes it can be at the end of the day after all lessons have finished. In schools where the first period of the day is optional, home room may be deferred to the second period. During homeroom, teachers take attendance registers, may collect lunch orders, and carry out other administrative activities. Announcements may be made, correspondence distributed, and the Pledge of Allegiance said. It may be used for a period of reading, or finishing homework. In some schools, students are permitted to socialize, do group activities, watch television news or read. The home room teacher is often believed to serve a pastoral role for their students, as well as an educational one. Homerooms are sometimes also considered a free period.

Europe

Austria

In Austrian education (from lower secondary schools on), each class mostly stays in the same classroom and teachers move between the classes. Each class has a homeroom teacher (named "Klassenvorstand" in Austrian German, "form teacher" in British English). There are no special hours reserved for announcements etc. Homeroom teachers perform such activities during regular lesson periods.

France

The equivalent in France would be the "professeur(e) principal(e)", who teaches the class in a specific subject (as do other teachers) but accepts additional duties such as distributing administrative documents, giving advice on courses to follow, acting as intermediary in cases of conflict, collating other teachers' impressions of the class and of individual students in preparation for the quarterly report, and various other tasks. For this (s)he receives a small salary bonus.

Germany

For Germany basically same is true as for Austria (the teacher is called "Klassenlehrer"). Teachers normally do not receive a salary bonus but are expected to take classes in turn.

Romania

Homeroom is practiced in all educational institutions in Romania under the name of Dirigenţie, which takes its name from the homeroom teacher, called Diriginte. He or she also fulfills the role of a counselor.

Russia

Homeroom period in Russian schools is called "klassny chas" (class hour). Students of the same grade ("the parallel") are divided into "classes" - groups of on average 20-30 people; this varies by school and grade. Classes are assigned letters to distinguish between them, for example, 6th grade students may be divided into 5 classes - A, B, C, D, E, and each class gets a homeroom teacher (klassny rukovoditel). This homeroom teacher schedules the homeroom period approximately once a month and uses it to make announcements and decide various matters by student voting.

Spain

In Spain happens basically the same as in France, there's one main teacher called "tutor". Some schools do have an hour a week of homeroom, being called "tutoría", which is usually placed in High School education.

United Kingdom

Although the term homeroom is not used in the UK, students are usually assigned to a tutor group or form, with a daily registration period which serves generally the same purpose as a home room. The groupings and activities within a tutor group vary between schools and age groups; generally speaking primary students remain in their form groups for the majority of the time and there is no clear 'form time'. In secondary school, registration periods (or extensions thereof, such as weekly tutorials) may be the only period a form has with their form tutor - their first point of pastoral contact within a school - and the time is often used for a variety of purposes from administration (taking the register, making announcements, university and career applications) to more general studies such as personal, social and health education.

In Scotland, the use of SEEMIS software to monitor attendance has been trialed, which may lead to more integrated period-by-period registration of pupils.^[4]

References