“I can’t do this! I can’t do anything! This is stupid! I’m stupid. Everything is stupid, I quit!” Yikes. We’ve all witnessed these moments of utter frustration when kids feel daunted by an assignment, ...

Creating tasks with a focus on students’ autonomy—by providing choices, for example—helps them see the relevance of homework.

Most kids and their parents hate homework, or at best don’t see the point of it. Teachers are not that fond of homework either, but they are expected to assign it. I will not be reviewing the merits ...