Both homework and practice give students opportunities to deepen their understanding of the content they are learning (Pitler & Stone, 2012).

From A Handbook for Classroom Instruction that Works (2012), here are a few findings about homework 

1. Homework is generally more effective for older students than for younger students.

2. While learning a skill, students need a great deal of practice in order to achieve proficiency.

3. The purpose of homework should be made clear.

• Homework should be designed so that assignments support academic learning and communicate their purpose.

• Designed to help students prepare for instruction, to practice, or to extend learning opportunities.

• Feedback should be provided on assigned homework. and aligned to learning objectives

Practice is like homework and must have certain characteristics to produce desired results.  Here are recommendations for practice:

1. Clearly identify and communicate the purpose of practice activities. 

   • Practice needs to align with the learning objectives and provide students with opportunities to deepen their understanding of become more proficient with a skill

2. Design practice sessions that are short, focused, and distributed over time.

3. Provide feedback on practice sessions.

• It is critical to provide specific feedback to help students understand which parts of the skill they are performing and not performing correctly, (Pitler & Stone, 2012)