Homework is a pretty controversial topic. That's why I waited until my fourth blog to write about it! In any given school, you will have teachers who believe in giving homework and others who don't; you will have parents who enjoy doing homework with their children, and you will have those who don't. And finally you will have students...hmmm....I'm not sure if any of my students have ever really LOVED homework...Except maybe my first grade students. I remember the very first time that I gave them homework...they actually cheered! They must have thought that it felt "All Grown Up". The novelty wore off quickly and there was NO cheering the second time I gave homework. John Hattie, author of Visible learning, has done research on the impact that homework has on children. He says that it has a positive impact on students over the age of 14. Hattie says that the traditional way that homework is being given, has zero impact on children. He does not tell teachers to stop giving homework altogether, he simply encourages them to find alternative ways of giving homework. Here is a short video clip of John Hattie speaking about homework: thelearningexchange.ca/videos/john-hattie-homework-and-its-value/ When I first starting teaching 15 years ago, I gave out homework, projects, spelling tests...you name it! If you're reading this and I taught you when I was a young new teacher...I am SO sorry! It was pointless homework! I gave it to you because, when I was in school, I was given homework, spelling tests, and projects. I wasn't taught anything differently. As my teaching style improved, I started to give homework with purpose. I wouldn't just give homework for the sake of giving homework. I would give homework as an extension of what I was doing in class. If I taught long division in class, I would hand out a sheet on long division and would write REVIEW on the top. Of course, my homework methods improved over the years. Eventually, I stopped handing out entire review sheets of homework. I would ask my students to write two long division questions in their notebooks and ask them to simply solve that for homework. I realized that there was no purpose in having them answer 20 questions at home. If they understood the concept in class, and could solve it in class, then 2 little questions for homework is ample. If you are wondering, why even bother to send two questions home -Well, I did it so that their parents can see what we are doing in class. My goal is not to have parents teach their children concepts we learn in school. As a teacher, that's my job. According to Goldberg, a clinical psychologist, children can end up in a homework trap. He says that most children go through the system, listen to their teachers, do their homework and do relatively well in school. Goldberg says that some children start falling behind at a really early age. They don't understand the work in class and are asked to complete work at home. These kids may not have the support at home and fall further and further behind in the curriculum. They are expected to catch up at home. Goldberg says that homework can lead to emotional and behaviour problems.
My husband doesn't like reading. I don't think he has ever picked up a book if it wasn't required in school. I know I can write about him because he will never read this blog! Last year, I bought him a book. I know, it seems like a strange gift but the teacher in me wanted to see my husband read. I bought him Elon Musk's biography because of his interest in this man. He was actually excited when I gave it to him. And guess what? At first, he flipped through it and eventually started reading it. He kept stopping to tell me fun facts about Elon Musk, like how he had twins and then triplets and how he married the same woman twice. He knows me well as these facts are a lot more interesting to me than the ones about Space X! Lesson learned: With the right book, everyone can learn to love reading. More and more schools are starting to recommend no homework policies, homework with purpose or after school homework help. As a teacher, I am happy to keep the assignments and homework at school and send home review questions only. I know many parents who are frustrated getting their children to do their homework and to study for their tests. I know some parents who like their children bringing home homework. From what I have observed, children who are academically strong in the classroom don't need extra practice at home, and the ones who are struggling in the classroom don't benefit from doing homework at home. According to Palardy, very little research has been done on the effects of homework. He says that some of the studies are even controversial. In his article, he says that teachers give homework to encourage self-discipline and independence. I think that the minute a parent has to encourage their child to sit down, do their homework, or help them with it, they are no longer independent. Some parents will tell me that they never have to ask their children to do their homework and that they are very independent. But this is not the norm. For the most part, parents will tell me that it is a daily battle to get their children to do homework. My biggest problem with traditional paper and pencil, hour-long homework assignments is that, for the most part, the kids don't like it. And in a world where teachers are competing with TV, video games and sports, we have to be more creative. I want my students to enjoy school, to love the projects we do in class and to learn things that will help them in life. I don't ever want them to skip school, to say they hate it, and that they can't wait for school to finish. I generally want my students to love coming to school, to be attached to their friends, teachers and principal. I am sure that parents want the same for their children. We want them to succeed in school, to work hard, to think for themselves and to be happy. I interviewed a few people on their thoughts on homework. Here is one mom's perspective on homework. She likes the idea of homework because it keeps the kids busy at home: youtu.be/bcUuXCzVy68 Here she is again, not speaking as a mom but as a former high school teacher. She thinks that it is imperative to give homework as she would not have been able to finish the curriculum otherwise: youtu.be/TqyZpPpfrxE Here is her 11 year old son with his perspective on homework: youtu.be/VFuM063zBps He is not a big fan and thinks that you should learn at school. I should make a point about asking him again in twenty years! I asked a high school administrator what his views were on homework. This is what he said: youtu.be/pi5A5NqzNCQ Here is a mom of three elementary school girls who believes in 30 minutes of homework per night. youtu.be/n1q7qD5zzzI The last mom I interviewed does not believe in homework. She had just been up late doing homework with her daughters, made dinner, put them to bed and then filmed herself answering the question in regards to homework. She was exhausted and asked to use filters to mask her identity. She thinks that after school time should be reserved for family time. youtu.be/pF3xqDffb7A She added an afterthought that she wouldn't mind homework if it came with a tutor. Although she was somewhat joking, her underlying message was that homework is overwhelming for working parents. Here is her second message: youtu.be/DvHwOGNxhd0 I think that the jury will always be out on homework. I do think that children benefit from reading and reviewing some work. I don't think the children should prepare projects at home and I don't think that children should prepare oral presentations at home. This could all be done in class. I don't believe children should be spending hours during the evening on homework. Home should be reserved for family time. Parents should not be the ones teaching their children how to figure out math problems. It should be done at school. I have attended a math camp three summers in a row. We were taught new innovative ways of teaching math to students. I wondered how we expected parents to show their children this new way of teaching math when we were just learning it ourselves? Bottom line: Work stays at home, reading and review are good for homework. References and recommended readings
Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. New York, NY, US: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group. Goldberg, K. (2007). The homework trap. Encounter, 20(4), 70-89. J, M. Palardy. (April 01, 1988). The Effect of Homework Policies on Student Achievement. Nassp Bulletin, 72, 507, 14-17.
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