From an article in the StarTribune:
"... a homework abolition movement has gained popularity in schools, particularly among lower grades. Several books have been written decrying the "myth" of homework, saying it often amounts to busywork, robs kids of sacred family time, overburdens overscheduled kids, and widens inequities already in the home.Oh, yeah, and there's basically no evidence that homework in elementary school boosts academic achievement...My fifth-grader typically brings home no work at all. For years, his main assignment has been to spend 20 to 30 minutes a day reading a book of his choice. While we occasionally have studied state capitals or spelling words for an upcoming test, he usually finishes all of his worksheets at school, so his nights are free from any ounce of academic pressure. He is advancing through his elementary school years without having the consistent drumbeat of homework that I remember from my childhood."
I don't remember any time after fifth grade when I didn't have homework on schoolnights and weekends - including summer vacation, during which a reading list was tackled. I guess as a blogger I'm still doing homework...
When I looked into this for my kids, my opinion of the research was that it is all garbage. Just really poorly identified, and big conclusions drawn from scanty data. We still don't know if homework helps or hurts or neither, and the answer is probably much more complicated than proponents of its abolition believe.
ReplyDeleteI remember lots of homework, most of which I didn't do -- one reason my grades were so low in elementary school. Doesn't seem to have affected my life in any substantial way, though it did make me hate school as a kid.
ReplyDeleteBack in Holland, there was no such thing as homework in primary school (until 11-12 years old). I don't think there is even now. I'll ask.
ReplyDeleteHomework was only a thing in high school (12+ years old). And even in the lower grades of high school it was not a whole lot. Easily doable. Towards the end of high school the load went up.
But even then, there never was vacation home work. Ever.
And yet, here I am, at one of you y'all (alleged) elite institutions.
I know education research has really taken off over the last decade. We're learning a lot about how studying is most efficient. For instance, dude in front of white board: bad. Peer-to-peer education: good. I'm not sure what the current state of knowledge on homework it. There probably is some value in having kids do something in the big summer break, like reading a few (fun!) books.
I do observe - as an immigrant - that American kids have to do a lot of homework. I detect a certain puritan or protestant work ethic in there. Must work! Work good! more work better!
I'm pretty sure this is more culture than backed up by science.
It bothers me when I see teenagers burdened by the same insane workload as their parents. Never time to relax, to be a stupid teenager, always focused on some bullshit goal. No wonder mental problems are up.
If practice makes perfect, practicing the piano, sports skills, or any other skill, then why would doing some practice with concepts learned in class be a bad thing?
ReplyDeleteThis is not a bad thing. But the time children have is not infinite. They have other needs than only learning. Filling all their time with homework hinders their development in other aspects of their lives.
DeleteThere was an era of really heavy homework recently, and the anti-homework thing was a backlash against it.
ReplyDeleteSome of the "homework" was inappropriate, designed for parents to do instead of the kids, and that is not good for anyone.
Homework expands inequities, with the kids who are doing well, being the ones who have the easiest time with the homework. By giving the kids time to do the work in class, teachers can help the kids who can't get help at home.
My child is 12. He has hardly any homework that comes home. He has "study hall" in middle school, which is an opportunity to get that stuff done while in school.
I think an important part of homework is learning to work in an independent and self motivated way, away from the classroom and instructors. Like most things we learn, it is best to start small and build skills and stamina over the years. That said, I recognize that many children have such heavily scheduled lives that they miss the valuable opportunity of unstructured play and exploration.
ReplyDeleteAs s_bagahii rightfully points out, you assume that kids have a place where they can work independently in a self-motivated way.
DeleteIt is reality that many kids' home situation does not allow for this. When they don't have a home. Or no quiet place to work. Or no (sufficient) internet. Or need to help providing for their family.
No. I do not assume that. And what is more, my comment stands regardless of whether one assumes it or not.
DeleteHow exactly?
DeleteHow do you expect a child to learn to work independently without a home? How do you expect a child to be independent when they have no room for themselves? How do you expect to be self-motivated to do homework, when it's going hungry because there's no food? How do you expect a child to learn when at home it's supposed to take care of grandma?
How exactly does your comment stand without that assumption?
I'm sure there are many children in the situation which you describe. My grandfather finished only to second grade for similar reasons. None of that takes away from my original comment. If you are saying that there should be no homework because some children are in a terrible position and are not able to accomplish homework, I disagree. Many children will go hungry tonight, and yet I will feed my daughter despite this. None of this was part of my original comment, however.
DeleteUnless you want to do your job in your off-time, there's no excuse to make children do schoolwork during theirs. Homework serves precisely zero purpose other than to instill obedience and subservience.
ReplyDelete"Unless you want to do your job in your off-time, there's no excuse to make children do schoolwork during theirs."
ReplyDeleteSo, is the implication here that if I (and most teachers) do work in my "off-time," it is perfectly fine to make children do homework? Interesting concept.
I taught public school for 32 years and I can assure you that I did quite a lot of work on my "off-time." That is part of the job and if one is not willing to do that, avoid teaching for sure. Teaching is not the only profession that requires people to perform work-related tasks when they are not at work. Doctors are expected to keep up-to-date on new developments/technology. I have a relative who works as a city solicitor and she spends many hours working in her off-time. My son is a salaried electrician for a solar power company; his work day often extends into what is supposed to be his off-time.
At any rate, children are not adults and school is not a job (though it is work of a sort).
For me, homework served two purposes. One, to give parents a general idea about what their child is doing in school. Two, it provides me with more information about the proficiency of a student (and me) in regard to a skill or concept. Can he/she do the task independently, without peer or teacher help? I would like to know that prior to giving an assessment.
There are a lot of factors in assigning homework. How often, how much, when, how should it be evaluated? For me: no more than twice a week, no more than about 10 minutes, usually Tuesday/Thursday, not graded but always returned the next day with positive comments/suggestions. Submission of HW was noted in the gradebook, students were allowed to use submitted HW on assessments. Completion rate was not a factor in calculating a final grade, but one factor in determining whether to bump up a grade, never to lower it. And work with your colleagues to ensure HW is kept to a minimum.
Obedience and subservience? I am not at all ashamed that I wanted my students to obey school and class policies. Not sure how homework would reinforce that. Subservience? If that is your goal when working with people, find a job where you do not work with people.
For me, homework served two purposes. One, to give parents a general idea about what their child is doing in school. Two, it provides me with more information about the proficiency of a student (and me) in regard to a skill or concept.
DeleteSurely as a teacher you are comfortable enough to communicate and just ask what happened at school, not? Aren't grades supposed to give an indication of proficiency? Also, you could ask your kid to see its books. Generally they have information on what is being taught, and the levels of proficiency that is expected. Or do you suspect your kid is dragging books from classes she's not in around, just to throw you off balance?
I was listening to a podcast regarding the impact of AI on education. The guest was part of a Stanford lab (maybe entrepreneurship?). There were many good discussion points but a couple of takeaways: reverse the classroom and engage the technology.
ReplyDeleteReversing the classroom means to have a lot of learning that has been historically done by a teacher, not done in that way at all. Rather, engaging video and AI platforms to engage student's queries. Then, in class, have students express their learning to verify that they are learning and address queries. Have them physically write the essay in the classroom because there is a low chance of them copying and pasting from an AI (as is done now).
Engage the technology. Raise the expectations. At the Stanford lab, the students are charged with what would normally take 5 or 6 people a few weeks to undertake but in a week, alone, using AI. Show me a functional website on Friday that sells your goods or services. Show me a full marketing plan. Show me a financial analysis of your potential business. In other words, harness the power of AI because if you are not, someone else is.
So, to the question of homework: my kids have done varying levels. The more lengthy nights were because of procrastination (projects and reading novels) and not because there was too much work assigned for that night. The schools have made a point of building executive function in the students. How do you chunk a project into bites. How do you pace your reading for an assignment. Time management, basically. A skill that translates for a lifetime.
Appreciate the post.
Appreciate the comment. Several readers have told me that this is the only blog they monitor where they routinely read the comments.
DeleteAmerican children (and the adults they grow up to be?) seem very poorly educated compared to much of the world. Certainly this is not because of having homework or not - it is the schools themselves that are horribly deficient. I'm much more interested in producing graduates who can and do read, and can tell the difference between fairy-tale thinking and some semblance of fact.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you understand that the people who make the laws governing public education in the United States, and those who control the budget for those students, typically do NOT have their own children enrolled in public schools, so the effects of their decisions do not hit directly in their homes.
DeleteI find myself torn. Is there useless homework out there, being assigned as we speak? Of course. On the other hand, practice at home was essential to my own education (last Century), especially into high school and college. But even in elementary school, homework that required practice in printing, cursive, arithmetic, and the like was essential to progress. today I suppose that would translate into keyboard and calculator work, but the underlying thought holds that practice is required in many skills beyond talking. As one advances through the grades, working independently to solve problems or to express thoughts clearly is also essential. In the early years, I was fast enough to get most work done during school hours, but at-home work grew over time. Doing away with homework to solve the bad-homework problem sounds bad, so I would put more energy into improving the quality of the homework assignments.
ReplyDelete