The Homework Debate
So this post is probably going to open a huge can of worms but I'd like to hear some opinions on the topic of homework in school.
As a faculty, we are reading a book called Rethinking Homework by Cathy Vatterott also known as The Homework Lady. I'm about half way through the book so I haven't totally made any conclusions. But my first impression before starting the book was this is a crazy idea. I admit, I'm old school. I believe that if a teacher assigns it, it should be done. I don't know whether homework boosts student achievement but I think there's something to be said for learning to do something unpleasant just because it's required. I feel that one thing students can learn in school is the ability to do unpleasant things just because. I don't know of a job in the world where a person can always do exactly what he/she pleases at all times. I also think homework can help students learn responsibility. They can be responsible to do the work, keep track of the work and return the work the next day. I also think some skills need extra practice and homework is a great vehicle for extra practice. As a mother, I felt it was my job to help my kids get their homework done. This involved a lot of time as the children were young but the time dropped off as the kids got older and learned the importance of managing their time.
So far the basic premise of the book is that society has changed and therefore schools must change to accommodate those changes. The author says that homework cuts into precious family time and parents are pushing back in claiming the right to say no to homework. My argument here is that it seems the students who do their homework have better family lives/family time together, while the students who don't do their homework have the least involved (for whatever reason) parents with the least time spent together as families. I know society has changed--that is one of my biggest concerns in being an educator today. I'm just not sure a change in society's values should equal a change homework practices.
I'm not totally defending homework either.I think some homework is excessive and unnecessary. I just have a problem with the current trend of questioning everything educators do nowadays. I don't see people going to the doctor but totally disregarding the advice given. I don't see people going to their accountant but then saying they know what's best to do on their taxes. So why do people send their kids to school and question the practices of a professional? And I think books like the one I'm reading can undermine the professionalism people feel toward teachers.
The author makes some good points for teachers:
- Design quality homework tasks
- Differentiate homework tasks
- Go from grading to checking
- Decriminalize the grading of homework
- Use completion strategies
- Use homework support programs
As I finish the book, I'm sure I will get a better understanding of what each of above elements look like. And maybe I'm a little defensive on the homework front because I already feel I assign only quality tasks. In my classroom, most of the homework consists in doing what was NOT finished in class. For the most part, if students use their time wisely, they won't have homework. I also ask more than basic comprehension questions on reading assignments. I ask questions that make the students think. We recently read a novel in class and the most common comment was that my assignments weren't all that difficult but they did make them think. That's what I want to hear! Isn't thinking the goal? I also do many completion assignments like on grammar activities. I can assess what they know or get with just a completion grade. Our school also has many homework support programs in place to help students learn the responsibility of completing their homework.
Overall, I am just fearful of making a blanket NO HOMEWORK policy. I think there are some benefits to homework. But I'd like to hear from others. Am I too old-fashioned? What do you think, as a parent or educator, about homework in school? What has been your experience with homework?
Comments
With band, scouts, piano all in a week I have had to wake Sam up early this year to do his homework in the mornings. Luckily his teacher sends it all home on Fridays for the next week so we know what we are dealing with.It is working well. But when we did it in the afternoons it was horrible. And he's only in fifth grade. What happens when he's older and busier with activities?
Sam had a horrible (I don't use this word lightly) teacher in 3rd grade who didn't manage her class at all. He sat at his desk and ripped paper all year. Randomly, through out the year he would come home with a missing work list with 25-35 assignments on it and a note that said, "Due in three days." This was the worst! We would spend three days yelling at each other and crying at each other.Sam's math and reading scores dropped two grade levels. It has taken two years to undo the damage she did. So, not necessarily a homework issue, more of a class management issue, but she made it a homework issue. I'm sure this isn't what you mean when you say their homework is what they didn't finish in class.
As far as people undermining teachers, I agree with you. Sam has had one teacher I had a problem with (above) and even then I stood behind her decisions and made him do it at home. I never yelled at her or criticized her and I certainly never bad mouthed her in front of Sam. But I have seen plenty of other parents get uppity with teachers and it's mostly for discipline issues. That's not your topic, so I won't go there... It's a whole other can... But you opened this one, so there you go.
That's too bad about Sam's teacher...a bad teacher can do a LOT of harm and administrators need to have the guts to document that and get rid of them (another can). And in 5th grade he should probably only have about 50 minutes total of homework per night. It seems from what I'm hearing is we've got things backwards--too much homework when they're younger, not enough preparation for college when they're older...interesting!
I think that homework is necessary. Not in all subjects. Not in all units in a subject. But to reinforce concepts I think it is appropriate.
I agree with Julie, shouldn't exceed more than an hour a day...all classes combined.
With so many activities homework was hard to get done sometimes but it made me manage my time which you TOTALLY need in every aspect of life: work, personal, home, family.
And it made me accountable for something. Listen, understand, do it in the time allotted, get it back to school, turn it in. I think more people in our society should be held accountable for their work and their learning.