Homework

Homework Debate

Reading this book has not changed my opinion on homework.  Prior to reading this book, I believed that homework needs to be relevant, flexible, and meaningful to students.  Reading this book has only strengthened these beliefs.  Given the complexity and diversity of today’s family life it is obvious homework cannot be approached with a “one size fits all” attitude.  

I do believe homework has its place, particularly in college prep courses.  Homework in reasonable amounts can support and enhance learning; however the negative impacts of excessive homework are quite alarming.  Homework’s negative effects include frustration, exhaustion, lack of time for other activities, and possible loss of interest in learning.  Administrators and teachers need to see that the most important criterion for judging decisions about homework is the impact they’re likely to have on students’ attitudes about what they’re doing.  Most of what homework is doing is driving kids away from learning.  Let’s face it:  Most children hate homework, or at best see it as simply something to be gotten through.  Thus, even if it did provide other benefits, they would have to be weighed against its likely effect on kids’ love of learning.  

Maybe we should find out what students really think of homework.  Most adults simply assume that homework is useful for promoting learning without even inquiring into the experience of the learners themselves.  Do students find that homework really is useful?   How does homework affect their desire to learn?  How does it impact their lives and/or families?  

Children learn how to make good decisions by making decisions, not by following directions.  Ideally, students should have something to say about what they’re going to learn and the circumstances under which they’ll learn it, as well as how their learning will be evaluated.

Homework?

Rethinking Homework

Homework…generations of parents and children have loved to hate it. The debate over homework is an old one, with attitudes shifting over the years.  My opinion has shifted over the years as well.  When I went to school it was expected that you would have homework every night.  Nobody questioned it.  As it turns out most of that homework was simply busy work.  I sure wish I could have that time back.  

As a teacher, I rarely gave homework outside of preparing for an exam or finishing a project.  I always made an effort to give the students adequate time to work on assessments in class.  All subjects are unique and require varying levels of homework. Homework can help students review and reinforce skills, but it cannot take the place of quality classroom instruction.  I do believe homework has its time and place, but it clearly must have value.

It’s very important for educators to understand the complexity and changing values of today’s families.  Gone are the days when children received the same messages about right in wrong from school, church, and at home.  Vatterott (2009, p.33) states, “the diversity of family values, family priorities, and individual differences in students renders the one-size-fits-all homework plan virtually useless.”  It is not our place to judge families based on our values. We need to be careful that they are not punishing children that have extenuating circumstances beyond their control.  However, there needs to be a balance where we are still challenging all students. 

There has to be cooperation among the teachers to make sure students aren't inundated with homework. There also has to be communication between teachers, administration and parents. We need to develop relationships with students that are built on trust, respect, and mutual understanding.  Through these relationships we can learn more about our students and become more flexible with expectations and homework.