As we embark upon another new school year, a time old debate rears its head: should schools assign homework or should there be no homework? There are clear lines drawn for both camps and certainly no end of opinion on this controversial topic. So, I have rolled-up my sleeves, and now set forth to share my homework on homework with you.
As an educator, I have assigned homework to my students. Earlier in my career, I admit that some of the homework was primarily drill and fill type of work. While there is some benefit to reinforcing concepts, not all students find this work appealing, if at all necessary. For some reason though, whether tradition or habit, it seemed that homework was the norm; the amount of which would vary from day to day. Do you recall those endless hours of fun?
As a student, when prodded by parents if I had any homework, and I said “no,” there would be a skeptical eyebrow raised, and an “are you sure?” My parents found it unusual if there was no assigned homework. It seemed they were only happy if I was shackled to textbooks at the kitchen table for hours on end. Times have certainly changed.
Now in countries such as Finland, homework is pretty much frowned upon. This is in favour of students spending more time playing, interacting with others and spending quality time with their family. Studies of this approach indicate no appreciable decline nor increase in achievement. So no homework, yields more free play and interaction time with no adverse impact on learning. This is worth exploring.
Educational critic Alfie Kohn, in his book The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get too Much of a Bad Thing, likens homework to doing taxes and cites many reasons why homework should be disallowed. He states many detriments including: “children’s frustration and exhaustion, lack of time for other activities, and possible loss of interest in learning” and parents feeling inadequate or overburdened in helping or having to do the homework too.
Kohn says: “Many parents lament the impact of homework on their relationship with their children.” I would suggest to parents that when homework becomes a strain or daunting burden that they engage in dialogue with the teacher in how to best manage the situation. Are there alternatives or more engaging means to assess the learning or reinforce the learning concepts and outcomes? Often there are many. Explore them; there are many pathways to rich learning.
Homework, when relevant, meaningful and connected to clear learning targets, can help students create good study habits, feel more prepared for tests, and keep parents apprised of the nature of work being done in class. A general guideline that many schools use is ten minutes of homework per grade level. Teachers can personalize this accordingly to meet individual learner needs. Again, so long as the work is meaningful, it has merit.
So what about those times when your child says I have nothing for homework? Reviewing the day’s learning is always good as it can offset test anxiety. Spending a half hour reading for leisure goes a long way to increasing literacy skills; especially writing. Watching or reading the news keeps students apace with current events and can lead to great discussions at home and in the classroom. Tossing a ball around outside increases physical literacy. Playing an instrument enhances musical literacy. There are many ways to support learning outside of the textbook and Internet. A healthy balance is what I feel is best!
Tim Cusack is an educator, writer, and member of the naval reserve.
