Is Homework Good or Bad?
Janelle Clevenger McLaughlin
Senior Partnerships Consultant at Advanced Learning Partnerships, Inc
I spent the majority of my career as a second-grade teacher. I loved teaching children at that age. The kids came to school happy to see me, happy to be at school, and even requested homework from time to time. I don’t assume it was the actual work that they wanted, but the I’m-big-stuff-now feeling that came with homework and the assignment of letter grades. They wanted As and Bs on their papers rather than stickers, smileys, or even percentage points. Most had heard older siblings, neighbors, or fellow bus riders discussing the letter grade system, and they were eager to earn their stripes.
The thing is, I bristled against these traditional classroom systems even as a brand-new teacher. I wanted them to love learning for the sake of learning. I wanted them to have their afternoons and evenings free to play outside, be with their families, and participate in extracurricular activities. Yes, I may have been a bit starry-eyed based on my own childhood, but what I didn’t want was to send my students home with a night full of needless homework. Some students need extra practice on a skill or concept. But all students don’t need the same homework assignment every night. So, see, I’m not saying all homework is evil. I’m just saying the traditional look at homework is outdated, unnecessary, and in some extreme cases, detrimental to learning.
This year my daughter is in seventh grade. She had a student teacher for part of her semester. Often she would come home with anywhere between 20-30 math problems to do each night. It was all this educator-mom could do to hold my tongue on the ridiculousness of those assignments. If a student already understands how to work the problems, then 20-30 more of them at night is enough to make any kid hate school. If they don’t understand the work, then 20-30 problems to do at home (where the majority of parents can’t/won’t help seventh graders on their math) is enough to cause a breakdown. And what are the students learning from these kinds of assignments? And do they even see how this links to their everyday life? And do not even get me started on graded reading logs!
Often, homework has become synonymous with school work. But let me tell you something, kids don’t need homework to succeed in life. You know what they need? Time to be kids.
Advanced Project Mgt, High-Tech Entrepreneur, Musician, Rhetorician
8 年Excellent post! Homework should, in my opinion, be about reinforcing concepts that are learned and well-developed in class -- not an arena for pushing new methods... exploration should be cultivated as something a student wants to do on their own time, and if they don't have proper grounding, then, as you mentioned, it becomes "work" and quite tedious, if not practically impossible: a recipe for frustration. Music is a great example: 1) learn the new concept in class; 2) teacher makes sure that proper form is instilled; 3) students take that concept home to practice... they build confidence, and this provides an inner/outer atmosphere conducive to a desire to push boundaries and ask questions the next day. The difference is between exacerbation and joy; between frustration and the desire to learn more. Thank you for bringing this up!! Very important topic!
Ministries of the Holy Trinity for Health, Hope and Peace. The Holy Trinity has made their presence known to all in such a way as to be understood by every nation or social community. God has many faces, many names!
8 年Janelle, Great Question and point of view. Gregg I agree with every point you made, from kids being kids to ensuring quality time with friends and family. Regarding Homework, it is a mandatory tool; however there has to be a better way than just handing out assignments that are a repetition of the day's materials. When Einstein addressed the question of insanity he said that doing the same thing over and over expecting different results was it. Well, Einstein rules, so I understand why Cathy would author a book on a broken system, because it is; however I think that what has happened is we have become so concerned with what we believe we should teach, that we have lost touch with the original concept of Education. Education is the process of instructing a person in how to accept new information, internally process that information to mean something to the individual and to allow the individual to apply that knowledge in their life through communication or action. If an individual is not comprehending a subject the way it is being delivered then change the delivery method. Repetition of subject matter you understand at home without assistance is fruitless, causing increased anxiety and anger which becomes defeating thus the individual withdraws from the engagement of leaning. The true value of using homework is to introduce and reinforce the concepts of independent learning. If we are going to use homework to build skills then home assignments must be presented in a manner that helps the individual to find practical purpose and application in their personal life for what we teach. When we use homework to broaden a person's vision, to expand a horizon or instill curiosity, then homework becomes it is a worthwhile investment of time for both the educator and the student.
Teacher | Founder & CEO | K-12 Education Consultant | Author| Motivational Speaker
8 年I think it has very little to do with the homework itself and more about what the INTENTION of the homework is. I address that topic as well in my new book, "The Education System is Broken: Strategies to Rebuilding Hope, Lives and Futures" Please support the Thunderclap surrounding it if you would. Thanks https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/39337-reform-our-educational-system?locale=en
CEO and Founder - WordsPerfect, Inc. | Longtime copywriter and marketing consultant specializing in creating emotionally connective content, branding strategies, and customer relationships.
8 年Great post, Janelle McLaughlin! I think homework is important to reinforce the understanding of new material being taught, but 'overkill' may indeed tend to disengage students, and dissuade them from doing it. In addition, they do need time just to be kids and do kid-friendly activities. Hopefully, that includes a balanced regimen of reading, sports, hobbies, family time, etc., and not just idle time texting and using social media for hours on end!