"There is absolutely no evidence of any academic benefit from
assigning homework in elementary, or middle school. For younger students, in
fact, there isn't even a correlation between whether children do homework (or
how much they do) and any meaningful measure of achievement. At the high school
level, the correlation is weak and tends to disappear when more sophisticated
measures are applied. Meanwhile, no study has ever substantiated the belief
that homework build character or teachers good study habits."
Alfie Kohn, The
Homework Myth; Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing
Do you agree/disagree with Mr.
Kohn? Discuss your response.
This is hard question for me since I don’t give out homework but I do think it causes stress on kids and parents. I only know because I have friends that are parents that sometime are overwhelmed and my nieces that are in 4th and 5th grade complain about how they have homework every night in almost every subject. So now you have kids not wanting to do it and then the parents Are having to fight with them. Also it is stressful on kids and parents that are involved in extracurricular activities. I know it was for me when I was in school..ESP on game nights. I do also understand that teachers have to meet standards and scores so I understand why they want to give kids extra practice at home. That’s a tough one.
ReplyDeleteJennifer brings up some excellent points from a variety of view points. Students being overwhelmed and parents too plus just the amount of time all of the homework takes. In the past we have been told the time limits for the homework we assign - the problem with this is that no two people complete work at the same pace. I may think it is a 10 minute assignment, but I may have a student struggle for over an hour trying to complete it. This would never be my intent, but I may not know how long it takes them or the stress that is felt within their entire household.
DeleteJennifer also mentions extracurricular activities, and these are important for students to have something to spend time doing that they enjoy and that they feel successful doing. I know there is no perfect answer, but at least I can ask myself, "Do I have to require this be completed tonight or can it wait until class tomorrow?"
Sherrie, your statement of how it may seem like a 10 minute assignment can take one student struggle for an hour is a great point. Some students can complete things in a matter of minutes while it takes others an hour or more. I also worry about our students who have responsibilities outside of school work (ex: taking care of younger siblings, working at the family business, etc. ). I know we must cover our standards and ensure our students get practiced but its hard to find that happy medium.
DeleteI also agree with the comments being made a time. No student should struggle with homework more than 20 minutes. In most cases I know when to draw the line, but unfortunately parents don't.
DeleteI tell them to just put their initials on paper where you got to in the assignment. It does not hurt their grade. We don't want to ture the student off and make them dislike Math. Sometimes in life Math is going to be hard. You got this!!! Is what we want the student to learn.
Love this Roxie! I really like the idea of putting their initials on the paper where they got to on the assignment. I would much rather a student do this, than have a parent answer for them or just write down something so they have an answer.
DeleteI agree that when we assign a short assignment that should only take 10 minutes, we sometimes forget that it may take some much longer. Here again, knowing your students well, you know how much is too much them.
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DeleteI agree with these statements. I always had this struggle with Mikayla. She always took longer to do homework assignments than probably her classmates. It would always be such a struggle at home. I remember many nights in elementary and even into middle school her and I would fight and argue over homework. She would always get frustrated and I always felt the pressure of- you are a teacher's kid you HAVE to finish your homework! I wish back then there had been a limit of some sort on the assignment amount, and I wish I had known other strategies to use so it wouldn't have been a fight between us.
DeleteThis can be argued from now until the end of the earth. But I believe that as educators we have been forced to put to much pressure on our students with all of the testing and other issues we are faced with as educators. I ask myself constantly will students learn better in an environment where there is little stress or a whole lot of stress. I think to me the obvious answer is little the less stress would be more conducive to learning. I am not saying however lets not challenge students or put them in situations where they have to struggle because they will be forced to face those as they continue to grow. I have a buddy that teaches a high school biology class that has told he does not give homework and is continually a level 5 teacher year in and year out. Something to think about.
ReplyDeleteCoach George you hit the nail on the head. The main point of this strategy is better relationships and less stress. Perhaps the approach that gets you to that point is the answer we are looking for.
DeleteBravo Coach Ognibene, I agree that this can be argued from now until the end of the earth. When Mr. Watkins was the principal, I remember him saying that whatever the student needed to learn should be learned in the classroom. He understood the frustration that teachers felt when students didn't complete the work, as well as the added stress to students and families. I know that some students need the extra practice that homework provides, but I realize that often the students who complete the homework are not those who need that practice. I also agree with your statements regarding testing and stress.
DeleteAs a music teacher I also do not assign homework, but as a musician and in helping with band, I absolutely believe that practice time is an important part of improvement, though this is not homework in the traditional sense. I understand why other subjects give homework, but I also understand that it can overwhelm both the student and the parents trying to help them. Quite a catch 22.
ReplyDeleteWell as unpopular as my thought is, I think a little homework is good. Homework is usually given due to the fact that there is not enough time in the class to complete everything that needs to be covered and/or there needs to be more practice. We know the more we hear, we see, or we do something---we are more likely to remember it. Just for an example, most of us probably did not just learn our multiplication tables by what we did only in the classroom. I know my mother practiced and drilled me many of nights--but I for sure know multiplication facts well. And I am so thankful that I had homework and that I had parents that pushed me to learn them. Homework does not have to be a long assignment, but practice/reinforcement of the standard taught. I get that each child does not have the understanding to complete all homework at home alone or some even with help, this is where modification comes in. I usually try to explain the homework so each student understands what they are to do when they leave the classroom, but also tell them..come see me if you don't get it or let me know tomorrow and we will go over it so you do.
ReplyDeleteAs Mrs. Haney said practice is vital to improvement. This does not just apply to academics but in many areas; sports, band, debate, public speaking, etc. The more often you do it and attempt it-you improve and become better! So a LITTLE homework could help in lots of ways.
I agree with your comments about homework. I think it is needed in the educational world because, contrary to what this book is saying, most students don't want to put forth the effort to learn. Its not social, physical, or mental barriers that prevent most of them from learning - Its their desire. If all kids sat in a classroom with their full attention on learning the material, homework wouldn't be needed. But, since the majority of students don't fall into this category, we as teachers must use other means, as archaic and barbarous as they might be (homework), to ensure that all the students have comprehended the material.
DeleteMistee - you are absolutely right. There are many skills I can personally do or facts I remember because of assignments given outside of the classroom. I know homework is extremely valuable. However, like Paul mentioned, we have so many kids that just won't do the work not matter the consequence and I, honestly, just got tired of fighting that battle.
DeleteI would have to agree with Mistee in that some homework is beneficial. I don't think it is absolutely necessary in every class, but math for sure. I can remember getting something fine in class (or so I thought) and then getting home and not remembering the steps or how exactly everything worked. I needed to learn how to work on my own and gain confidence in working something out without having my teacher always prompt me for the next step. In my social studies class I don't regularly give homework because there is not a skill to practice. I give what I think is ample time to complete in class and then if they need a little more time it is homework. This is typically coloring a map or preparing for a Socratic Seminar. It can become very frustrating for a teacher who regularly gives homework because you have some students that no mater what, they are just not going to do it. They don't have anyone at home to ensure it gets completed or to help if help is necessary. They may have younger siblings to take care of or other issues that we just don't k now about. For this reason we should be very mindful of the amount of homework we assign or make try to find other ways to get the extra work completed such as before school or an afterschool homework club.
DeleteI agree with you Mistee. I don't have to give homework everyday, put I think it is important for our students to practice what they have learned. Mistee said she remembers learning her times tables. I can remember writing mine 10 times each for homework. Same thing with my spelling words. I think some homework is necessary.
DeleteI am curious about Alfie Kohn's data for this assertion. In my experience at the middle school level, the students who complete their homework are those who do not necessarily need the extra practice. They tend to be Andy's and have families who value education. In these students, it would seem that Kohn may be correct in the claim that there is no benefit to homework. Would there be a benefit for those who do need extra practice if they did the homework? Would there be a benefit if Billy had parents, as described in the book, who would sit and work patiently with Billy to complete the homework? I have many questions about Kohn's claim and would be interested in the data.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Alfie Kohn. I think homework is needed and is beneficial. Homework helps bridge the gap between home and school. This give the students an opportunity to review what was learnt that day and help them to store it in their long term memory. The time limit that is put on us to teach the standards, not all students will retain the information from a one hour class and need homework to help them retain the information.
ReplyDeleteI feel that homework is a necessary part for many academic subjects because this allows students to practice and master the standards that are being taught. I disagree in that homework does not teach good study habits because homework and completing other classroom requirements help develop a strong base that will give you the study habits you need to be successful. This is a responsibility that students must learn to make sure they are prepared in their academics going forward.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with this statement. I think that some subjects must give homework, like math and ELA. These teachers have some many skills to cover that it is important to have practice and to make sure our students understand the objectives. I think homework helps students learn good study habits and teaches them responsibility.
ReplyDelete