I read this article over the weekend about a family that has created a contract between the children, parents and teachers stating that the children would no longer have to complete homework. The article stated that the family spent years struggling to get their children to complete homework and were finally fed up. Mrs. Milley joined a homework committee for the school but after no changes were made, Mr. And Mrs. Milley took matters into their own hands. This article on the same story show’s the Milley’s Differentiated Homework plan in which the children must read, practice their musical instruments and study for tests, however they are not required to complete any additional schoolwork. After I read the article I saw that Eric had also posted a blog on the issue too.
I find it very interesting that such a contract would be approved in schools. Although I agree that there shouldn’t be homework in Elementary school, other than reading and perhaps spelling words, I don’t think cutting out homework in upper grades altogether is the answer. I think that there may need to be some additional work completed outside of school. This provides opportunity for review of the material learned in class. My PS1 mentor did not assign homework to the students but did expect them to read for minimum 15 minutes and review their spelling words every night. Depending on the amount of time they read, this may only add up to 20 minutes of work each night. And there was no consequence if the students did not read, but there was a reward if the students had their agenda signed to say they had read the night before. So I agree that in young grades, children should no be given additional homework and I think there should be ample opportunity for students to complete their work in class. In elementary, the students are still young and should be able to play and release their energy after school. This should also be a time when children partake in extracurricular activities to promote social skill development and spend quality time with their families.
In older grades, however I think there should be some homework. This could be simply finishing a couple of math problems that were not completed in class or reviewing material from class. I wonder if students know they will not have homework, will they actually work efficiently in class? This contract says that the students will work efficiently and if they do not, the portion of material completed will be graded for the whole assignment. Does this encourage quality work? I also find it interesting that in the parents responsibilities is states that they will provide time to discuss class work and help prepare and study for tests and quizzes, provide opportunity to practice math concepts, assist with editing writing that may by choice be taken home. Isn’t this homework? I guess the parents just want to support reading, writing and arithmetic skills, and not all the other frills that can make school interesting. Fair enough. But I think sometimes there are just not enough hours in the class to get everything done and some things need a little extra time. I wonder about all the other students in the class? Do they still have to complete homework or is the entire class exempt from homework?
I also think that students need to develop the ability to review important material and complete assignments on their own. If they don’t learn this through high school and then go on to university, I think the students will struggle in university. Generally all assignments and readings are completed outside of class in university. I wonder how successful these students will be in university or on the job. Many jobs also require some form of work to be completed at home. It would be interesting to know how these children succeed in life.
But an interesting question, how much homework should kids be expected to complete? When should homework start?
"But I think sometimes there are just not enough hours in the class to get everything done and some things need a little extra time." Okay, here's my problem. We took my daughter out of school for two weeks to do a curriculum project with me in the states. Her teacher gave her the school work that she would miss. Tigana completed the work on the plane in under an hour. When we got back, the teacher had to admit to us that the class hadn't finished that assignment yet. So what that says to us is the class took two weeks to complete an hour of work. This is the experience of most home schoolers. They get the day's work done in about an hour. There is so much time wasted in schools, it is a crime. To then demand family time -- the few hours a day parents have to spend with their kids should be handed over to teachers who couldn't find the time in their class. With one of Tigana's current teachers, we end up reteaching the material at home because it sounds as if the teacher is just handing out the worksheets without explanation -- at least nothing the kids can understand. So why should parents do the teacher's job? Homework is a sign that teachers are not achieving their objectives.
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