Over the last year, I have thought about the topic of assigning homework to students. I think I have decided that, in general, I don't like the idea of giving out homework on a daily basis. In certain grades, such as kindergarten, I don't think it should be given out at all. Kindergartners are not only learning a lot academically, but they are are adjusting socially and emotionally to being away from home and away from the family. Kindergartners can be ready for first grade if they are taught by an effective curriculum and by a teacher who is able to meet their needs in the classroom.
As for older kids, I think homework can help their learning, but should be limited. In the middle school years, students are suddenly hit with six different teachers and 6 different subjects. When a student comes home with homework for all six subjects (or maybe 5 because one subject is PE), as a teacher, you are going to "shut them down". Students will become tired, frustrated and feel anxiety because of a lack of a break. Middle school teachers should really consider collaborating their homework so that only one subject per evening is being focused on. And, there are subjects that are just not necessary to assign homework in. My son's social studies teacher purposely does not assign homework to his students because he knows that they already have a lot with their other subjects and because he is productive and focused in his classroom and the lessons that he teachers. As a parent, I appreciate the fact that he has thought about he issue and developed his curriculum accordingly. I wish I could say the same for the other teachers.
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Homework begs many questions, most I haven't solved for myself yet. What is your purpose for homework? How is homework being scored or tracked? Why is homework being given?
For me, reading is the most important part of homework. Whether independent or with an adult, it is a central element of what I think kids should practice at home. I don't think K-3, or potentially K-5 is the place for big assignments that carry over to the home. You start to tread on very uneven ground, and at that point what are you measuring? It is far more difficult for someone looking after a sibling compared to someone who has 2 parents at home. I'm not sure what homework truly instills in our kids.
I too am not wholly decided on what the intended purpose of homework is, what it is actually instilling in our students, and whether those two items (the objective and the assessment if you will) match up. I most definitely agree that primary grades should have little to no homework and especially like your idea that middle school teachers(and perhaps even high school teachers to some extent) collaborate on homework assignments so that students are focusing on one subject a night or something to that affect. I think too there is something to be said for drawing boundaries and using homework as a flexible point for such boundaries. For example I very much appreciate the idea that a teacher does not give homework which lends much needed time to busy students (and families!), but is also firm about the expectation that his/her own time as a teacher and their time as students in the classroom is time to be focused, engaged, and active. The one exception I can think of to the no homework ideology would be assignments that are related to finding items to bring in for class work: i.e. please find a newspaper/ on-line news article that focuses on _____ and bring it to class tomorrow for discussion, etc.
What I think can be dangerous about homework is that it often does accentuate in the classroom the differences in resources (materials, access to information, parental involvement) that a child has at home. Is that really fair? No. If a child has the misfortune to have circumstances at home that inflict on his/her ability to get homework done does it then also put the child at a disadvantage at school? Yes. The child is then unprepared for upcoming lessons and/or discussion and could potentially feel embarrassed about this lack of preparation which may or may not be their fault. I know for instance, aside from more unfortunate circumstances at home, some cultures do not value homework as highly as others which may cause the child to fall behind. Is this value system wrong? No. In fact it is often based on placing a higher value on family time and the family unit, something I think those of us in the "culture of power" or " capitalist culture" could focus on more.
*Information about other cultures refers to SOME members of the Mexican and/or Mexican American culture and was obtained from the book "Con Respeto" by Guadalupe Valdes.
Ok, I guess I'm going to be the black sheep here because I think that homework, when planned right, is a good thing. Homework allows students to build skills that they'll need later in life--responsibility, independence in their learning, and further mental growth outside of school.
This is not to say that children should have 4 hours of homework in Kindergarten and first grade. The time and difficulty of the task should match the age but getting students into the habit of doing homework (similar to what will be required of them in junior high, high school and hopefully college). For example, in my dyad placement, my second graders are given homework they are asked to complete (or spend a maximum amount of time, I think 1 hour, on). Every circumstance is going to be different, but I think setting homework (with all the supplies being provided by the teacher) is a wise practice to begin at a young age. It prepares students for upper grades and it challenges them beyond the school walls.
When I was in grade school, I hated doing homework. I would procrastinate doing it until 10pm, when my mom came to ask if I'd completed it yet. Even then I never really finished it all. It wasn't until I got into 5th and 6th grades that I got my arms around completing my homework in a timely fashion. Completing homework was a skill I had to practice. If I hadn't been introduced to homework until I was in high school, I know I would not be where I am at today. Homework gives our kids a head start on education.
ruffstuff-
I agree with the notion of getting 5/6th graders started on homework. There is an element of preparation for middle school. But I wonder whether students are really learning the character traits in the primary grades (through homework). There is a level of skill practice for sure, that is also agreed. My issues are with the types of homework being sent home. I wish that it involves seeing literacy in the world around you (cutting words out of magazines, newspapers, flyers, etc), reading for pleasure, etc. Instead I think it ends up being a level of busy work not unlike what is given to subs. Is it worth our kids time? I still haven't fully answered it myself.
The other thing that you have to remember about homework is that the kid does not always understand what to do and the teaching is then left to the parent. Some parents are willing and wanting to help their students with homework, but don't necessarily know how to teach them how to do it. There are some homework assignments that are clear on the directions, but the parent may not know strategies for teaching their own child how to comprehend a concept. There are also homework assignments that come home that are so confusing that one questions the objective. And, then, there are those ubiquitous and pointless crossword puzzles filled with science or math terms that the parent has trouble coming up with, let alone the child. How is a crossword puzzle of math terms helping a student learn math concepts? Homework assignments such as these only lead to frustration. How much learning is accomplished when the trained teacher is not their to guide, prompt, encourage, and explain? What about the students who don't even have the not-so-trained parent to attempt helping them? Homework assignments should be given so that the student can succeed.
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