Hot Topic (9/10): Too much homework? Or not enough?
By Angie Wagner, Associated Press
Christina Harris doesn’t believe kindergartners should have homework. So at the beginning of her son’s kindergarten year, she flat-out told the teacher he wouldn’t be doing any.
“I don’t believe that there’s any use for it,” said Harris, of Federal Way, Wash. “I think that’s a complete waste of childhood.”
A grassroots parents movement has taken hold in recent years calling for less — or at least better — homework. Books like “The Case Against Homework” (Crown, 2006) and “The Homework Myth” (Da Capo, 2007) have argued that too much of today’s homework is mindless busywork that takes away from family time and does not improve academic performance. Homework’s critics argue that kids should instead be reading for enjoyment, exploring and being creative.
Many school officials are taking note.
But how much homework is too much?
One standard that many school districts are turning to is the “10-minute rule” created by Duke University psychology professor Harris Cooper. The rule, endorsed by the National PTA and the National Education Association, says kids should get 10 minutes of homework a night per grade. A first grader would have 10 minutes of homework each night; a fifth grader 50 minutes.
Cooper said the amount of homework in America actually hasn’t changed that much over the past 50 years except that there has been an increase in the amount given in the early grades.
Attitudes towards homework go in cycles, he said. After the Soviet launch of Sputnik in 1957, he says, there was a drive toward more homework because it was thought that the United States was falling behind. The same happened in the mid-’80s, and again in recent years.
If a child is doing homework effectively but it seems to be taking too long, Cooper suggests that parents approach the teacher in a non-confrontational way, as a collaborator in the education process.
Kerry Dickinson, a Danville, Calif., mom of two, took that advice a step further. She asked other parents what they thought about homework, then she and a friend met with the school district’s director of curriculum and instruction. She got a call days later saying the San Ramon Valley Unified School District was forming a task force to rewrite homework policy.
Last year, the district implemented a new policy, adapting Cooper’s formula, for kindergarten through eighth grade. A new high school policy will take effect in the fall.
“I think what I’m most happy about is this dialogue has started in this community about rethinking accepted homework practices,” she said. “That’s the most important thing, that we don’t always accept the status quo in education.”
Some Danville parents, however, thought the old homework policy was fine.
Mary Grace Houlihan, who has two teenagers, says attempts to limit homework can amount to lazy parenting: “At what point do you start saying, whoa, I decided to be a parent and learning doesn’t stop at 3 o’clock?”
In her home, she said, homework often turns into a family discussion. Learning outside the classroom is necessary for students to be accepted into major universities, says Houlihan, whose daughter was just accepted to Princeton.
Cooper’s research found that practice-style assignments in elementary school, such as learning number places and vocabulary, do help improve unit test scores, but found little or no connection between the amount of time spent on homework and academic achievement. Homework does help secondary students overall and on tests, he said.
Other places that have wrestled with the homework question recently include Broward County, Fla., where the school board recently approved the 10-minute rule, and urged teachers to assign academically challenging work, but not too much. An elementary school in Glenrock, Wyo., implemented a no-homework practice in fall 2007.
In Vermont, the Colchester School District now makes homework count for only 10 percent of a grade, instead of the previous 40 percent. And no longer are kids kept in from recess if they don’t do their homework.
“It helped us really define what our purpose is,” said Gwen Carmolli, Colchester’s director of curriculum.
* * *
How do you feel about homework?
Should students as young as kindergarteners be assigned homework?
Are your students assigned too much or too little homework?
I have a kinder and a 1st grader, BOTH my childern have had some worksheets that they needed to finsh at home my 1st grader studies all week for his spelling tests on friday. I personally dont see the issue of homework. We have some of the best schools in the country, and BOTH my childern have no problem getting their homework done before dinner or in my sons case depending on the day of the week before football. I rember when we 1st moved back here I was in 3rd grade and was BEHIND all the other 3rd graders, I could hardly write cursive yet here they had been doing it since the end of 2nd. The teachers at my childerns school and at the high school that my young siblings attend do give out homework, BUT they do consider what the childs life is like and in doing so most high schoolers around here spend maybe 1-2 hours MAX on homework unless of course they are cramming for finals. I know in some places the homework is out of control but here its perfectly fine. Since we have changed out kinder from 1/2 day to FULL day it has helped the teachers get more done in the school year, AND has helped the childern be more prepared for 1st grade.
I live in Greece and I must say that this is one of the hottest issues. Unfortunately school here sucks. There is no certain project for each level and all depend on the teacher's beliefs. I mean every year is a totally different year for the students because of their teachers. Some assign too much homework while others assign very little. Of course there are teachers who believe that the main job has to be done in the classroom. I am an English teacher and this is what exactly I believe. Homework must not be too much but it has to be according to the level, to the age,and sometimes to the specific section. Moreover, things are so bad here that children have to do the school lessons at private schools every afternoon and parents PAY for that (can you imagine?)There are private schools for the senior high school, private schools for the english spanish, french, language,etc.What I mean is that children go to the public school in the morning and in the afternoon are obliged to go to the privates due to the public school's incapacity. Of course Greece talks about free public education. Viva la Greece. So, no I believe in enough homework but not too much.
This is a hard one for me. I homeschool Jacob until last year and it was hard for me when he went in and then in 1st grade had 1-2 hours of homework. When we homeschooled school would take 3 hours total and we had the rest of the day to go to the zoo, or the park, or the aquarium. I feel like I do not get to spend as much time with him and the time I have, I don't want fighting him with homework (he is autistic and has severe adhd). Although this year, he only has to read 20 min a day. I don't mind that. I enjoy that.
Most homeschoolers can finish the day in 4-5 hours, they have our children 6-7 hours, why can they not get all the work done? I agree that most of it was "busy work". To me they should do it all at school so that when they are home, you can play games or go somewhere as a family.
Check out Jacob's jouney on my home page!
As a teacher I follow the 10 minutes per grade rule. I teach 4th grade so I expect my students to spend 40 minutes working each night. That includes studying and reading.
What some fail to realize is that homework is part of the bridge from school to home. When your child does assignments at home you become more familiar with the content being taught and are able to see where your child excels and skills he or she may need to practice.
Of course, homework also helps students retain the information they learned during the day.
I voted the "Mixed Feelings" one.
I don't think that the amount of homework is too much or too little or just right. What I have seen with my kids is that the homework is not difficult enough. It's way too narrow and sometimes too easy. By the time I was a freshman and senior in high school I was studying way more difficult things than kids today are. I was also knowledgeable about American history by that time. Today's kids don't know the first thing about where this country has been history wise or the names and signifigance of historical figures. All they seem to want to teach them about is computers and science.
Quoting momoftwins240:
I voted the "Mixed Feelings" one.
I don't think that the amount of homework is too much or too little or just right. What I have seen with my kids is that the homework is not difficult enough. It's way too narrow and sometimes too easy. By the time I was a freshman and senior in high school I was studying way more difficult things than kids today are. I was also knowledgeable about American history by that time. Today's kids don't know the first thing about where this country has been history wise or the names and signifigance of historical figures. All they seem to want to teach them about is computers and science.
I think it must depend on the school beause it seems my little sister- sixth grade- has much more difficult homework than I had when I was her age. I usually have to help her with the more difficult problems because my parents have been out of school quite a while =)
An army of principles can penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot. ~Thomas Paine
I dont believe in homework it no diffrent then us working an 8 hour shift then have to bring home 2 hours of work everyday even on weekands,after school is over it should be family time ex my freinds dd had homework yesterday it said for parents to take there kids on nature walk and collect seeds water/wind / animal born seeds.ok they dont live by water and right now there arnt many seedswhat about parents who work and cant go on walk or parents who dont have a car so they cant drive to any wooded area,its just crazy imo
My daughter is in 2nd grade. For kindergarten her homework was to either read or be read to for 20 minutes. For 1st grade and now 2nd grade she reads for at least 20 minutes and does at least 10 minutes of math each day. We actually require her to do more than the 10 minutes of math each night becuase it is very important for her to learn math. She loves to read so that is never an issue. I think the amount of homework up to this point has been just right.
Quoting Peanutx3:
My daughter is in 2nd grade. For kindergarten her homework was to either read or be read to for 20 minutes. For 1st grade and now 2nd grade she reads for at least 20 minutes and does at least 10 minutes of math each day. We actually require her to do more than the 10 minutes of math each night becuase it is very important for her to learn math. She loves to read so that is never an issue. I think the amount of homework up to this point has been just right.
I think that is appropriate. If they don't have any homework then they get to college, they're going to be pretty unprepared.
And wouldn't taking away homework do away with tests as well? Because studying is homework too....or we could just make all their tests open book too =(
An army of principles can penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot. ~Thomas Paine
That was my rule when I was still teaching. I also taught 4th grade and then 5th grade and some of my parents never finished high school or barely made it through high school and actually took helping their kids with homework as an opportunity to learn also.
My son is now in 4th grade and the only homework that is assigned on a nightly basis is 20 min. of reading. He does bring home anything that he does not finish in class and any special assignments. He just got done finishing a leave collection project.
Quoting MAUREEN55:
As a teacher I follow the 10 minutes per grade rule. I teach 4th grade so I expect my students to spend 40 minutes working each night. That includes studying and reading.
What some fail to realize is that homework is part of the bridge from school to home. When your child does assignments at home you become more familiar with the content being taught and are able to see where your child excels and skills he or she may need to practice.
Of course, homework also helps students retain the information they learned during the day.
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