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Homework: Work To Be Done at Home
Ohanian Comment: This article poses homework as the means for closing the achievement gap. I'd sure like to see the research supporting such a theory. This gives me the opportunity to mention two fine books that question the value of homework. Parents should not be afraid to speak up for family time. These books will help them do it.
In Simply too Much Homework! Vera Goodman makes the case that homework is not only of questionable value, but that expecting students to "do school" all day, as well as evenings and holidays, can have serious negative consequences. She helps parents to stop homework madness.
Sara Bennett, co-author of The Case Against Homework, says of Vera's book, "I love the concise, straightforward way this book lays out the problem."
The Washington Post Book World Called The Case Against Homework "a battlefield manual for parents."
Sara Bennett also runs a website Stop Homework, offering up-to-the-minute homework news, opinion articles, and guest editorials.
My own What Happened to Recess and Why Are Our Children Struggling in Kindergarten? documents the problem--with startling and grim stories of families whose lives are drained dry by homework overload. In The Case Against Homework Alfie Kohn offers six reasons why homework is still so widely accepted despite the evidence against it. He offers convincing arguments as to why parents should trust their children to use their time for something better.
As Vera Goodman writes, "What is education about anyway? We need to re-examine this crucial question."
The time is now.
.
by Deirdra Grode
One of the biggest challenges I have faced as an educator is getting my students to complete work at home, including doing daily homework assignments and projects and actually studying. Why? The reasons vary.
Some of my students have afterschool jobs or take care of younger siblings, their parents don't understand or value the assignments, or no one is available to help them with the work. For some students, their organizational skills are poor or they don't have enough initiative to complete work at home when there are more enticing options. For others, the consequences for not doing their homework are not strong enough.
It is frustrating to me when I assign homework that only some of my students complete. This leaves some students ready to move on while others have not mastered the skills needed to advance. I once had an administrator demand that I reduce the percent value homework was given in my class because too many kids had low overall scores.
I have heard teachers at other schools express the same frustration and even say that their schools have moved away from homework entirely since most students won't complete it. By allowing students to complete all their assignments in class, the school does not offer students the opportunity to take ownership of their learning. All the work is completed under teachers' supervision, and students are not practicing the work while making errors.
With homework posing such a challenge to students and educators, I have often wondered if all homework should be supplementary. That way everyone would receive the most essential instruction, and the students who complete work outside would gain enrichment. However, I don't think this is the answer.
Many students around the country are performing at grade level and complete hours of homework each night while other children are performing years below grade level and complete no work at home. The gap continues to increase. I think it is unrealistic for educators and education leaders to believe that students can do everything they need to during the school day to close the achievement gap. Class time should be used to engage students in new learning, and work that can be done independently should be done independently. The trick is to engage families, identify challenge areas in work completion, and develop programs and systems to meet students' needs.
At my school, we have not accepted that lowering expectations for children who have not completed work at home in the past is the answer. Rather, teachers are seeking solutions to the challenge and experimenting with ways to successfully address the problem. In next month's column, I will share with you the strategies we have developed at our school that are proving effective in getting students to complete work outside of school hours.
Deirdra Grode is the 2008 ASCD Outstanding Young Educator Award winner. Formerly a 7th and 8th grade social studies and language arts teacher, she is now the codirector and principal of K–8 at the Hoboken Charter School in Hoboken, N.J. Discuss this article on ASCD's blog, Inservice, at http://ascd.typepad.com/blog/in-the-classroom-with.j
Education Update ASCD
2010-01-
http://www.ascd.org/publications/newsletters/education_update/jan10/vol52/num01/Homework@_Work_To_Be_Done_at_Home.aspx
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