A classroom teacher’s view on homework

Research can be a divisive topic in the education neighborhood, and we hope you can appreciate this teachers point of view. How do you communicate with families about homework?

When considering homework, instructors find it helpful to interact their policy with the households of their trainees. After recently completing a Learners Edge course, Jennifer Lindsey, a 4th grade instructor from Pennsylvania, showed on her research approach that includes the purposeful functions instructors and families play.

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LE: What is your position on the problem of research?
I address as an educator and as the parent of school age children when I address this concern. I do see homework as having a function in the instructional process and I do not agree with Alfie Kohn (see post), who appears to think research is useless, or even worse, has an unfavorable effect. While Kohn asserts there is nearly no research that shows research to be useful, I did not see a convincing amount of difficult information to support getting rid of all research.
Yes, the quantity of homework ought to be based on the trainees age and grade level. As most Kindergarten-3rd grade teachers are self-contained, it must be fairly simple to offer mathematics homework one night, reading or spelling one night, and so on to prevent overwhelming 5 to 8-year-olds. I see research to extend learning.
Our book points out it can take 24 repetitions of a skill for a student to reach 80% proficiency. Kohn points out how trainees might end up being better at keeping in mind, but not believing. I see this as two different things; we need trainees to remember certain truths and then move on to using those abilities as thinkers and problem solvers.
As a moms and dad, it can be hard to squeeze in homework some nights! My own kids have brought home tasks I thought too prolonged or improper for one night. We do the best we can, and if we have problems or issues, I connect to the teacher. Understanding some students have little or no assistance in the house should be acknowledged by teachers. Again, excellent instructors make it a point to understand what some house scenarios may be like and to customize accordingly. When possible, coworkers can collaborate, as explained in 2 extra course posts, by establishing a finding out lab or including “Drop-In” times during the school day
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I do see homework as having a function in the instructional procedure and I do not concur with Alfie Kohn (see post), who appears to believe research is worthless, or worse, has an unfavorable impact. While Kohn asserts there is nearly no research that shows homework to be advantageous, I did not see a persuading quantity of difficult data to support doing away with all homework.
Yes, the amount of research ought to be based on the students age and grade level. As many Kindergarten-3rd grade instructors are self-contained, it must be fairly easy to offer mathematics homework one night, checking out or spelling one night, and so on to avoid overwhelming 5 to 8-year-olds. Research can be a dissentious topic in the education community, and we hope you can value this instructors point of view.

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