A classroom teacher’s view on homework

Homework can be a divisive topic in the education community, and we hope you can appreciate this teachers point of view. How do you interact with households about homework?

LE: What is your position on the problem of homework?
When I address this question, I answer as an educator and as the moms and dad of school age children. I do see homework as having a role in the academic process and I do not agree with Alfie Kohn (see short article), who appears to believe homework is worthless, or even worse, has a negative effect. While Kohn asserts there is practically no research that shows research to be advantageous, I did not see a persuading quantity of difficult information to support eliminating all homework.
Yes, the quantity of research must be based upon the trainees age and grade level. As many Kindergarten-3rd grade teachers are self-contained, it ought to be relatively basic to provide mathematics research one night, reading or spelling one night, and so on to prevent straining 5 to 8-year-olds. Trainees should not become bored or frustrated if instructors are imaginative with tasks and in communicating the purpose of the project. Those are my objectives as a fourth-grade teacher. I see homework to extend learning. Would I assign 30 mathematics problems to students who I know would have a hard time with them, or to students who have shown their understanding of the skill? No, in those cases, it is my job as the teacher to modify the projects.
Our textbook points out it can take 24 repeatings of a skill for a student to reach 80% proficiency. Kohn points out how students may become much better at remembering, however not thinking. I see this as two different things; we need trainees to keep in mind certain realities and then move on to utilizing those abilities as thinkers and issue solvers.
As a moms and dad, it can be tough to squeeze in research some nights! We do the best we can, and if we have issues or issues, I reach out to the instructor. Once again, good instructors make it a point to understand what some home scenarios may be like and to customize accordingly.

I do see research as having a role in the instructional procedure and I do not agree with Alfie Kohn (see article), who appears to think research is worthless, or even worse, has a negative impact. While Kohn asserts there is almost no research study that proves homework to be helpful, I did not see a convincing amount of tough information to support doing away with all homework.
Yes, the amount of homework should be based on the students age and grade level. As most Kindergarten-3rd grade teachers are self-contained, it should be relatively easy to provide math homework one night, reading or spelling one night, etc to prevent straining 5 to 8-year-olds. Research can be a divisive subject in the education community, and we hope you can value this teachers point of view.

When thinking of research, teachers find it beneficial to communicate their policy with the households of their trainees. After recently finishing a Learners Edge course, Jennifer Lindsey, a fourth grade instructor from Pennsylvania, assessed her homework philosophy that includes the purposeful functions instructors and families play.

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