A classroom teacher’s view on homework

I do see research as having a role in the academic procedure and I do not concur with Alfie Kohn (see article), who appears to believe homework is worthless, or even worse, has an unfavorable effect. While Kohn asserts there is practically no research that shows homework to be advantageous, I did not see a convincing amount of tough information to support doing away with all research.
Yes, the amount of research must be based on the students age and grade level. As the majority of Kindergarten-3rd grade instructors are self-contained, it needs to be relatively easy to give math homework one night, checking out or spelling one night, and so on to avoid overloading 5 to 8-year-olds. Research can be a divisive subject in the education community, and we hope you can appreciate this teachers point of view.

When considering research, instructors find it useful to interact their policy with the households of their trainees. After recently completing a Learners Edge course, Jennifer Lindsey, a 4th grade teacher from Pennsylvania, reflected on her research philosophy that includes the purposeful functions instructors and households play.

LE: What is your position on the problem of homework?
When I address this concern, I address as an educator and as the parent of school age kids. I do see research as having a role in the instructional process and I do not agree with Alfie Kohn (see article), who appears to think homework is useless, or even worse, has a negative effect. While Kohn asserts there is almost no research study that shows homework to be advantageous, I did not see a convincing amount of hard information to support doing away with all research.
Yes, the quantity of homework should be based upon the students age and grade level. As many Kindergarten-3rd grade teachers are self-contained, it should be fairly basic to provide mathematics research one night, spelling or reading one night, etc to prevent overwhelming 5 to 8-year-olds. If teachers are creative with assignments and in interacting the function of the project, trainees ought to not end up being annoyed or bored. Those are my objectives as a fourth-grade instructor. I see homework to extend knowing. Would I designate 30 mathematics problems to students who I understand 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 task as the instructor to modify the projects.
Our book points out it can take 24 repetitions of an ability for a student to reach 80% proficiency. I think practicing skills is rewarding. Kohns contrast with tennis does not make sense to me. There are abilities in tennis you need to practice to enhance. There are fundamental mathematics abilities kids need to practice to build a solid foundation prior to carrying on to higher-level mathematics abilities. Kohn points out how trainees may end up being much better at remembering, however not believing. I see this as two different things; we need students to keep in mind particular facts and then proceed to using those skills as thinkers and issue solvers.
As a moms and dad, it can be tough to squeeze in homework some nights! We do the best we can, and if we have problems or issues, I reach out to the teacher. Once again, excellent instructors make it a point to understand what some house circumstances may be like and to customize accordingly.

Homework can be a dissentious subject in the education neighborhood, and we hope you can appreciate this teachers viewpoint. We wish to hear your thoughts about research. What is your approach? How do you communicate with families about homework?

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