A classroom teacher’s view on homework

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

When thinking of research, instructors find it helpful to interact their policy with the families of their students. After just recently finishing a Learners Edge course, Jennifer Lindsey, a fourth grade teacher from Pennsylvania, showed on her homework approach that includes the purposeful roles teachers and households play.

I do see research as having a function in the academic process and I do not concur with Alfie Kohn (see short article), who appears to think homework is useless, or even worse, has an unfavorable effect. While Kohn asserts there is practically no research study that shows homework to be useful, I did not see a convincing quantity of tough information to support doing away with all research.
Yes, the quantity of homework need to be based on the students age and grade level. As many Kindergarten-3rd grade teachers are self-contained, it needs to be relatively simple to offer math homework one night, checking out or spelling one night, etc to avoid straining 5 to 8-year-olds. Homework can be a divisive subject in the education neighborhood, and we hope you can value this instructors point of view.

LE: What is your position on the issue of research?
When I answer this question, I answer as an educator and as the parent of school age children. I do see research as having a function in the instructional procedure and I do not agree with Alfie Kohn (see post), who appears to think homework is worthless, or even worse, has a negative effect. While Kohn asserts there is almost no research that shows homework to be advantageous, I did not see a persuading amount of hard information to support getting rid of all research.
Yes, the quantity of homework must be based on the students age and grade level. As many Kindergarten-3rd grade instructors are self-contained, it must be reasonably simple to give mathematics homework one night, reading or spelling one night, and so on to avoid overwhelming 5 to 8-year-olds. I see homework to extend learning.
Our textbook mentions it can take 24 repeatings of a skill for a trainee to reach 80% competency. I believe practicing skills is beneficial. Kohns comparison with tennis does not make good sense to me. There are abilities in tennis you need to practice to improve. There are fundamental math skills kids must practice to construct a strong foundation prior to moving on to higher-level mathematics abilities. Kohn points out how students may progress at remembering, but not believing. I see this as two various things; we need trainees to keep in mind certain facts and after that proceed to using those skills as thinkers and problem solvers.
As a moms and dad, it can be hard to squeeze in homework some nights! My own children have brought house projects I believed improper or too prolonged for one night. We do the finest we can, and if we have issues or concerns, I reach out to the teacher. Understanding some students have little or no assistance in the house must be recognized by educators. Once again, good instructors make it a point to understand what some home circumstances might resemble and to customize accordingly. When possible, colleagues can interact, as explained in two supplemental course articles, by developing a finding out lab or incorporating “Drop-In” times throughout the school day
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