A classroom teacher’s view on homework

LE: What is your position on the issue of homework?
When I answer this concern, I respond to as a teacher 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 post), who appears to think research is useless, or worse, has an unfavorable effect. While Kohn asserts there is almost no research that shows homework to be useful, I did not see a convincing quantity of hard data to support eliminating all research.
Yes, the amount of homework 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 fairly basic to give mathematics homework one night, spelling or checking out one night, etc to prevent straining 5 to 8-year-olds. If instructors are imaginative with tasks and in communicating the purpose of the project, students should not become bored or frustrated. Those are my objectives as a fourth-grade teacher. I see research to extend knowing. Would I assign 30 math issues to trainees who I know would deal with them, or to trainees who have shown their understanding of the skill? No, in those cases, it is my job as the teacher to customize the tasks.
Our textbook mentions it can take 24 repeatings of an ability for a trainee to reach 80% competency. I think practicing skills is worthwhile. Kohns contrast with tennis does not make good sense to me. There are abilities in tennis you need to practice to improve. There are basic mathematics skills children need to practice to build a solid foundation prior to moving on to higher-level math skills. Kohn mentions how trainees might progress at keeping in mind, however not thinking. I see this as two different things; we require trainees to bear in mind particular facts and then carry on to utilizing those abilities as thinkers and problem solvers.
As a parent, it can be hard to squeeze in homework some nights! My own kids have brought house projects I believed unsuitable or too prolonged for one night. We do the best we can, and if we have concerns or problems, I reach out to the instructor. Understanding some students have little or no assistance in the house should be acknowledged by educators. Once again, great instructors make it an indicate know what some home situations may be like and to modify accordingly. When possible, associates can work together, as explained in two additional course posts, by establishing a finding out laboratory or incorporating “Drop-In” times throughout the school day
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Research can be a dissentious subject in the education neighborhood, and we hope you can appreciate this teachers point of view. How do you interact with families about homework?

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When thinking of homework, instructors discover it helpful to interact their policy with the households of their students. After just recently completing a Learners Edge course, Jennifer Lindsey, a 4th grade teacher from Pennsylvania, assessed her research viewpoint that includes the purposeful roles instructors and families play.

I do see research as having a function in the instructional procedure and I do not concur with Alfie Kohn (see short article), who appears to think research is worthless, or worse, has an unfavorable impact. While Kohn asserts there is practically no research study that proves homework to be useful, I did not see a convincing quantity of difficult data to support doing away with all homework.
Yes, the quantity of homework need to be based on the trainees age and grade level. As many Kindergarten-3rd grade instructors are self-contained, it should be fairly easy to provide math research one night, spelling or checking out one night, and so on to prevent overloading 5 to 8-year-olds. Homework can be a divisive topic in the education community, and we hope you can value this teachers point of view.

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