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 perspective. We want to hear your ideas about research. What is your viewpoint? How do you interact with households about research?

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I do see homework as having a function in the educational procedure and I do not concur with Alfie Kohn (see post), who appears to believe research is useless, or worse, has a negative effect. While Kohn asserts there is nearly no research study that shows research to be useful, I did not see a convincing amount of hard information to support doing away with all research.
Yes, the amount of homework need to be based on the trainees age and grade level. As a lot of Kindergarten-3rd grade teachers are self-contained, it needs to be fairly easy to offer mathematics homework one night, spelling or checking out one night, etc to prevent overwhelming 5 to 8-year-olds. Research 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 problem of research?
When I answer this concern, I address as an educator and as the moms and dad 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 short article), who appears to think research is useless, or even worse, has an unfavorable effect. While Kohn asserts there is practically no research study that proves homework to be beneficial, I did not see a convincing amount of hard information to support eliminating all research.
Yes, the quantity of research need to be based on the students age and grade level. As most Kindergarten-3rd grade teachers are self-contained, it must be relatively easy to provide math homework one night, reading or spelling one night, etc to prevent straining 5 to 8-year-olds. Students should not end up being bored or frustrated if teachers are creative with projects and in communicating the function of the assignment. Those are my objectives as a fourth-grade instructor. I see research to extend learning. Would I appoint 30 mathematics issues to students who I understand would deal with them, or to trainees who have demonstrated 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 an ability for a student to reach 80% proficiency. I think practicing skills is worthwhile. Kohns comparison with tennis does not make sense to me. There are skills in tennis you should practice to enhance. There are standard math skills children must practice to develop a solid foundation before proceeding to higher-level mathematics abilities. Kohn mentions how students might end up being better at keeping in mind, but not thinking. I see this as two various things; we require trainees to keep in mind certain realities 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 research some nights! My own kids have brought home tasks I thought improper or too lengthy for one night. We do the finest we can, and if we have problems or concerns, I connect to the teacher. Knowing some trainees have little or no support in your home need to be acknowledged by teachers. Once again, great instructors make it a point to know what some house circumstances may be like and to modify appropriately. When possible, colleagues can work together, as described in two additional course posts, by establishing a finding out lab or integrating “Drop-In” times throughout the school day
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When considering homework, teachers find it advantageous to interact their policy with the families of their trainees. After recently finishing a Learners Edge course, Jennifer Lindsey, a 4th grade instructor from Pennsylvania, reflected on her research philosophy that includes the purposeful roles teachers and families play.

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