A classroom teacher’s view on homework

When thinking of research, teachers find it helpful to communicate their policy with the households of their students. After just recently finishing a Learners Edge course, Jennifer Lindsey, a fourth grade instructor from Pennsylvania, reviewed her research philosophy which consists of the purposeful roles instructors and families play.

Research can be a divisive subject in the education neighborhood, and we hope you can appreciate this instructors point of view. How do you interact with families about research?

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LE: What is your position on the issue of research?
I answer as an educator and as the parent of school age kids when I answer this question. I do see research as having a role in the instructional procedure and I do not agree with Alfie Kohn (see short article), who appears to think research is worthless, or worse, has a negative effect. While Kohn asserts there is practically no research study that shows homework to be advantageous, I did not see a convincing amount of tough information to support getting rid of all research.
Yes, the quantity of homework need to be based on the students age and grade level. As most Kindergarten-3rd grade teachers are self-contained, it needs to be relatively simple to offer math homework one night, spelling or reading one night, and so on to avoid overloading 5 to 8-year-olds. If teachers are imaginative with projects and in interacting the purpose of the assignment, students need to not become bored or disappointed. Those are my goals as a fourth-grade instructor. I see research to extend learning. Would I assign 30 mathematics problems to students who I understand would have problem with them, or to students who have demonstrated their understanding of the skill? No, in those cases, it is my task as the teacher to modify the assignments.
Our textbook explains it can take 24 repetitions of an ability for a student to reach 80% proficiency. I believe practicing abilities is rewarding. Kohns contrast with tennis does not make sense to me. There are abilities in tennis you must practice to improve. There are basic math abilities children need to practice to construct a solid structure before moving on to higher-level math skills. Kohn explains how trainees might progress at keeping in mind, but not believing. I see this as 2 different things; we need trainees to bear in mind particular truths and then proceed to utilizing those skills as thinkers and problem solvers.
As a moms and dad, it can be tough to squeeze in homework some nights! We do the finest we can, and if we have issues or problems, I reach out to the teacher. Once again, good instructors make it a point to understand what some home circumstances might be like and to customize accordingly.

I do see research as having a role in the academic process and I do not agree with Alfie Kohn (see short article), who appears to think research is worthless, or worse, has an unfavorable impact. While Kohn asserts there is almost no research study that shows research to be helpful, I did not see a persuading quantity of tough information to support doing away with all homework.
Yes, the amount of research should be based on the students age and grade level. As most Kindergarten-3rd grade teachers are self-contained, it ought to be fairly easy to give mathematics research one night, spelling or checking out one night, etc to avoid straining 5 to 8-year-olds. Research can be a dissentious topic in the education community, and we hope you can value this instructors point of view.

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