A classroom teacher’s view on homework

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

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I do see research as having a function in the instructional process and I do not concur with Alfie Kohn (see article), who appears to believe homework is useless, or worse, has a negative impact. While Kohn asserts there is nearly no research that shows homework to be useful, I did not see a persuading amount of tough information to support doing away with all research.
Yes, the quantity of research need to be based on the students age and grade level. As most Kindergarten-3rd grade instructors are self-contained, it needs to be fairly easy to offer math homework one night, checking out or spelling one night, etc to avoid overloading 5 to 8-year-olds. Homework can be a divisive topic in the education neighborhood, and we hope you can value this instructors point of view.

LE: What is your position on the concern of research?
When I answer this question, I answer as a teacher and as the parent of school age children. I do see research as having a role in the educational process and I do not agree with Alfie Kohn (see post), who appears to think homework is useless, or even worse, has an unfavorable effect. While Kohn asserts there is almost no research study that shows research to be useful, I did not see a convincing amount of hard information to support getting rid of all research.
Yes, the quantity of homework need to be based upon the students age and grade level. As a lot of Kindergarten-3rd grade instructors are self-contained, it ought to be relatively simple to provide mathematics research one night, checking out or spelling one night, etc to prevent overwhelming 5 to 8-year-olds. Trainees need to not become bored or annoyed if teachers are innovative with tasks and in communicating the purpose of the project. Those are my goals as a fourth-grade teacher. I see research to extend learning. Would I designate 30 math problems to students who I understand would battle with them, or to students who have demonstrated their understanding of the ability? No, in those cases, it is my job as the instructor to modify the assignments.
Our textbook points out it can take 24 repetitions of a skill for a student to reach 80% proficiency. Kohn points out how trainees might end up being better at keeping in mind, however not thinking. I see this as 2 different things; we need students to keep in mind particular facts and then move on to utilizing those skills as thinkers and problem solvers.
As a parent, it can be difficult to squeeze in research some nights! We do the best we can, and if we have problems or concerns, I reach out to the teacher. Again, good teachers make it a point to understand what some house circumstances may be like and to customize appropriately.

When considering homework, teachers discover it beneficial to interact their policy with the families of their students. After just recently finishing a Learners Edge course, Jennifer Lindsey, a 4th grade instructor from Pennsylvania, assessed her homework viewpoint which includes the purposeful functions teachers and households play.

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