Jan 19 2009
Is There Value in Homework?
A few years back, Alfie Kohn wrote the book, The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing. In his book, he points out that there has been no evidence that homework is beneficial to children, especially in the elementary years. I have read parts of his book and he makes a lot of valid arguments as to why homework can actually do more harm than good. He also cites many other studies that do show the negative affects of homework on the student, the parents, and even the teachers. However, this research also seems to conclude with statements along the lines of, “Even though homework causes stress and frustration, it is important to recognize the benefits”. Which are?
I never thought hard about this and I imagine most people don’t. Homework has been around since the beginning of time and it is “what we have always done.” Has anyone thought about what the benefits may be? Well, some people have said it provides self-discipline, builds character, and a strong work ethic. Others say it gives children more practice and drills to solidify what they have learned. Is there research to support this? Many children look at homework in a negative way when it is required to be done. This leads to negative feelings about learning and the simple dread of homework can cause frustration. Sometimes it leads to conflict in the house with the parents.
Many people will justify the assigning of homework because children need that discipline and focus they may not get at school. Are they learning though or are they just getting it done because the teacher requires it. I am not sure of the answers. There are some schools that are starting to adopt this policy of No Homework. MCA Academy, a small private school in Coconut Grove, Florida does not assign homework and allows after school a time to focus on other things like art and athletics.
Could this be a new way of thinking? Is it time to actually examine if there is value in homework and that it adds to a student’s thinking? Could children learn more efficiently during the school day and still excel in state testing? Could there (or should there) be a day that no homework exists?
Homework has not existed since “the beginning of time”, only since the imposition of compulsory education beginning in 1852 (in the US). Before that it was “home work”, as in, work done at home to further the family, which produced a society as literate or, in some cases, more literate than today’s society.
Some homework assignments do further learning or enhance what is learned at school: reading to prepare for the next day’s classwork, researching and writing a term paper, building a science project. But most homework consists of busy work, also known as paperwork. This latter type of homework does nothing to aid in a student’s retention of knowledge. But it does create an excellent worker bee, which is the point (see Horace Mann, John Dewey, and other early advocates of the public school system).
Thank you for blogging about one of the most important issues facing today’s children.
Thank you for your feedback. It is becoming a more and more discussed subject. I find it interesting and will keep an open mind. I agree about busy work being not very effective. It seems 2-3 hours of homework a night for a 3rd grader is a but much!
Oh, it only gets worse! But we can’t complain too much, as our teachers are very dedicated, and that makes up for a lot. Of course, I shouldn’t complain at all, since I now home educate my son, so all of his schoolwork could rightly be called “homework”.