Homework: What Purpose Does It Serve

Michael Kotch
Position Paper # 2
Fundamentals of Curriculum Development
Homework: What Purpose Does It Serve

Over the past five-years, I have taught with a vast number of teachers in an inclusion setting, which has exposed me to a variety of philosophies on issues confronting the field of education. One such issue that is subject to contrasting views is the assigning of homework. Some teachers are strong advocates of assigning lengthy assignments on an almost daily basis, while others rarely require their students to complete assignments out side of school.

Alfie Kohn, author of the book, The Homework Myth, states that there is no data supporting the benefits of assigning homework for children below high school age. Although, Kohn, admits that some studies have found a positive correlation between homework and standardized test scores, he highlights that such benefits are minimal, and we can not suggest that higher achievement is the result of more homework, as other variables could be involved. Probably, the most staggering fact presented by Kohn is that no study has supported the commonly held conviction that homework fosters self-discipline, independence, perseverance, or time-management skills.

Negative consequences can result from the practice of assigning homework to children. One Professor of Education at Columbia University, Gary Natriello, changed his positive view toward homework, when his children began to bring assignments home from their elementary school. Professor Natriella expressed frustration over the wording of directions for homework assignments, which he considered to be puzzling. In addition, some parents articulate concern, regarding the work-load, which homework places on a child, as the school days represents, roughly seven-hours of time devoted to learning, therefore, additional assignments to be completed after-school, creates an overwhelming amount of stress for both fatigued children and parents who require reprieve from work. Moreover, Etta Kralovic, co-author of The End of Homework, considers homework to be discriminatory, as parents have differing abilities and time to help their children with assignments. She also points out that homework removes a parent’s time to teach other critical life skills.

In the Washing Post article entitled, As Homework Grows, So Do Arguments Against It, staff writer, Valerie Strauss, discussed the discrepancy in schools, regarding the practice of assigning homework. She wrote “. . . teachers themselves don't uniformly agree on something as basic as the purpose of homework (reviewing vs. learning new concepts), much less design or amount or even whether it should be graded. And the result can be inconsistency in assignments and confusion for students.” I have witnessed this phenomenon at the high school level, where teachers of the same course adhere to entirely different philosophies on assigning homework, which leads some students to be burdened with over two-hours of superfluous work per week for one class, after the completion of the school-day, while other students are free to use this time to pursue chosen endeavors, which might represent a more productive use of time.

Despite the growing adherents to the school of thought that homework is predominantly negative, some educators argue otherwise. According to the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the majority of research over the past 40-years have found that assigning work outside of school, benefits children, in that, they make gains in academic skills, abilities and test scores; acquire a positive attitude toward schoolwork; form cohesion between school and home environments, and develop an improved self-image in relation to being a competent learner. However, the AFT also states that homework is only effective, if assignments are well-designed and vigilantly created.

In the article entitled, Homework Hangover: Are Kids Doing Too Much, Katy Abel, highlights certain changes which have occurred in some school districts, regarding homework. For instance, the Piscataway School Board has placed a limit on the amount of homework that can be given per night. They have determined that children in grades 1 through 3 shall receive no more then 30 minutes per night of homework, and gradually as students get older, they may receive more homework, but never to exceed the maximum of two-hours per night, which is only allowed at the high school level. Additionally, teachers are not permitted to grade homework, but they may note on report cards whether or not the homework assignments were completed.

If one yearns to administer homework assignments to their students, they should consider implementing important principles for creating effective supplemental activities, as advocated by the American Federation of Teachers. Homework assignments should be used to strengthen skills learned in previous weeks or months. Additionally, some characteristics of constructive homework assignments are; clear instructions; short in length; have a flexible time frame for completion; use information and resources that are easily available; and are not simply unfinished class work. Moreover, the assignments should be interesting and lead to further inquiry, along with promoting the application of skills. Furthermore, students should be provided with timely feedback on homework assignments and they must display an understanding for the reason why a particular assignment is administered. Lastly, children should be aware that the homework will be included in calculating the grade for which they earn or be held accountable in some manner for completing the assignments.

Sites:

http://www.aft.org/pubs-reports/teachers/TT-Homework.pdf Teacher Tips: Assigning Effective Homework

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=7376 Down With Homework by Alfie Kohn.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/11/AR2006091100908.html As Homework Grows, So Do Arguments Against It by Valerie Strauss, Washington Post

http://www.spiderleg.com/arguments/ Arguments for an against homework

http://school.familyeducation.com/education-and-state/educational-philosophy/37616.html Homework Hangover: Are Kids Doing Too Much by Katy Abel