MODERATION MAY BE KEY TO HOMEWORK CONTROVERSY
More schools should offer assignment help as part of after-class programming services
As children across Quebec return to the classroom this week, thousands of “How I spent my summer vacation” essays are sure to be ordered up by teachers seeking to spark young minds after two months of idleness.
And that venerable first homework assignment is sure to reignite one of the most fraught debates of modern child-rearing. Should kids spend their afterschool hours doing homework? How much value do such assignments actually have? How much is too much? And how are overscheduled families supposed to cope with its rigours?
These are questions that divide parents and teachers alike in an era where there are seemingly competing concerns about overloading youngsters and preparing them for the demands of the real world.
In one camp are the homework opponents who argue children spend enough hours in school as it is and should be able to pursue extracurricular interests like sports or music without fear of a crushing workload at the end of the day. Some experts have argued children derive little educational benefit from the array of worksheets sent home and can actually lose interest in their lessons if piled on too thick. And among those who subscribe to the Scandinavian model of education — which defers classroom lessons and emphasizes more free play (preferably outdoors) in the primary years — many are convinced homework is sucking the love of learning out of their children.
In the other corner are homework defenders who believe extra study is needed to reinforce what is learned in class, especially in crucial subjects like math and French where the memorization is required. They see homework as a way to foster independence, gradually introduce their children to the kind of autonomy that will be expected of them in post-secondary education, and give parents a glimpse of how their kids are doing. Some overachievers see it as a way for their kids to get ahead in a competitive world.
Educators seem as divided on the topic as parents. Last fall, the letter a Texas teacher sent home to parents of her Grade 2 class went viral when she pledged the only out-of-school assignment for the year would be for her students to recharge their batteries, play outside and have dinner with their families. And two years ago, a Saguenay primary school piloted a no-homework policy for Grades 1 to 6.
Yet enough teachers still dole out homework in significant enough amounts that Facebook feeds are sure to fill again promptly with parents begging for mercy from the daily frustration of coaxing exhausted children through endless hours of school work. A few parents, including Montreal author and mom Bunmi Laditan, have even gone so far as to put their foot down and politely inform their children’s teachers that their kids will not be doing daily mounds of homework, thank you very much. She won accolades from her legions of social-media supporters and made headlines around the world.
Research does back up the benefits that can be derived from homework — with some important caveats. As long as what is being assigned is not mindless busywork and that the amount being asked is age appropriate, it seems to have a positive effect. But, of course, these qualifiers make all the difference in whether homework ends up being an effective tool or a waste of everyone’s time. It’s enough to make your head spin.
The experts’ rule of thumb to instil responsibility without making homework onerous: no more than 10 minutes of homework per grade level. Thus 10 minutes a night in Grade 1, 20 minutes in Grade 2, 30 minutes in Grade 3 and so on. Once they hit high school, all bets are off. Seems fair.
While homework may be based on sound pedagogical theory, the real problem is surely the modern context. There are more families than ever with two working parents. There are more single-parent households. Many children are spending the hours following class in after-school programs, meaning they don’t get home until dinnertime and there are fewer hours until bedtime in which to get homework done. This ratchets up the pressure on already stressful modern family life.
Some teachers take this into account. And some schools are proactively offering help with homework as part of their afterclass programming services. Perhaps more should.
Education is supposed to be about what’s best for the children, not for the parents. But the reality is the two are almost inextricable. Family life can have a huge impact on kids’ overall academic performance, and what’s good for the child is often what’s good for their parents, too.
Maybe everyone — i.e. the adults debating the issue so vigorously — need to stop looking at homework like a zero-sum game. Like with sugar and television, maybe homework is not so bad in moderation. Like most good things in life, less is sometimes more.