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September 12, 2006
Homework schomework?For years, students have wondered why they have to do homework, and now experts are wondering that as well. An article in yesterday's Washington Post reports that younger students may not get any academic benefit from homework. And with that, thousands of of elementary schoolers breathed a collective sigh of relief.
The article, by the way, noted that the American Child Health Association, in the 1930s cited "homework and child labor as leading killers of children who contracted tuberculosis and heart disease." Yowsa! Turns out homework actually can kill you!
Even teachers can't agree on whether or not homework is beneficial or not. At the heart of the issue are two things: Many teachers "get little or no training on how to create homework assignments that advance learning," and "parents are too involved or negligent."
Alfie Kohn examines this in his new book, The Homework Myth. In a recent Education Week column, he writes, "I am always fascinated when research says one thing and we are all rushing in the other direction. It is striking that we have no evidence that there is any academic benefit in elementary school homework," he said. "Then people fall back on the self-discipline argument and how it helps students learn study skills. But that is an urban myth, except that people apply it in the suburbs, too."
BoardBuzz can almost feel the ground shake as children jump for joy. Additionally, the research coupled with teachers' feelings about the merits (or lack thereof) of homework isn't always backed up by school district policies and curriculum.
Read BoardBuzz's previous thoughts here.
Posted September 12, 2006 4:38 PM | Curriculum
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