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Should Homework be Abolished There are many debates on whether homework is beneficial or not. More and more students are spending a lot of out of school time on huge amounts of homework. This overload of homework is putting pressure on the students, along with their parents. Is the homework requirement becoming too excessive? Or is homework better than no homework at all? According to Etta Kralovec and John Buell homework should be abolished.
After examining homework in the lives of students, families, and communities, Kralovec and Buell found that homework disrupts family life, interferes with what parents want to teach their children, and punishes poor students. Kralovec & Buell (2000). Homework restricts family life by limiting the time that parents could be teaching their children their heritage, religious beliefs, and many life skills. Arguing is happening more often over homework and students that do not have the means can’t get their homework done thus causing more stress for the family.
Kralovec & Buell (2000). Kohn(2007) states there is three facts about homework: 1. The negative effects of homework are well known. Children become frustrated and exhausted. They have less time for other activities, and possibly lose interest in learning. 2. The positive effects of homework are largely mythical. There is no evidence of any academic benefit from assigning homework to children under the age of fourteen. 3. More homework is being piled on children despite the absence of its value.
It’s being assigned on a regular basis no matter who the kids are and what they need. Many people across the country have expressed their frustration over homework. Parents wish teachers could see how so much homework eats away at a child’s love for learning. Kohn (2007). According to Nancy Kalish (2007) when schools push homework too much, children react by misbehaving, becoming anxious, burning out and coming to hate school. Educators have about seven hours a day to create meaningful learning experiences. If they cannot, then they are not using time efficiently.
Children are not machines. They need “down time” just like any adult says Mike Burman, an English teacher in Wisconsin. Is homework better than no homework at all? According to Harris Cooper (2007) Yes. He states that a big factor in the homework question is age or grade level. Older students he feels benefit most out of homework. After conducting an analysis of homework studies, Cooper (2007) found that homework can improve scores on class test. In 35 of his studies, 77 percent find the link between homework and achievement is positive.
Most interesting, though these results suggest little or no relationship between homework and achievement for elementary students. Cooper (2007) also points out that homework helps with better retention of factual knowledge, increased understanding, better critical thinking, and greater self-discipline and self-direction. Most educators agree that homework is more effective in grades K-2 if it does not exceed 10-20 minutes each day; grades 3-6 can handle 30-60 minutes a day; in junior and senior high, the amount of homework varies with each subject.
Robert Needlman (2004) states homework does not have to be war. If you can see your role as a coach rather than a taskmaster, homework can teach your child the value of hard work, as well as teaching you a lot about your child. In order to be an effective coach, though, you have to know the rules of the game. And that means understanding homework from the teacher’s point of view. Why homework? Teachers assign homework for three basic reasons: to get children to practice skills or concepts they have learned in class (for example, practicing certain math fundamentals) •to prepare children for the next class (perhaps by reading a chapter in a book that the class will later discuss) •to give children the chance to work on a project that is time-consuming or requires outside resources (such as the library, the Internet, or you, the parents). Early on, the main point of homework is to get children used to the idea of working outside the classroom, as well as helping them develop time-management and organization skills.
Later in elementary school and particularly in high school, children who do more homework score better on standardized tests. It stands to reason that when teachers set high expectations for learning, including relatively high homework demands, children learn more. Robert Needlman (2004). I can relate to both sides of these issues. I have two teenagers who don’t really have a lot of homework normally. When they were younger in 3rd through the 5th grade I can remember going crazy trying to get them to do their homework. It was way too much to do in one evening.
We had many arguments over it; vocabulary words, spelling words, AR reading etc. the list goes on. My son to this day hates school where my daughter loves it. Being a paraprofessional at a school district for grades Pre-K through 3rd I can see where some homework is necessary. Pre-k and kindergarteners need to learn letters and numbers and it helps if parents go over these at home also. Students who are learning to read need to practice at home. Also this helps with parents to know what is going on with their child at school.
When reviewing homework assignments, parents are able to see firsthand what their children are learning, which promotes communication between teachers and parents. Teachers should not relent in using homework to enhance students’ performance, but it should not be assigned to the extent that students become swamped or overwhelmed, and it should never be assigned as punishment. Kohn, Alfie. (2007). Changing the Homework Default. Retrieved October 15, 2008, from www. alfiekohn. org/teaching/default. htm Cooper, N. K. (2007, July 13). Do American students get too much homework? Retrieved October 13, 2008, from CQ Reseacher: www. qreseacher . com Etta Kralovee, D. S. (2005). Should homework be abolished. In J. W. Noll, Taking Sides: Clashing views on Controversial Education Issues. McGraw Hill. Nea. (2007, March). Retrieved October 11, 2008, from National Education Association: www. nea. org/neatoday/0703/debate. html Needlmen, R. (2004, August 26). The rules of the game. Retrieved October 12, 2008, from Dr. Spock: www. drspock. com/article/0,15105654,00. html Rushowy, K. (2008, February 9). Homework a homewreaker:Report. Retrieved October 11, 2008, from thestar. com: www. thestar. com/GTA/Education/article/302001