The Homework Debate

       Many studies are being conducted in an attempt to support the use of homework, but many are failing to do so. Alfie Kohn, author of "The Homework Myth," believes there is no correlation between student achievement and homework in elementary schools. He also believes there is little evidence that homework is necessary in high school and may even decrease a student's interest in learning. While some homework is good, memorizing facts for a quiz or circling words on a page can be virtually meaningless in regards to student learning. There is a notable increase in the amount of homework being given to elementary students. Watch this video to see why Alfie Kohn thinks this is detrimental to achievement in elementary schools.

       

       Homework should focus on quality rather than quantity. Spending countless hours rehearsing information that will be recalled on a future test has little to no value if the content is not useful and engaging. Assignments should make students excited to learn and enhance their learning experience. Many students do not have the resources they need to complete assignments at home. Some students don't have access to a computer or internet while others are from families still learning English. Without the necessary resources needed to work at home, these students are failing benefit from the work they are given. This poll done by debate.org shows that most people agree that homework should be reduced and contains comments from both sides of this argument.

       I remember dreading being assigned homework while I was in school. Not only was it time consuming, I also did not have much support at home. By the time I finished my homework, it was well passed my bedtime and I began to suffer from sleep deprivation. I was already capable of demonstrating what I had learned in class, but this began to change when I was too tired to focus in school. Too much time was spent drilling concepts I already knew while I failed to see the importance of what I was learning and lost interest in school. Some of my homework included teaching myself to perform mathematical calculations we had yet to cover in class. Our teacher believed reading the textbook was enough to grasp the concept that we would have to demonstrate on our homework that night. Often times, my parents were unable to help me and I failed many homework assignments. The work I did in class propelled my understanding, but the homework I was given often told a different story. My homework grades where low but my performance on tests was far beyond that of my classmates. Despite my excellent test scores, I was labeled as an average student because of the homework I was given.

       Alfie Kohn compares homework to weather; We believe homework is just a part of life that we cannot change. However, the more research that is done and made known to other teachers the better chance we have to make effective change in our schools. When homework is assigned, it should be meaningful and worth the time the student will put in. With so many studies supporting the uselessness of homework, we as educators must consider whether the work we assign outside of class benefits our students. Click here for some strategies regarding homework.

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