Homework - 2b or not…
Homework. Possibly the biggest bugbear of school-life for children, parents and indeed teachers. At my prep school, we deliberated for some time on its value within the primary setting, ultimately taking the decision to remove it. This went down very well…in some quarters! In others, there was uproar, with accusations that children would miss out on learning, their education would suffer and that we were effectively committing a breach of contract. We rode it out, delivered an enhanced after-school activity package and eventually the clamour died down.
There was no dip in results, as these continued to improve across all years, as we refined and improved teaching methods. What was less measurable was what happened at home. My experience of homework, with my then primary aged children, probably echoed many. Stress to get them on task, stress in getting them to understand the work and stress in getting them to complete it. What was more, was the fact that often the work was not particularly inspiring or indeed engaging, with neither the child or the parent really seeing the point.
Looking at homework in secondary schools, it is apparent that there is a significant range of quantity and quality of work being given out. I tutor children who have 5 pieces a week and others who have up to 16. The problem again is in the nature and suitability of the work given. Many children are just cut and pasting their work and I suspect that many teachers see homework as an unwelcome task as opposed to an essential learning tool to form part of their educational journey.
Homework improves the progress of children. This is a fact. However, it is not the complete fact. The key element missing from this ‘fact’, is the need for the work to be suitable and appropriate for the learner. This means you must take into consideration the child’s age, ability and learning style. I regret the decision to remove homework from my previous school. I wish rather that we had overhauled it, given less, and made what we gave, exceptional and honed towards the children, with the express purpose of growing their enjoyment for learning.
My advice to parents, all parents, is that homework is not the enemy, but that it is vital to be sure that time spent working outside of school is valuable by being targeting and engaging the child. There are innumerable learning platforms and resources out there, both before and certainly after lockdown. Take your time to understand what your child might benefit from and how to sell them on it. Because, ultimately, if they are spending time at home enjoying extending their learning - they will make better progress.