It’s one of those topics that splits opinion with some colleagues agreeing and some disagreeing – so what are the pro’s and cons of homework and what should we expect?
There have been lots of studies with regard to this and really there is no definite answer – sure, if anybody does extra practice on something they are going to get better at it – but if child has just spent 6-7 hrs at school is it something that we really want them to be doing?
There is also the difficulty of out of school activities – many many children are now involved in out of school activities – football, gymnastics, art, music etc the list is endless and if you also include the “after school clubs” that schools run; then some children are not even getting home until 5 or 6 o’clock at night (with some arriving from 7.30 in the morning)
In my opinion there is NO DISADVANTAGE in NOT setting homework – I would like to think that even if children did no homework (for whatever reason) then we could still guarantee their education in school….don’t you agree?
So with that thinking – any homework that can be done is a plus – and advantage, an extra topping up…but not a necessity.
I was made plainly aware of this when teaching inner city children in very deprived areas. The children in school had, mostly, chaotic lives from the minute they left school. The only stability that they experienced was in the structure of school and more importantly their class. The most influential person in their lives probably being their teacher.
In this sort of situation the chances of setting homework and getting it done was very small – the children would have no equipment at home such as pencils, crayons or paper. Even when we supplied these there was no suitable place in their home situation where they could work quietly at their homework and also the value placed on homework by parents and often siblings was nil. When I hear some colleagues talking about parents reluctance to hear children read it is under the assumption that the parents concerned can actually read!
In this case we guaranteed the child’s education in school – that’s all they had. (We also started a homework club with 2 members of staff available to help any children that wished to attend)
“As a teacher you cannot expect Parents to help a child with their homework.”
You may or may not agree with this statement but the basic fact is this – if you are setting homework for children then they must be able to do the work without the help of others.
Any input that a Parent can give with a child’s homework should be seen as a bonus not a necessity.
So what are the types of things that are usually set for homework?
- Reading
- Handwriting
- Spellings
- Times tables
- Topic work – could be long term (several weeks)
- Speaking and listening presentations or variations of such
Of course the list could go on…and on and really reflects what is being done in class and the school and what you may consider, as a teacher is both practical and valuable.
If you look at the brief list of examples above you will see that the first 4 in the list are what I would term core knowledge. These are the things that are being learnt and built upon right across the Primary curriculum and form the foundations for everything else.
So would we say that if any homework was to be set, then a basic minimum would be around these elements of the curriculum?
Lets also consider the amount of time that homework should reasonably take for the different age groups: again assuming we are setting it!
Again I would say that this is really a matter for staff to discuss bearing in mind the time of year and colleagues knowledge of the children in their class.
However it may give some form of guidance to consider homework in 3 different ways
- Any regular week by week homework – this may be simply reading by younger children. Homework set every week, for example, in spellings or times tables – set on a Monday and tested on a Friday.
- Parents in KS1 classes may need some guidelines for this and possibly 15 minutes to 20 minutes 3 times a week could be a starter. However each school will have their own views on this. For KS2 children I think no more than 40 minutes possibly 3 times a week is a maximum for everything!
- Longer term projects – some schools tie in longer homework projects which are graded according to age. These tie in usually with whole school topics and can be set 4-6 weeks ahead. Again, each school, will be different in assessing how suitable this sort of exercise is for the children as usually quite a bit of parental input is required.
- One off homeworks – this may be in response to something in class or even perhaps corrections to a test. The requirements should have a few days to be met and not be too onerous or difficult to fulfil…possibly a bit of research online or a few quiet times working on what was set.
The caveat here being that we, as teachers, must keep in mind both the ability and opportunity for pupils to complete the work.
This should show in the following arrangements:
- A reasonable amount of work set
- The correct and differentiated work for pupils
- Time allowed for the work is fair and justified
- Equipment necessary for pupils is either available at home or provided for pupils to take home
- Alternatives are available for pupils who are unable to work satisfactorily at home – either in the form of homework clubs, lunchtime clubs or even after school meeting and help from the teacher.
Problems and stumbling blocks with homework:
Nobody likes doing homework – I didn’t and I am sure you didn’t either! So its not surprising when Parents come to us to say they are having problems getting their children to do the homework and this is causing arguments in the house…what can we advise?
My advice has always been the same – remind the children when the homework is due in and what needs to be done. If they don’t do it or refuse then parents should simply say “then you will have to explain to Mr / Mrs / Ms XXX why it hasn’t been done”….and Parents should leave it at that. I used to assure the Parents ” don’t worry I will deal with it…but don’t let it cause arguments at home!”
What simply used to happen was this – if homework was due in for lets say a Wednesday then pupils had 1 day grace in case they had “left it at home”…if it wasn’t in the next day then they did the work in school time (playtime and lunch time).
Homework not getting done satisfactorily : if the work is untidy or has been completed without thought or effort it should be repeated in the pupils time during playtime or lunchtime.
If weekly spellings and times tables tests are failed then pupils stay in to practice the work set.
These same rules I also applied to pupils in disadvantaged areas but as I said before – provisions should be made to give extra help, assistance and time prior to the return date.
So there you are – a few thoughts on homework – pulling it all together really leads to the conclusion that it is up to you as a staff and as a school to decide how you want to approach this. In my opinion and my practice I always set regular weekly “core homework” with an occasional extra.
However be always acutely aware of the worry of some parents that they are unable to help their children at home and reassure them that whatever they can do is a bonus, an extra help but if they can’t manage to help they should not worry.
This article aims to provide you with a few areas for thought – it doesn’t seek to find the final answer to the problem…the answer is really what you choose to implement and how it works for your pupils in your school.
Charles