tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200808769555430311.post2798296137614904104..comments2024-03-22T17:41:31.183+11:00Comments on Literacy, families and learning: Is School Homework Useful? Or is it a Waste of Time?Trevor Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200808769555430311.post-43093446534950517022016-02-19T21:46:57.668+11:002016-02-19T21:46:57.668+11:00Thanks for your helpful comment April.Thanks for your helpful comment April.Trevor Cairneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200808769555430311.post-55734303608480445742016-02-17T10:29:30.722+11:002016-02-17T10:29:30.722+11:00Hi David thanks for your comment. My post does foc...Hi David thanks for your comment. My post does focus on the early years (0-12) but not exclusively. There is some benefit in children of any age learning that work is part of life, and dare I say it, even hard work. This becomes even more relevant as children move into the teenage years and approach the next stage of either work or higher education. Having said this, homework should be worthwhile as I discussed otherwise it simply takes the place of other life activities for students and sometimes families. I see little reason for busy work. I hope this clarifies the argument. Trevor Cairneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200808769555430311.post-69758289636060257322016-02-17T09:25:28.216+11:002016-02-17T09:25:28.216+11:00Hi Trevor, your article seems to assume that child...Hi Trevor, your article seems to assume that children remain youngsters. What is your reaction to the demands of learners as they develop into High School and University? In both those contexts students are required and benefit from some set-apart time at home to revise, to complete assignments and to finish tasks from school.<br /><br />Surely a reasonable amount of homework in the Primary years is important, not necessarily for the learning itself, but in developing the habit and discipline of doing some work outside lesson times.David Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03859130566836726288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200808769555430311.post-45639151614859890952016-02-15T09:11:35.364+11:002016-02-15T09:11:35.364+11:00I really enjoyed this post on homework. In terms o...I really enjoyed this post on homework. In terms of literacy, you are right, homework has become skill and drill on words/definitions that seem more like 'busy work'. Homework can be very beneficial even though it has turned into a different beast. I like the thought of having literacy homework become more. Possibly have it be a week long (or two!) to have it expand as extra practice for what is being learned in the classroom. Maybe send home a short book, have students and parents work on identifying/describing characters, work on summarizing, whatever the skill is that is being developed in class. By doing something like this, I believe parents will be more invested in homework as opposed to handing their child a worksheet to keep them busy for an hour with concepts even they may not know.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10317828258456135065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200808769555430311.post-61723873819300142212016-02-15T08:36:51.414+11:002016-02-15T08:36:51.414+11:00Hi Whitney, thanks for your very helpful comment. ...Hi Whitney, thanks for your very helpful comment. I reflected on my own post as I read it and was aware that I grew up in a community such as the one you mentioned, and in a family that showed no interest in my schooling. Not once in my life did they ask about it. So it's true some parents aren't aware of it and don't push it for various reasons. On the other sign of the coin we have parents who believe that the more hours their children work at home the greater the chance of success at school and in life. To some extent it is true that they'll do better at school, I'm not so sure about life. The sad reality is that teachers can shape what they do to cater for the 'squeaky' pro-homework group, at the expense of good educational strategies and the needs of all students. I've seen this in other people's children's experience of school. Anyway, thanks for your excellent comment! Trevor Cairneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200808769555430311.post-34882926483809495912016-02-15T06:35:20.515+11:002016-02-15T06:35:20.515+11:00I really love what you had to say about homework i...I really love what you had to say about homework in this blog post. My mother was a public educator for many years and never once assigned homework. She sent home enrichment suggestions to parents each week, but those suggestions were easily accessed regardless of income. She's now an Assistant Superintendent and patiently campaigns against mundane activities designed to drill rather than enrich. She fully believes that rote memorization and drills don't instill a love of anything, and when we're trying to create lifelong learners with a passion for reading, homework is like taking one step forward and two steps back. <br /><br />Prior to my entry into public education, I was employed as a piano teacher at private arts academy, so I know the value of rote memorization and drills. Without said drills, I wouldn't be able to play all of my scales and arpeggios with my eyes closed. Those drills served a purpose, but that purpose did not make me fall passionately in love with scales and arpeggios...it made me hate them. When public school teachers assign mundane and droll homework assignments, we're effectively killing instead of instilling passion. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06426664237274359482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200808769555430311.post-87360911216880883372016-02-14T12:05:30.505+11:002016-02-14T12:05:30.505+11:00"Is School Homework Useful? Or is it a Waste ..."Is School Homework Useful? Or is it a Waste of Time?' These are two questions that I as a special educator have battled with throughout my teaching career. My initial reaction is...No, school homework isn't useful and yes it is a waste of time. This initial reaction is due in part because many of the students that I work with don't have the support at home to help them complete the homework resulting in students returning to school with incomplete homework. Because of this, unlike you, I have not experienced parents asking for, wanting, or expecting more homework to be sent home with their child. However, I find your insight into the issue very interesting. After reading your blog I would have to say that I agree that homework does have a place, but it must be given in moderation and it must be relevant. Homework needs to be an extension of what was taught at school through engaging activities/assignments, not mere paper and pencil work. In terms of parents wanting and expecting more homework to be sent home, I think the problem lies in parents want to see what their children are learning at school, and in there minds the best way to do that is through homework. I also think parents want to feel as though they are contributing in some way to their child's education. Being able to find a balance that makes all parties happy is the key to the answers to both of these questions. So in revisiting the two questions of "Is school homework useful? Or is is a waste of time?", I know believe that yes, school homework is useful and not a waste of time so long as it is given in engaging formats and in moderation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com