Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I always knew something was wrong with our educational model when teachers have students for 180 days and it takes 180 days to teach them algebra. Then in college students have 24 class lessons to learn a subject. Why cant little Jonny learn algebra IN CLASS in 180 days!!!
Are you serious? College students are supposed to put in at least 1 hr for every class hour, sometimes two. Where do you get this 24 sessions, too? If a class is 3 credits, it meets 3 days a week for 1 hour for 15 weeks! That's 45 sessions, not 24.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HappyTexan
Homework stimulates recall and is part of the process to transfer information from short term memory to long term memory.
Without homework or rote practice the information is lost and hard, if not impossible, to recall later on.
And our declining scores show just that.
I didn't realize this was already a policy in every school in the US!
***************************
I think homework is fine under certain circumstances, e.g. writing a paper, doing a reading to discuss in class, practicing math. My kids' 6th grade math teacher said "proficiency in math requires practice; therefore, I assign 20 minutes of HW a night, M-Thurs. That made an impression on me, that I remember it all these years later. We stress practice in sports and music, why not academics?
I would support no homework in the lower grades. Introducing it in 4th or 5th grade would be fine, IMO.
Are you serious? College students are supposed to put in at least 1 hr for every class hour, sometimes two. Where do you get this 24 sessions, too? If a class is 3 credits, it meets 3 days a week for 1 hour for 15 weeks! That's 45 sessions, not 24.
I didn't realize this was already a policy in every school in the US!
***************************
I think homework is fine under certain circumstances, e.g. writing a paper, doing a reading to discuss in class, practicing math. My kids' 6th grade math teacher said "proficiency in math requires practice; therefore, I assign 20 minutes of HW a night, M-Thurs. That made an impression on me, that I remember it all these years later. We stress practice in sports and music, why not academics?
I would support no homework in the lower grades. Introducing it in 4th or 5th grade would be fine, IMO.
Yes it's a trend that is gaining momentum..both the no homework trend and the less homework trend.
Less students have homework and those that do have less homework than in years past.
Yes it's a trend that is gaining momentum..both the no homework trend and the less homework trend.
Less students have homework and those that do have less homework than in years past.
A 2004 national survey conducted by the University of Michigan found that the amount of time spent on homework had risen 51 percent since 1981. Most of this increase was found among younger students, with daily homework for 6- to 8-year-olds increasing, on average, from about 8 minutes in 1981 to 22 minutes in 2003.
Homework has not been correlated with achievement for elementary school students. Even in high school, after 2.5 hours of work a night, there is a diminished return.
More classrooms should be *flipped* with students viewing the lecture at home on the internet and class being used for active problem solving or group work.
What children today lack is social skills practice which can be enhanced with social activities or physical activities.
Are you serious? College students are supposed to put in at least 1 hr for every class hour, sometimes two. Where do you get this 24 sessions, too? If a class is 3 credits, it meets 3 days a week for 1 hour for 15 weeks! That's 45 sessions, not 24.
I didn't realize this was already a policy in every school in the US!
***************************
I think homework is fine under certain circumstances, e.g. writing a paper, doing a reading to discuss in class, practicing math. My kids' 6th grade math teacher said "proficiency in math requires practice; therefore, I assign 20 minutes of HW a night, M-Thurs. That made an impression on me, that I remember it all these years later. We stress practice in sports and music, why not academics?
I would support no homework in the lower grades. Introducing it in 4th or 5th grade would be fine, IMO.
I had plenty of classes that met twice a week, regardless even if its 45 sessions that's far less than 180 days.
Most kids don't get homework from every teacher. Some classes rarely give homework like gym and art. One of the goals in the math department is having some practice time in class. For some kids, this is enough. For others they have homework. I rarely give more than time for one problem in chemistry. My students can expect 2-3 hours of homework per week.
I think that 50 minutes per night, per class is excessive. I don't think that homework should be banned, but I do think that teachers should consider that students may be taking 6 academic classes at a time so 50 minutes per night from all 6 teachers is 5 hours.
2-3 hours a week is not excessive. 50 minutes per night is 4 hours per week.
Finland, Schminland! 25 years ago it was Japan, Japan, Japan in educational circles. Then people started looking closely at their system, and found they didn't have some holy grail after all. Now you seldom hear about the vaunted Japanese educational system.
One advantage to being as old as me is that I've seen some trends come and go.
I'm not repeating some kind of hype. Finland has a great education system and we can all learn from (and find evidence in) what they're doing. The fact that their students do little homework and still "succeed" is a valid piece in this debate.
The Finnish system isn't a trend, it is a revolutionary example of what education can be like. And it is a case study in educational philosophy, theory, and psychology.
Kids need homework. When/ if they get to college and the class is only 1.5 hours per week they need to do work outside the classroom. I say for each 50 minute class the kids should be studying another hour at least.
Homework teaches time management and attention to deadlines.
Kids are so molly coddled today that when they get out to the real world they are prone to fail with frustration at how unfair it is.
Every single one of your points is thoroughly debunked in the book "The Homework Myth" by Alfie Kohn.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
