Rethinking Homework

January/February 2007 Rethinking Homework By Alfie Kohn After spending most of the day in school, children are typically given additional assignments to be completed at home. This is a rather curious fact when you stop to think about it, but not as curious as the fact that few people ever stop to think about it. It becomes even more curious, for that matter, in light of three other facts: 1. 2. 3. It’s not as though most teachers decide now and then that a certain lesson really ought to continue after school is over because meaningful learning is so likely to result from such an assignment that it warrants the intrusion on family time. I’ve heard from countless people across the country about the frustration they feel over homework. What parents and teachers need is support from administrators who are willing to challenge the conventional wisdom. So what’s a thoughtful principal to do? 1. 2. 3. Quantity, however, is not the only issue that needs to be addressed. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

The Homework Debate Every school day brings something new, but there is one status quo most parents expect: homework. The old adage that practice makes perfect seems to make sense when it comes to schoolwork. But, while hunkering down after dinner among books and worksheets might seem like a natural part of childhood, there's more research now than ever suggesting that it shouldn't be so. Many in the education field today are looking for evidence to support the case for homework, but are coming up empty-handed. “Homework is all pain and no gain,” says author Alfie Kohn. In his book The Homework Myth, Kohn points out that no study has ever found a correlation between homework and academic achievement in elementary school, and there is little reason to believe that homework is necessary in high school. If you've ever had a late night argument with your child about completing homework, you probably know first-hand that homework can be a strain on families. Standardized Testing How Much Is Too Much?

15 Steps to Cultivate Lifelong Learning “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands, but in seeing with new eyes.” – Marcel Proust“I don’t think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.” – Abraham Lincoln“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” – Mark Twain Assuming the public school system hasn’t crushed your soul, learning is a great activity. It expands your viewpoint. But in a busy world, it can often be hard to fit in time to learn anything that isn’t essential. Here are some tips for installing the habit of lifelong learning:1) Always have a book. It doesn’t matter if it takes you a year or a week to read a book. We all have to-do lists. Start spending more time with people who think. Albert Einstein once said, “Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.” Skill based learning is useless if it isn’t applied. You learn what you teach. Some forms of learning are easy to digest, but often lack substance.

Homework debate. Should students spend their evenings working on homework? | Three Wrongs Debates For Sure! Maybe No Way! Many late nights, is this how students should spend their evenings? We have all been there. You have spent countless late nights working on school projects or completing your assigned homework. Those were the good old days. Some suggestions may be to cut back on homework and make the actual school day longer. Another suggestion is to give more homework as it helps students minds grow. What value does homework add? This entry was posted on Friday, May 22nd, 2009 and is filed under Education . 10 Great Classroom Icebreakers 1. Self-Portrait. Have your students draw themselves. After they have done this, collect the papers and hang them up for the whole class to see. Now have students try to guess who the artists was for each picture. 2. At the beginning of the year, write a short letter about yourself as the teacher. 3. Give each student an index card. 4. Have the students get into a circle. 5. Pass around a sheet of paper and some pens. 6. Call out any month of the year and have all students born in that month come up to the front of the room. 7. Have the students draw pictures about what they like to do, what their favorite foods are, and what is their favorite subject in school. 8. Don't forget about this old time favorite part of class. 9. Have students write three things about themselves on a piece of paper. 10. Line up the students in two lines facing each other.

Does homework really work? - Homework Help "As a high school algebra teacher who is VERY successful, I have a strong opinion regarding homework. I don't assign it. Ever. The only time I expect kids to do work outside of my classroom is when they need more practice to retake a test. "i'm in year 7 and we get an hour of homework per night (3 sets of 20mins). "I don't think that homework in itself is the problem here. "this is the most stupid article in the world! "hw doesnt help at all..... way to stressful " "I am a mother of two boys, ages 13 and soon to be 12. "This is a good article "I am still in school, and i am usually loaded down with about 2 or 3 hours of homework nightly! "I'm going to make this short. "So, I'm in high school. "listing to music make kids do there homework !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! " I feel as a Aunt who lives with her nephew and his father and our mom that kids should not have homework. "I now have my son in a school that gives no homework whatsoever. "homework sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Educational games Say NO! to homework » Arguments for and against homework For: It develops home/school partnerships. Against: What about parent/child relationships? Forcing children to work on after school has finished is detrimental to everyone, harming relationships and causing disruption to family life. For : Homework reinforces skills and knowledge learnt at school. Against : Children are at school for around six hours a day. For: It raises children’s achievements. Against : Teachers and children are under extraordinary pressure to achieve, driven by the school’s need for a good OFSTED report, which will ensure that parents want their children to attend the school, which will ensure the school stays open. For: Homework helps children to work independently. Against : Children want to do well, so what happens when they can’t do it? For : It assists in building children’s self-esteem. Against : Not in my experience. “We destroy most of the intellectual and creative capacity of children by the things we do to them or make them do.

WATCH: 6 Insanely Popular TED Talks to Make 2014 the Best Year of Your Life | TEDTalks Posted: Updated: To kick off the new year, TEDWeekends is proud to present a compilation of six insanely popular TED talks from the past year. These talks inspired a tremendous amount of engagement from our community, and each one provides valuable insight that will help you get the most out of life in 2014. We thought this would be the perfect way to say "Thank You" to our thoughtful, curious and inspired readers and bloggers who have helped make this program such a success. Angela Lee Duckworth: This will be the key to your success this year Alexander Tsiaras: This will make you appreciate the wonder of life this year Amy Cuddy: This is why your body language will matter this year David Pogue: This is how to save time and make room for what really matters this year David Gallo: This will force you to explore more this year Jane McGonigal: This will help you play more.. and change the world this year Ideas are not set in stone.