I did a little research on homework since it seemed to be such a hot topic. The latest research regarding homework reveals that too much homework can be counterproductive and is not associated with higher academic achievement. One commonly used homework rule is the “10 minute rule” for example a 4th grade should not have more than 40 minutes of homework. Homework should always be material previously taught/ reviewed. It should not be busy work, some type of written work that remains the same week after week. For example, traditional spelling assignments such as: write your word 5 times on Monday, a sentence with each word on Tuesday, ABC order Wednesday; these assignments aren't worth our valuable class time yet sometimes we expect parents to sacrifice valuable family time. Very few students need 56 weeks of these basic skills. I am aware that spelling words change but why not give a pretest at the beginning of the week and only practice what you don't already know? Many “A” students would make 100% on Monday and could use that time for silent reading or math problem solving practice. These type assignments give the appearance that teacher are putting very little thought and planning into homework assignments.
In my opinion, our goal is for homework to reinforce and help students master the important skills we cover at school. If it is an assignment that is not worthy of a teachers valuable class time and not worthy of a teacher grading or evaluating it in some manner it is not the best use of homework time. Homework should include reading, math, and grammar weekly, (grammar and spelling are easily integrated). According to research, written homework should be assigned three or four night per week and 10 minutes per grade level (for example 50 minutes for a 5th grader) is adequate. Looking at our school data the implementation of the reading logs and fluency folders is necessary and will benefit our students. However, we desperately need five to ten ARMT style math problems at least once a week. I feel we should try to move our emphasis from spelling to language/grammar according to our state test data. I think since we are initiating new school-wide homework requirements (reading logs & fluency folders) we should also evaluate the value, length, and content areas of our written assignments.
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I completely agree with this! My son, a fifth grader, spends 20-30 minutes nightly on spelling assignments when he already knows most of the words. That time could be used on his reading or math since those are his weaker subjects. A typical night my son spends 20-30 minutes on spelling, 30-40 minutes on math(social studies, science, fill in the blank), on top of that you want him to read 20 minutes—by the time we make it to reading he is tired, irritated, and don’t want anything to do with it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for investigating this!