Homework Is Killing Kids

[Nehkara]

That it makes them smarter and improves their marks?
Right. Overwhelmingly, the research shows no academic advantage to homework, particularly for younger children. In fact, for younger children there isn't even a correlation between the amount of homework done and any measure of academic achievement.

By younger children you're talking up to high school?
That's right. At the high school level there is a correlation between homework done and standardized achievement measures, but the correlation is weak. It tends to fall apart when you use more sophisticated statistical methods, and in any case it doesn't show that homework was responsible for the increased achievement.

http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/ed..._133063_133063


Very good article. I am impressed that someone finally spoke up on this subject.

[GoinAllTheWay]

A good read indeed but it kinda makes me wonder. Man, there were some classes that I was GOOD at but would not have done as well in if I didn't go home and go over handouts or memorize information from textbooks. Biology comes to mind.

I also know that educational pyschologists have said that you need to repeat a task 5 times before you remember how to do it.

Interesting idea but I would imagine there would be a flip to that coin.

I do agree that the time saved is put to better use with friends and family. And I can also say that up to this point, there were a GREAT number of things in various subjects (math in particular) that I don't use at all on a daily basis, it does make you wonder what the point was.

[Jiggy_12]

I did the minimal amount of homework possible in highschool and passed with honours in every grade.

Some people would study and do homework every waking hour and fail half their classes.

It really just comes down to the person.

[HelloHockeyFans]

I disagree.

I think that for things like the sciences and math, homework is definitely beneficial. A lot can be learned when someone sits alone and tries to figure out why he/she got the wrong answer. Learning in these subjects, in my opinion, is enhanced when one encounters difficulties alone and is forced to find a solution on his/her own.

I suppose the writer sort of covered this by saying that "homework" could be done in class, but in class, a teacher is always there to answer questions leaving students less likely to sit there and figure things out on their own.

[ken0042]

It always bugged me; the people who would do their homework and get great marks, then next year when the prof asks us to recall stuff from last year all the A students look like deer in headlights; but the B students can rattle off stuff.

I would have laughed if it wasn't so stupid- when I was in high school we had final exams worth 40% of your mark. The stopped them just after I left because the A students were failing them. Rather than getting to the cause of why students were doing poor; let's get rid of those tests that bring this issue to light.

[Nehkara]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

A good read indeed but it kinda makes me wonder. Man, there were some classes that I was GOOD at but would not have done as well in if I didn't go home and go over handouts or memorize information from textbooks. Biology comes to mind.

I also know that educational pyschologists have said that you need to repeat a task 5 times before you remember how to do it.

Interesting idea but I would imagine there would be a flip to that coin.

I do agree that the time saved is put to better use with friends and family. And I can also say that up to this point, there were a GREAT number of things in various subjects (math in particular) that I don't use at all on a daily basis, it does make you wonder what the point was.

A lot of the article is very specific in that it relates to young children (grade 9 and below) and focuses even more heavily on grades 1-6.

We are not talking about biology here. It is the kids in grade 4 who have 20 pound backpack and 3 hours of math homework.

[Nuje]

Actually interesting story behind that one. Throughout elementary school, I had massive social problems due to being microscopic in size compared to my classmates, and being kind of a brain (going into school only knowing Polish, and acing everything from grade 2 onwards). In grade 4, they start assigning our first homework. My marks drop due to homework. Mom at parent teacher interview asks teacher politely to not count my homework mark towards the report card due to social problems. They say it may hurt my learning. When she asks to see test marks, she finds I'm acing them all still....so the teacher agrees. I never had to do homework until about grade 6.....and even then I still hardly did. I just don't see the point. The reason they mark homework, is because it is proof (more or less, unless you cheated) that you have gone over the material and understood the concept. Marking homework hurts everybody really. I was a quick learner, and not really lazy (I spent most of my 'homework' time practicing piano). I won't learn piano by reading sheetmusic, but I could learn a mathematical concept by reading a page from a textbook. Marking homework hurt my marks, and as a kid, my self esteem. As for slower learners, if they are determined, and have some level of responsibility/work ethic, they will eventually learn it as well. The only people who are losing in the non-homework marking are the slow learners who are LAZY. The slow learning part may be difficult to overcome, but overcoming laziness should be taught at a very young age. I'm glad this particular study took place, and I hope this issue is looked at more seriously. If I spawn more people with my brain, I don't want them to have to waste all the time they could be using to learn a sport, learn to play an instrument, write books, see friends, family, or pretend they're superman. Mandatory homework is rubbish and I stand by it.

[redforever]

A lot of the article is very specific in that it relates to young children (grade 9 and below) and focuses even more heavily on grades 1-6.

We are not talking about biology here. It is the kids in grade 4 who have 20 pound backpack and 3 hours of math homework

.

Exactly. I couldn't agree more. I am a former educator and I am of the firm belief that young children first and foremost should be allowed to be children. There is enough pressure on children already, dont force them to become adults too early.

Everything is being downloaded. Universities expect higher standards from those entering their system, so the learning of those standards is downloaded to the highschools. Then the highschools in turn download to the junior highschools. And they in turn download to the elementary schools.

And a lot of this pressure put on the school system is put there by the parents themselves. All the parents today want "super" kids. So they enrol them in all kinds of programs at ridiculously young ages. They make sure their kids are exposed to everything that is out there, so that they dont miss out on anything and they will have an "advantage " later on in life.

Take a look at hockey. My son wanted to play hockey when he was young, I really think he only wanted a nice pair of hockey gloves, but none the less, since he expressed interest there, we enrolled him in some hockey program for his age group. They had 3 practices and one game per week and my son was only 7 years old!!! That is silly. No wonder so many kids get burned out by the time they are 12 years old. I think Wayne Gretzky is onto something when he says, let the little ones go out there and skate and have some fun. Organized stuff can come later on in life.

And that is how school should be too. Let the kids have some fun, learn some basics and leave the calculus etc for later on. I firmly believe there are some concepts, particularily in the maths and sciences, where you need to be a chronological age before you can master it. Sure, there are some very gifted children out there, but according to the normal bell curve, they will be in the minority, maybe 8% at the most. So then, why develop a curriculum that 8% can manage and perhaps manage without stress, while the other 92% struggle, have tons of homework, and fall prey to stress and pressure. Do it the other way around. Develop a curriculum that can be learned by most, one that will meet the needs for them later on in life, one that will meet the needs for other studies that they go on to. And then, put some efforts into developing programs for those who are gifted and need the extra challenge. Worst case scenario is for these type of children to be bored. And they bore quickly.

Kids today have stress that was not there 20 or 30 years ago. Today, many families need both Mom and Dad to work cause housing etc, takes a bigger chunk out of income than it used to. So there are a lot of "latch key" kids out there. They are dropped off early, they come home to an empty house, Mom and Dad come home exhausted. And then the kids are driven here, there and everywhere to all the extra curricular activities they are enrolled in. And then there is the homework too. Everyone is tired, exhausted, worn out.

And we wonder why in Alberta the suicide rate for youth is so high. Go figure!!!

[Nehkara]

In grade 11 I was out of school for 45 days for health problems related to stress, mostly accumulated.

[Nehkara]

Originally Posted by redforever

.

Exactly. I couldn't agree more. I am a former educator and I am of the firm belief that young children first and foremost should be allowed to be children. There is enough pressure on children already, dont force them to become adults too early.

Everything is being downloaded. Universities expect higher standards from those entering their system, so the learning of those standards is downloaded to the highschools. Then the highschools in turn download to the junior highschools. And they in turn download to the elementary schools.

And a lot of this pressure put on the school system is put there by the parents themselves. All the parents today want "super" kids. So they enrol them in all kinds of programs at ridiculously young ages. They make sure their kids are exposed to everything that is out there, so that they dont miss out on anything and they will have an "advantage " later on in life.

Take a look at hockey. My son wanted to play hockey when he was young, I really think he only wanted a nice pair of hockey gloves, but none the less, since he expressed interest there, we enrolled him in some hockey program for his age group. They had 3 practices and one game per week and my son was only 7 years old!!! That is silly. No wonder so many kids get burned out by the time they are 12 years old. I think Wayne Gretzky is onto something when he says, let the little ones go out there and skate and have some fun. Organized stuff can come later on in life.

And that is how school should be too. Let the kids have some fun, learn some basics and leave the calculus etc for later on. I firmly believe there are some concepts, particularily in the maths and sciences, where you need to be a chronological age before you can master it. Sure, there are some very gifted children out there, but according to the normal bell curve, they will be in the minority, maybe 8% at the most. So then, why develop a curriculum that 8% can manage and perhaps manage without stress, while the other 92% struggle, have tons of homework, and fall prey to stress and pressure. Do it the other way around. Develop a curriculum that can be learned by most, one that will meet the needs for them later on in life, one that will meet the needs for other studies that they go on to. And then, put some efforts into developing programs for those who are gifted and need the extra challenge. Worst case scenario is for these type of children to be bored. And they bore quickly.

Kids today have stress that was not there 20 or 30 years ago. Today, many families need both Mom and Dad to work cause housing etc, takes a bigger chunk out of income than it used to. So there are a lot of "latch key" kids out there. They are dropped off early, they come home to an empty house, Mom and Dad come home exhausted. And then the kids are driven here, there and everywhere to all the extra curricular activities they are enrolled in. And then there is the homework too. Everyone is tired, exhausted, worn out.

And we wonder why in Alberta the suicide rate for youth is so high. Go figure!!!

Excellent post, thank you for your views!

[Phanuthier]

Homework doesn't mean understanding. Simple as that.

Marks don't mean smarts either.

[Weiser Wonder]

I don't know. I was in Kumon as a child which is a Japanese math program where you do 30 problems a day everyday. It's timed and graded everyday by your parents. I hated it but it worked like a charm.

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by Weiser Wonder

I don't know. I was in Kumon as a child which is a Japanese math program where you do 30 problems a day everyday. It's timed and graded everyday by your parents. I hated it but it worked like a charm.

Homework for math worked for me... because I'd just practice until I got it right or had figured it out. I didn't hate homework, didn't like it though. Doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me. Kids have always had to do it.

[Nehkara]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

Homework for math worked for me... because I'd just practice until I got it right or had figured it out. I didn't hate homework, didn't like it though. Doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me. Kids have always had to do it.

Kids do far, far more now than even when I was a kid (I am 21).

[STeeLy]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

Homework doesn't mean understanding. Simple as that.

Marks don't mean smarts either.

Could not agree more with this statement right here...

Homework... textbooks have examples, if you follow the examples you will get it right too... but do they understand it? no, of course not... u give them a question, not out of the textbook... take their textbook away... might not do so well for those who just follow examples in the text...

Marks don't mean smarts either... definitely agree with this one... You could have high marks... but when they're not very smart when it comes to being streetsmart... or you get high marks, but all you ever do in life is study, do homework, etc... u don't know anyone... you have no friends... where's the fun in that...

[Phanuthier]

Quite honestly, I think homework and schooling kills creativity.

In my 4th year of an engineering program, most of the students in my level know how to jump through hopes more then think for themselves. Homework and repetiveness stunts creativity, not promote it. It barely lays down concepts, as its just how many times you can take a derivative (pe say).

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by Nehkara

Kids do far, far more now than even when I was a kid (I am 21).

they do? how do you know? (I'm 21 as well and wondering how you know).

[Jake]

I agree homework isn't hugely beneficial for grades 1-6, but after that its value goes up alot.

Without studying in high school/university I would not have done nearly as well as I did.

Also... one sign that he may not be very reliable is that he doesn't cite any specific studies during the interview. He always says "research" proves something, but never cites a specific study (that I noticed...). A scientist would say "study x" concluded this or that even in an interview.

[ericschand]

Don't know if this a good thread for this, but what about
Montessori schools? Anyone have a child in one?
How is it? What are your experiences with it?

It addresses some of the items in this thread; learning
enviornment, homework, etc.

Mine is in a Monetssori pre-school, and will be attending
Montessori ECS and school in the following years.

Montessori Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montessori

ers

[Frank the Tank]

Originally Posted by Nehkara

In grade 11 I was out of school for 45 days for health problems related to stress, mostly accumulated.

WOW. That is scary. I was lucky and never really stressed about much (still don't) but I know people who were basket cases at school stressing about everything.