The no-homework policy of a second-grade teacher in Texas went viral last week, earning praise from parents across the country who lament the heavy workload often assigned to young students. Brandy Young told parents she would not formally assign any homework this year, asking students instead to eat dinner with their families, play outside and go to bed early.
A New York City public elementary school implemented a similar policy last year, eliminating traditional homework assignments in favor of family time. The change was quickly met with outrage from some parents, though it earned support from other education leaders.
no homework in 4th grade
Vatterott, the author of Rethinking Homework: Best Practices That Support Diverse Needs, thinks there should be more emphasis on improving the quality of homework tasks, and she supports efforts to eliminate homework for younger kids.
Some kids love to do homework. But most do not. They spend the whole day in school. They get home hungry, tired of sitting, studying, and being quiet, and ready to go play with the neighbors or chill and hang out around the house. Unfortunately, though, homework has become an essential part of life for most students in America, even in elementary school.
So then, if homework is so universal, the next question becomes, how much homework should a 4th grader have? According to research from multiple sources, the National Education Association and the National PTA both say that the appropriate amount of work for students is 10 minutes for each grade level. That would mean 40 minutes for a 4th grader. But what does that look like in reality? Some parents complain that their students are coming home with hours of homework. And what studies have been done to corroborate these recommendations? We are going to take a look at all of this and more.
A survey was conducted in March and April of 2017 by University of Phoenix that sought to find out exactly how much homework teachers were assigning their students. 1,001 full-time teachers were asked how much homework they assign on a weekly basis. For K-12 teachers, 62 percent said they assigned less than three hours a week.
First of all, this is an average. That means that some teachers assign much less homework while others assign much more. The actual amounts of assigned homework can swing wildly from none to 18 hours a week.
Teachers could be assigning homework that a previous class was easily able to finish in the allotted time. But maybe the current class is not able to do that. There really is no way for the teacher to know that unless the parents let them know.
A better solution would be to send home a quick survey to the parents a couple of weeks after school starts. Not only does this help the teacher to know which students are doing well with their homework; it also lets them know WHICH students are struggling and HOW they are struggling. And the sooner the teacher knows that, the sooner these problems can be worked out to make the student more successful sooner.
Also, keep in mind that homework assignments are likely going to take longer at the beginning of the school year, when students are learning what the expectations of the teacher are. As the school year progresses and students and teachers get to know each other better, shorter homework times will naturally follow suit.
Much research has been done regarding the amount of homework to give students of all ages. And while it has proven to be very beneficial in the high school years, the opposite has proven true in the elementary/middle school years.
The reason for this is because of the need in high school to put complex concepts to practice longer in order for the student to actually master the concepts they are learning. In the younger grades, two other things come to play that make this step in learning not as necessary.
Probably the best test as to whether students are getting too much homework is if they are frustrated by it on a nightly basis. And if that is the case, more harm is definitely being done than benefit.
There are a number of teachers who have decided that their elementary students would have no homework. Of course, the vast majority of students were happy about this. And I expect a large number of parents were as well, since it meant one less thing for them to see to on weeknights that are already over-scheduled with life. But what did the teachers think of it once they implemented it?
So, after looking into how much homework a 4th grader should have, it is pretty clear that there is great value in 4th graders having some homework, but not too much. Some amount of homework will allow students to learn lifelong study skills that will help them succeed well beyond their school years. But on the other hand, too much homework can cause students to get burned out, and eventually even cause their grades to fall.
This is such a comprehensive examination of how much, pros and cons of homework. I always think of it as a definitive benefit, but it may not always be like that. My son who is in 5th grade has never brought homework home. He always does it in breaks or study periods because he likes to be homework free at home. He rarely needs any help with it. I think it is his sheer wish to not have to do anything school-related at home that keeps him motivated to be so disciplined about it. I think in this day and age of constant information bombardment if homework was just reading quietly for an hour, it would be more than enough. Thank you for highlighting this.
Independent learning is critical to success in life, so I agree with you, Portia! And as for the homeschooling part, when I homeschooled (I still am right now), I assigned minimal homework. It was only done when something had a critical deadline or the kids were dragging their feet and not working efficiently during school time. They learned to work more efficiently very quickly in order to get the benefit of no homework. ?
It is a very difficult time for homework and learning, Clarice. I hope that you are able to find a balance with your daughter. I think that parents homeschooling in conjunction with the schools they attended is very difficult for everybody involved. And because of that I hope that we get to some sort of normal sooner than later. Fortunately, our kids can be pretty resilient!
How much homework students should get has long been a source of debate among parents and educators. In recent years, some districts have even implemented no-homework policies, as students juggle sports, music and other activities after school.
Parents of elementary school students, in particular, have argued that after-school hours should be spent with family or playing outside rather than completing assignments. And there is little research to show that homework improves academic achievement for elementary students.
But some experts say there's value in homework, even for younger students. When done well, it can help students practice core concepts and develop study habits and time management skills. The key to effective homework, they say, is keeping assignments related to classroom learning, and tailoring the amount by age: Many experts suggest no homework for kindergartners, and little to none in first and second grade.
"Every child should be doing homework, but the amount and type that they're doing should be appropriate for their developmental level," he says. "For teachers, it's a balancing act. Doing away with homework completely is not in the best interest of children and families. But overburdening families with homework is also not in the child's or a family's best interest."
Not all homework for elementary students involves completing a worksheet. Assignments can be fun, says Cooper, like having students visit educational locations, keep statistics on their favorite sports teams, read for pleasure or even help their parents grocery shop. The point is to show students that activities done outside of school can relate to subjects learned in the classroom.
"The mental health piece has definitely played a role here over the last couple of years during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the last thing we want to do is frustrate students with busy work or homework that makes no sense," says Dave Steckler, principal of Red Trail Elementary School in Mandan, North Dakota.
Do private schools assign more homework than public schools? There's little research on the issue, but experts say private school parents may be more accepting of homework, seeing it as a sign of academic rigor.
"Parents don't see it, but they know that their child has started doing their homework four hours ago and still not done it," he adds. "They don't see that there are those four hours where their child was doing lots of other things. So the homework assignment itself actually is not four hours long. It's the way the child is approaching it."
The Howard County Public School System supports students in maintaining and extending their learning. The appropriate design, use, and evaluation of homework assignments, used to inform progress and provide opportunities for independent practice, are part of achieving that goal. Some courses or instructors may choose not to assign homework.
Educators have debated the merits of homework since the late 19th century. In recent years, amid concerns of some parents and teachers that children are being stressed out by too much homework, things have only gotten more fraught.
I think that last question about Good help from parents is not know to all parents, we do as our parents did or how we best think it can be done, so maybe coaching parents or giving them resources on how to help with homework would be very beneficial for the parent on how to help and for the teacher to have consistency and improve homework results, and of course for the child. I do see how homework helps reaffirm the knowledge obtained in the classroom, I also have the ability to see progress and it is a time I share with my kids
Yes, I think homework plays an important role in the development of student life.Through homework, students have to face challenges on a daily basis and they try to solve them quickly.I am an intense online tutor at 24x7homeworkhelp and I give homework to my students at that level in which they handle it easily. 2ff7e9595c
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