Curriculum, learning and teaching
The Homework Conundrum Brett D McLeod tackles an emotive topic Homework. We have all had it, and are familiar with the many emotions associated with it. From triumph to exasperation and even despair, this gamut of feelings is something we have all experienced as students, and those who are parents inevitably encounter them once more through their children. Perhaps this is why homework can be such an emotive topic. Invariably, as a school year gets underway and expectations regarding homework unfold, teachers and administrators are fitfully confronted by parents irritated by the struggles and complaints of their children with homework. These complaints are often not without merit, and herein in lies the conundrum. How do schools strike the right balance between homework and the personal needs of their students? Research has revealed that too much homework can be detrimental to young people. In such instances, opportunities for play, socialization, and family time suffer. Even student health can be negatively impacted when Winter
Summer |
| 2017
homework becomes a source of constant anxiety, stress, and chronic fatigue – as it can with some students (Ossala, 2015). This may be especially true in international schools with cultures that have very high expectations of their progeny in terms of academic success. Still, the finding of most studies is that homework is statistically linked to improved academic achievement (Cooper, Robinson, and Patall, 2006). Additionally, supporters contend that homework encourages independent learning, promotes responsibility as well as good work and study habits, and ultimately supports students in developing the character traits necessary for success in life (Cooper, 2010). So, how exactly can these tensions be reconciled? Through transparency, discussion, data, and communication. At the very outset of a new school year, schools should broach the subject of homework by way of a formal presentation. Yes, it means additional work on the part of
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