Photo by Nicolò Canu on Unsplash
I started teaching in 1994. In those days, the amount of homework given determined the “rigor” of the course (or school). Courses that assigned significant amounts of work for students to complete were labeled as intense and quality courses. Interestingly, the conversation always seemed to revolve around the amount of work rather than the quality of work. Over the years, parents and educators alike started to question the amount of homework students received. Now that we have returned to a more “normal” school year, this question arose on my team. During a meeting, one of my colleagues raised the question of eliminating homework for our fifth grade students. Our fifth grade is in middle school, and we have the role of transitioning the students to the middle school way of life. We work very hard each year to establish routines, study habits, and time management skills with students. Part of our program has always been recording and completing homework on time to ensure the development of these important executive function skills.
My colleague pointed out that this year, however, is different. Everyone is transitioning back to a more normal way of life. Our school day is longer; we reverted back to an 8:30–4:00 school day after a year of shorter hybrid days. An extra hour of classes in addition to bus rides home significantly impact our students’ time and energy. We also changed our daily schedule to incorporate longer 70 minute classes, and we removed the study hall period that used to end our day. Students who ride the bus home now may not arrive home until 5:00 with no built in study time at school to complete assignments. With sports and activities in the mix, students have very little evening time to devote to homework. And let’s face it, post-pandemic, we all know that sports and play time are just as important as academics. So what do we do?
Why give homework? What we failed to define was a clear purpose for why we give homework. My team circled around on the issue for a good twenty minutes of our meeting. With 70 minute classes, we had a hard time arguing that students need extra practice time on our course work. Some teachers, however, were adamant that we need to assign homework to build the executive function skills and prepare students for the grades ahead. In upper grades, students have more homework, so we have to give more homework. This argument does not sit well with me, and I challenged that notion.
Do we? If the work we are assigning is not quality and crucial to the coursework, are we just assigning work to make sure students have something to do at home? They do have something to do at home. Kids have sports, activities, hobbies, and who says a little Netflix in the evening is a “bad” thing? We all need downtime in our lives. Look at ourselves? Aren’t teachers, in this moment, trying to set boundaries between work and home? Aren’t we ourselves trying to do less school work at home? So why would we demand that of our students? If we have 70 minutes of class time, could we not incorporate the “homework” practice or more application of knowledge into our classes?
Where are we going? For decades, top educators in the field have battled the idea of homework. Alfie Kohn , an author and lecturer in the field, wrote an entire book (The Homework Myth) on the subject in 2006. However, with the “learning loss” tag line that developed this summer, we face a more difficult argument against ditching homework. Are students in a different place this year as we begin the school year? Yes, without question, they are. Is more homework going to change their situation? No, more homework is not going to make Johnny learn more.
Post-pandemic, we are in a new era in education. Just because we have always done something one way does not mean it should continue. Our lives have completely changed in the past year due to the pandemic. In this moment, we need to reevaluate what is truly important in terms of education. With 21st century skills a priority, shouldn’t we be focused more on project-based learning in the classroom anyway? Why can’t kids pleasure-read their own books at home if they enjoy reading? Why can’t they build Lego structures at home instead of writing a science report? Why can’t they bake a cake and use measurements instead of practicing math facts? Don’t we value these real world applications? Don’t we value students’ time to explore what they enjoy? Sure, students do need to learn time management. Sure, students need to learn to plan ahead. And of course, they need to learn how to manage a calendar. If that’s why we’re giving homework, however, we’re not doing it the right way. Homework is the excuse not to reimagine building that structure into our classrooms.
What if instead, we provide students with a week-long project. We establish a deadline of Friday to complete the project, and they have five steps to complete. Within the framework of the week, the project must be completed. Allow students to determine how and when to use their time wisely during the school day to complete the project. Isn’t this how the work world works anyway? Regular teacher check-ins during the week would assist students in their planning and troubleshoot any problems. Aren’t these the types of skills we want students to learn?
When assigning homework, are we truly serving students’ needs? Or, are we just returning to what is comfortable?