Homework: Worthwhile or Worthless?

[XYSRUS]

Hate to admit it-but mostly worthless. Lots of busy work and the kids know it, too.

 

[pigletz]

If it requires coloring of any sort (after 1st grade), it is worthless. If it requires me answering questions about 80s pop music, it is worthless. Word searches, too.

Math, vocabulary, reading, writing...all fine, so long as they don't require making pamphlets or posters (also worthless.)

You'd hate having me as your child's teacher then. My eighth graders color and make pamphlets and posters. They color maps. For example while we were studying the French and Indian war they colored two maps. One to represent the land controled by each country before the war and one after. They've created posters to attract settlers to the colonies. This week they designed broadsides to protest the taxes imposed on the colonists. When we study the constitutions they'll create a pamphlet and a poster. All of these things require them to take the information learned and use it in a new way. Years of experience has proven to me that they remember more longer doing it this way than they did when I just gave a test. Most of this isn't for homework though. Most of my students are poor and can't afford the supplies so I buy all of the posterboard and crayons and other supplies and we do it in class.

 

[snowwite]

What do you think?

Worthless!

 

[monsterkitty]

I didn't skip it, but I admit that I missed it.

I still disagree with word searches and the like. My DD brought them home for an entire year for her vocab lessons. I can think of half a dozen worthwhile vocab exercises right off the top of my head that would be far more valuable than a word search in learning new vocabulary.

It was laziness on her teacher's part, pure and simple.

Word searches teach word recognition. I teach music and the words are usually in Italian so the recognition is very important.

I love to give worthless word searches. Of course my students actually have to answer a question in order to figure out what words they are supposed to be looking for.

Oh, I also make my students do practice cards. A whole 20 minutes a day. The parents wanted me to increase it to 30 minutes a day. I refused as kids do need to be kids. If they want their children to practice more, so be it. I will give them extra credit for the extra time.

 

[noodleknitter]

They are going to get homework in college. We can either prepare them for college or allow them to have a very rude awakening.

College is a different animal, entirely. Learning study skills is important. Learning time-management is also. But in college you aren't usually given assignments every because a eacher was told by a teacher was told by a teacher that you should, regardless of there being very little scientific evidence to prove it worthwhile.

Those who have a "rude awakening" are those who are, in general, unprepared for college because our educational system (despite the homework) has not taught the skills and knowledge base necessary to understand the material. Despite the money, and extra year or two (if you include the fact most kids come to school knowing their alphabet, etc., already) that is now spent teaching.

 

[DISUNC]

Worthless!!!!!!!!!!

I thought that 40 years ago when I had it!

I still think it now!

 

[disneyjunkie]

Worthwhile

 

[Mermaid02]

I think they assign too much of it- period.

 

[TheGirlin14G]

It really depends on the teacher. Some teachers just know how to assign effective homework that does review what you learned that day and that really helps it stick for the exam. My science teacher gives great homework - it's very methodical and focused and it really cuts down the time I have to study before a test... my econ. teacher - not so much - it's sparatically given and jumps around from different lessons.. which really does mean more stress and study time