Homework can work

While I appreciate some of  Professor Hattie’s view on National Standards I am a little perplexed around his view that homework is a waste of time for most children.

I like homework because it keeps me, as a parent, connected into the school.  I know what my child is studying, I have some feel for their progress, and it is a way that my son and I can work together to increase his skill set.

I got quite a shock when I moved my son from a kindergarten that set weekly homework to a primary school that only encouraged reading homework and no more.  I am concerned that by removing homework we are removing one bridge between school and home.  Homework can encourage children to think more widely, to use problem solving skills that aren’t available or fed to them by their teacher.  Homework can also encourage children to take their interests outside of the classroom back into the classroom.

Like National Standards, homework can assist a parent to gauge how well their child is progressing.  I certainly hope that the removal of homework is not a union-designed mechanism to pull back on National Standards.

Professor Hattie encourages parents to set their own time together for learning with their children. From my experience, a lot of parents don’t know how to do that.  Homework, even just an investigative question to answer, can guide parents that don’t know how to open up the world of learning to their children.   I am an active parent and have a few activities up my sleeve  and even books to refer to for ideas but that can take time.  The upside of homework set by teachers is that it is focused at the child’s learning level, and for some parents it is a whole lot faster having a starting point than umming and erring about what could be set – the television remote is definitely their friend.

I do understand that some parents find homework a difficult time of the day – they struggle with it themselves, or they have just rushed home for work to cook dinner and million other chores BUT good parents still find the time to do the homework.  By removing homework set by teachers I hate to say it but a whole lot of parents who don’t have the tools to think of parent-led homework ideas won’t do it at all.  Do we then risk mediocrity?  No need to do extra work to go the extra distance, is there?

I am even an advocate for homework at five years of age.  I have seen it work for three and four year olds so why not five?  At five, the child is being set up in all sorts of other routines and standards of behaviour within the school so why not homework, expectations, learning strategies and the like?  Hell, they could even have competitions to see which kid can find the most words beginning with the letter ‘p’ and have a bit of writing practice at the same time.  Oh wait, dirty word that ‘competition’ stuff.

I really do understand that some kids don’t like homework.  I also understand some parents don’t like it… and the teachers that have to mark it – or encourage the children to share it in class.  Homework should stay. Homework can encourage lifelong learning.  Homework can help parents parent better, and teachers teach better.