To think this teacher is lazy

[Cadenza1818]

So ds (6) is in a mixed year group, yr 1 and 2. The last two pieces of homework have been the same ones they received last year. I realise they could still benefit (it's just writing a story) but does anyone else think it's a bit lazy? I'd expect teacher to give yr 1 the same homework as mine had last year but not yr 2. Any teachers who also teach composite classes give advice please? Thanks :-D

I've taught mixed year groups and managed to differentiate homework just fine.

Writing a story for year 1/2 is quite a lot if they're doing spellings,reading,maths on top.

One wonders what areas are supposed to be reinforced again,a year later.

We're supposed to be inspiring children to be learners not boring them shatless by giving them the same rather uninspiring homework.Not exactly going to encourage children to have a positive attitude to homework and I should think a fair few of the kids themselves will wonder why they're got the same again.Wasn't it good enough the first time round?

OurBlanche - did you actually read my posts? I haven't at any point said I think teachers are lazy. I just don't believe teachers set homework to assess a child's development level.

And whether or not you had set out all sorts of reasons is irrelevant, as I wasn't posting directly to you when I first posted, so it matters not one jot whether I read your posts, tbh. I have my opinion and you have yours.

It depends if the story is about exactly the same thing. If not yabu. Even if it is, you need to get s hobby if you remember what homework your child did a year ago!

Assuming it will be properly marked, setting a story for homework would never be the action of a lazy teacher. Even if it was the same task as last year - exactly - surely your child wouldn't write (or want to write) the same thing again anyway? In fact, it's quite a sensible start-of-term task so the teacher can compare with last year's version in terms of progress. YABU.

To be clear, when I post I am only talking about primary school homework, as that's what the OP was about.

Im not sure why you would think its lazy? V strange.

And whilst it would be lovely if the teacher dug out last year's homework and compared it to this year's, I would love to hear from a primary school teacher who does set the same homework each year so that they can do this.

(That is, the same homework to the same children, not a new class).

Cadenza1818 the 'flamers' have valid points. infact, they are right, as you know from what you said in your second post.
However, so are you.

I would expect that with a mixed aged class, there would be a 2 year rolling programme of study so Y1s don't repeat the same topics in Y2. Whereas many Y2s would barely notice, the brighter ones woud and thus switched off and have the 'I've done this before, why should I do it again?' attitude.

A good teacher may set the same homework but have differentiated outcomes. Homework may not be teaching' it is consolidation and it should be a differentiated level. In our school, we differentiate homework 3 ways, sometimes 4 depending on the range of ability.

You would be perfectly entitled to encourage the completion of the homework but POLITELY as the teacher to ensure the 'topic' of the homework is different to last years otherwise it would seem pointless and boring to your children. All work, regardless of where it is completed, should be engaging and have the desired outcome.

Maybe the teacher only sets homework because she is obliged to? Personally I wouldn't consider it lazy to take short cuts in setting homework (I'd think it pragmatic and sensible) - though I'd prefer they didn't bother setting it for 6 year olds at all.

Having looked more closely ar your posts, OurBlanche, I see that your direct experience is not with primary teaching. Your comments about homework make perfect sense for older children, but how much homework do you really think six year old children produce without parental input? I stand by my comments that I do not believe the repeat homework was in order to assess the children's progress as compared to the homework they did last year. That sort of assessment can only be made in the classroom, where the teacher is aware of the level of independence/support involved. It does not make sense at the age of six to assess their level of progress and development via homework.

So yes, I am, for the avoidance of doubt, calling bollocks again. There may have been valid reasons for repeating the homework, but I really, really don't believe it was to check the children's progress since being asked the same thing last year.