Lazy teaching with apps

[Zuzus]

DC is in year 3.

In his previous school, he got homework once a week. This was then collected and checked by his teacher.

In his current school, there is no homework. Instead they have logins to a number of apps and leaderboards. DC in year 3 now needs to use a smartphone to do his work.

I am not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, DC happily does his own work with all the gamification. On the other hand, I think he is too young for the amount of screen time required of him.

Is this just lazy teaching?

How much time are they expected to spend on them? Do they have provision for those who can’t access things?

I think there is very much a time and place for the apps to help support what has been learnt in class and to encourage more independence.

when ds was in year 3 times tables rock stars was fantastic for helping him master them.

Homework is unnecessary in primary unless your child is struggling with the curriculum and needs additional support. It is a waste of teacher time to mark ten sheets of spellings or whatever. The apps are a quick way of providing homework for those parents that expect it. If you want your child doing other things there are numerous workbooks available to buy.

It’s not lazy, it’s time efficient. It gives instant feedback and teachers can tweak it for individuals that need it. It’s no more or less lazy than printing something off twinkl and pressing 30 on the photocopier.

What does the school do if a parent says no? I would not be happy with a primary age child being compelled to have an app carrying device of their own and would be refusing this.

There's quite a lot to pull apart there. Most primary schools can't enforce homework - so I've spent ages creating and printing differentiated tasks only for them to (I assume) go straight in the bin at home. There seems to be more engagement with app type work.

Also depends on the quality of the apps - lots of them are very smart and able to personalise to the kids - so work out what they need more practice of and tailor the questions they see to that. For something like times tables that just needs going over and over again I think it's the best way of engaging the more reluctant learners.

There's still quite a lot of admin involved from the teachers - I've always checked weekly to see which children have accessed, how often, any areas of weakness etc.

Also to be blunt, most of the time written homework tells me more about what the parents can do than the kids. The app type work tends to be kids learning independently.

All that said, I also agree with concerns about screen time and always accept if parents tell me they won't be doing it or don't allow screen time - their time, their choice.

You also need to always make provision for the kids who don't have access to tech at home although I've found most kids have easier access to a parents smartphone than pens, paper, glue, scissors etc...

All that to say, I think a good quality app monitored by the teacher provides a much more consistent, individualised approach to homework over time than a load of photocopied sheets.

Some of the apps are great. I tutor maths at secondary level and I had a really good look at doodle maths when my kids were given it in primary and I think it's really good. The repeated practice and returning to things later are really effective. Apps are not a substitute for class teachers, but they are a fantastic tool to support what is being taught in class. The world we live in has become very screen oriented which is not ideal, but this is one of the situations where screens are a force for good.

I think it's great. I use apps and tech all the time for home and work.

Re screen time, at our primary it's an alternate weekly task set for maths which is 10 minutes for 1 app (tt Rock stars) and then a small task in My Maths the other week, which isn't timed but probably takes about 10 minutes.

Lower down the school they used numbots, again 10 mins a week was the expectation. So max requirement of 10- 15 mins of screen time a week using a parents phone or tablet (mine don't have their own phones in primary)

How much screen time are yours needing to complete their tasks?

No, it’s not lazy teaching. It’s not teaching at all, that goes on in the classroom.

Homework is mostly pointless but parents want it anyway, so it’s sensible for the school to provide homework in a way that doesn’t waste teachers time.

Is this just lazy teaching?

Is this what they do all day at school?

Homework isn't teaching.

And tbh, in primary school, homework as very little benefit anyway bar a little bit of regular reading practise.

Gamification for things that require quick recall such as number and table facts can be useful to consolidate learning in some children.

My school does offer log ins for a couple of websites/apps. We make nine of these compulsory and we have a recommended time of no more than 5 minutes a day, 3-5 days a week. We have also removed the leaderboard option so children cannot view each other's 'position' in the class/year.

Exactly.

I alternate between worksheets linked to what we have done in class, creative stuff like an art project or retelling a story or I remind them to do the TT rockstars and spelling shed apps.

Some children do it all and extra, others do none. I can't enforce it and it is a lot of extra work.

I don't believe in homework at primary school and I never enforced it with mine. I don't think it's a good thing for schools to be using too many different platforms, or any if children have a problem accessing them from home. If your son wants to use them, can he borrow your laptop for 10 minutes once a week or so?

They don't need their own device. A parent's phone for 10 minutes a week is all that is needed.

I hate the apps and online homework for young kids too. You can tell the school you would like paper homework instead.

We just wouldn't give you any homework.
Our apps are optional so we wouldn't send out an alternative.

I guess whether they will send paper based versions will depend on if the homework results are being used for anything specific, it they are printable or if they are compulsory.

I completely agree!

My ds is in Y3 too and they get homework 5 days a week for 20min a day. So 2 days are online (Atom, TTRS, etc) then 2 days js written and 1 day creative.

Each and every piece of homework is checked and we have a feedback section on my ds school account.
The 2 days of written are marked by the teachers and constructive written notes are left. The teacher goes through everything and not just a ticking exercise. Merits are handed out as well for extra initiative.
There is an enormous amount of input from school, this is a private school though.

Every hour a teacher spends “checking” ( which of course means reading, marking and commentating so that the parent can check that the teacher has checked iyswim) homework that a child might not have completed independently, is an hour less time that the teacher has to resource and prepare actual teaching materials that will enhance a child’s learning. I know which I would rather a teacher spent their limited time on.

Apps for maths in particular are brilliant for consolidating facts like timetables and number bonds. Children find them more fun than worksheets.

homework should just be practise! YABU

Sorry just to answer we have a very good balance of online and actual written work.

That's not true of all schools, our primary has provided print out tasks for one of my dc who couldn't manage the apps. I work in secondary and provide paper based homework for multiple children. It would very much depend on the homework policy of each school.

It shouldn't be necessary. A primary school child does not need access to a smartphone/device.

As a primary teacher, I strongly believe homework is a total waste of time. I can't be sure that what is handed in has been done by the child at all, and even if it has I can't know how much help they were given. It doesn't tell me anything more than I've already sussed out in class, if anything it confuses the matter.

The apps are a way for your child to get instant feedback on their independent work outside the classroom and they're likely to enjoy practicing so it sinks in more (I'm assuming you mean the games that keep score like TT Rockstars).

WonderingWanda - which is exactly why I said WE just wouldn't send an alternative.

And then clarified that whether a different school would will depend on various factors.

TT rockstars can be accessed through the website on a PC or laptop so no phone is needed. If you don't want your child to do homework, don't make them. But don't then say it's the school’s fault entirely if your child is struggling with times tables or whatever compared to classmates. If you want paper based homework, you could generally sort it out yourself at this age (eg print out or handwrite your own times tables test or spellings list, or buy a workbook for DC to make their way through)