Please help stop homework before its too late!!!

[freerangeeggsnookie]

I would like to appeal to all parents who are fed up with homework and encourage you to email, phone, tweet & post your school to stop it.

Having taught for a number of years in various schools I am sick and tired of the absurd homework we are setting. Here are some facts about homework from Visible Learning by John Hattie (summarising research on homework):

1. Homework makes no visible difference to pupils progress until they are in about year 10 and in high ability groups.
2. Homework does not help pupils learn time management skills.
3. For the homework to be effective the teacher must be actively involved.
4. Anyone who asks a pupil in year 7 and above to make a poster is taking the piss (pet hate, not from VL).

Now this is not to say that pupils shouldn't do any studying at all. If a student is independently studying at home doing extra work that they have requested then this will have a benefit. Also as stated above as pupils get older and are studying complex content it can be essential.

Unfortunately most pupils are snowed in with ridiculous tasks which teachers are forced to set by heads who are terrified of parental complaints. It is these complaints that need to be balanced out. If you are not sure if your childs homework is useful ask them after its marked "What improvements could you have made?". If they cannot answer then they have learned nothing. What was the point of that?! So if you are sick of homework like me please, please, please complain. Nothing would make schools a more happier place!!!!

Agree. Totally. I'm a teacher and have heard from many experts who agree also. Sigh. Parents want it, then they complain if it's not what they consider proper home work. Maybe those parents should just encourage and extend discussion/independent learning themselves?
I can't keep thinking about this, it pisses me off too much- don't get me started on how irrelevant it is without the teacher being involved - especially if the child has learning disabilities or special needs....

TOTALLY agree, and I'm a teacher as well! I always think 'what would ofsted think if I were to send a child off to the back of the room with work, give them no support, no personal scaffolding, no plenaries etc?'

That's exactly what homework is.

I'm not a teacher, but have 4 DC and couldn't agree more. The only homework I found to be useful is stuff that I would have done with them anyway, like reading and practising their tables. My older three are now Years 10, 12 and 13. My youngest is 3 and I am really not looking forward to the endless making of galleons, instruments and volcanoes again.

My older two were enthusiastic about school/home work (still are) and were more than capable of doing theirs with no trouble at all. With DS it was a constant battle so I refused to make him do it, with the exception of his reading to me. I will follow the same path with DD3 when she starts.

Sorry but for some subjects I think homework is crucial. Especially languages, admittedly most of the time teachers seem even there to set make weight homework. Rather than learning verbs.

I think the huge problem is when the government decided to interfere and say schools should set homework, and how much per night for each age.

I have found it frustrating to teach when you are not allowed to set homework, but equally it may not naturally follow,on from the work and can be just something to fullfilling the school policy.

I'm not a teacher but I also totally agree. Thing is, I've found complaining about homework doesn't help. The school just parrot some rubbish about getting into good habits for studying for GCSEs. 90% of DS1's homework is ludicrously inappropriate too, but there's no point telling them that either.

I am only referring to primary school myself - that is where I think it is completely unnecessary (bar the reading and maybe time tables).

I have absolutely no problem with them having homework from Year 7 upwards - it is needed then imo - if only (in the earlier secondary years) to complement what they have been learning, rather than 'testing' them.

A couple of months ago, DD2 (year 8) had to make a model of a church for RE homework. We're not particularly arty, so hers (ours) wasn't brilliant, but according to her, some were brilliant. People, probably parents, had spent days on them, there were Lego models, someone baked a church-shaped cake.

They all took them in on the day they were due, only to take them straight home again with no real comments. When I asked DD what she was supposed to have learned from it, she had no idea. Stupid waste of time.

Things like maths, I can understand. It helps the child to practice what they have learned at school, but IMO, there are a lot of time wasting exercises.

Surely there's a happy medium between setting sensible homework that's then followed up on in class the next lesson, eg practising maths techniques, as louder says, or allowing for some creativity, and not setting any at all. Some homework can be fun, after all, and it can help to cement learning. It could even be used to help learn when to use apostrophes correctly...

Louderthanbombs is your DD2 8 or in year 8? I have a DD in year 8 and I would not dream of being hands on with her homework. She would not want m too anyway. Making suggestions on materials and ways probably though.

I work in a primary school and find it sad when I hear children saying "I wanted to help sticking and gluing but Mum said I would mess it up"

I agree that homework without support makes little sense but doing it instead of letting children at least try makes even less sense. (not saying that for you or that is what you are doing,Louderthanbombs, am still referring to children in school)

As a teacher and a mum I completely agree for the most part. Particularly with the poster-making/model making/do any piece of art-work you choose, etc type. And I agree with Frank - unsupported homework at Primary school level is just "testing".

However, I have seen how homework has made a visible difference to DD's progress since she started secondary school. But I think this is probably due to the fact that she is pretty well motivated to want to acheive her best. She is able to work completely independently and will use these skills if she goes on to do A'levels /degree.

The homeworks which benefit her the most are
-maths/MFL's - practising skills, etc learned in the lesson
-history/geopgraphy/some English - project work involving researching information (given diifferent sections with questions to refer to) and presenting it in a coherent way, often to support an argument/write persuasively, etc.

Sadly, I do NOT see this being reproduced in DS when he starts in September - I am dreading the level of support in motivating and getting/keeping him focused!

But how can it help you use apostrophes properly? Either you've leant the rules and know how to use them, in which case it's pointless busy work, or you're not secure in your understanding in which case you either need your parents' help or you just flounder about kind of guessing, which does nobody any good and serves to totally smash any confidence you might have had in using the skill.

DamselinDissaray - Thanks for complaining. Hopefully if more people do the same the school will change their policy.

Mummytime - Sorry but I will reiterate homework has only shown to have an effect for high ability older students (Higher tier GCSE). This has been shown through research. Interestingly the government recently got rid of the 30 minutes a night thing and my school introduced it. D'oh!

Frankwhippery - Couldn't agree more about primary and what you've done with your kids sounds spot on to me. With regards to secondary, year 7 is one of the most difficult transitions kids go through. Every year we deal with kids who can't cope with the new pressures. Homework can be a big part of this. Even up to year 8/9 I reckon what your talking about is enough.

Louderthenbombs - Perfect example of your time being wasted. Teachers know when they are doing this, it is not accidental. I'm a maths teacher and the only thing I set for year 8/9 below is mental maths. Nothing else is necessary!

Remember to complain people it's all about making the schools realise you don't want it.

Gorionine, she's in year 8. I didn't make the thing, but I did buy some materials, suggest ways of making it. I'm really rubbish at crafty things, so it would have been awful if I'd have had a go!

My point was really what a waste of time the whole thing was. DD told me that one parent had to go into school at lunch time to take in a very large Lego model. That can't be right, can it? There was no feedback from the teacher, I don't think DD learned anything.

Actually DS1 likes doing his maths homework, largely because it's always online. It's the only homework he'll voluntarily do. His English homework is always stupidly time consuming and complex (e.g. Research topic you know nothing about, analyse materials you find, write this up then make a bloody poster about it = one homework). Its like something we'd give undergrads weeks to complete (DS1 is in Y7).

Brian, I think jkk was just having a dig...

What happens if you don't make your child do homework?

Detention.

Yes, detentions at DD's school too. I forsee a few next term....

Damsel, I know, those research projects are ridiculously time-comsuming, especially when they are in Y7 (DD has got faster over time!), but at least they are learning research/analysis of information, etc skills - wasn't that what university lecturers were complaining about the lack of? I certainly didn't have any of those skills when I went to university as my school (grammar, stuck in the 1950's) just spoon-fed us.

jkklpu - I'm a maths teacher it still doesn't make a great deal of difference. Also what your suggesting takes up great deal of class time which could be better used doing meaningful work.

Gincognito - Yeh bloody brilliant detentions. To be honest I tell them to bring a note. If you say they aren't doing it its fine by me.

DamselInDisarray - Gotta love that MyMaths, best skive there is.

Remember to complain people. Send the email now, go on you know you want to.

I'm in secondary teaching. My homeworks are set every half term and are a meaty task - with different tasks for each (ability) level. My students have 2 deadlines. 1st deadline they bring in work, and we look at it, and they comment on each others work and give suggestions on how to make it better. They then go away and make it better by 2nd deadline which is when I mark it in detail. They then get the work back with my comments and have to say what they have learned from doing it, and the feedback they got. Finally they set a target for how they could do even better next time. The vast majority of my students do homework, on time, and by the time I mark it, it represents a good deal of effort. They get several weeks to do it and it is always related to what we are doing (topic wise and skills wise) in the classroom. It takes bloomin' ages to organise, set and mark but really - no learning?!

My DCs are in year 3 and year 5. I don't think they get much homework compared with a lot of other schools (and from what I've read on MN!), and I'm happy for them to do it. I do sit with them to make sure they do it, and my youngest son has SENs so I often help him or at least point him in the right direction. I think it's a good way for me to see how my DCs are progressing, since the only feedback we get from school is 10 minutes at parents evening and a brief school report at the end of the year.

My son in year 3 has to do sentences with his spelling words on a Monday, and a maths sheet on a Wednesday. He also has to learn his spellings, timestables and read for 10 minutes every day. My son in year 5 has about 20 minutes of maths or english three nights a week. He is also expected to read every day and learn spellings.

I think concepts can be usefully reinforced at home. I believe intellect can be developed & enhanced through purposeful practice, so yes, IMO, there is definitely a place for work at home.

All those I know who've excelled at 11, got the scholarships and exhibitions etc, IME they've had the parents who have laid down guidelines & reinforced study habits early. Some parents I know have even set their own relevant 'homework' if necessary. In fact when I look at my own peers I often know whose children are going to be academically successful before they are even born.

My son spends a great deal of time being creative and having fun at school. He's learning at school but I feel I'd be letting him down if I wasn't reinforcing concepts at home. Of course this takes time and effort, which makes it difficult for all parents. No one wants a battle at 4pm after all. I think that's one of the reason parents don't like homework - I include myself in this category.

As I write I recall Mary Bousted (?) or some senior representative of Ofsted on TV regarding our literacy standards declining compared to international competition. On TV with her was the head of the Chinese school in London who said, rather quietly, that it was all up to the parents to do the work with the children at home. It was their place to reinforce what went on at school.

Our state primary is a good one, our local prep is non-selective and I can't believe how far ahead the children are compared to my son. He's never had a spelling test really in his life. I know through friends at the prep, spelling tests are set weekly. Most believe spelling tests don't work etc but when the words are revisited regularly and taught around sounds/themes etc the words tend to go into the long term memory. Most children at the prep will be better spellers and so on and so forth. I know this may be a sweeping generalisation but Prep school children are usually academically ahead of their peers in state schools. Of course there are lots of other reasons for that but homework is part and parcel of the experience.

Our children are going to have to face an uncertain future and compete on a global scale for jobs. I have seen too many children, especially boys, fail when it comes to GCSE because, IMO, studying at home is completely alien concept and introduced too late.

I am not saying that children shouldn't play and be creative etc but IMO it's all about striking a healthy balance.

Bratella - Look at the research it indicates low effect. What you are doing sounds very good, better than 95% set I would say. However, I think that time is better directed towards classroom activities. Handing in of homework is not the issue. You have to consider the effect it has on pupils to the time it takes to manage mark etc... It does not give a good return. The research indicates our time as professionals is better spent elsewhere.

I have no problem with appropriately set homework, with a defined 'Learning Objective' in mind (ie both the teacher and DC, when asked, can answer what is to be gained form completing the task) and a clear marks scheme set out, and the work properly marked and commented upon, myself!

I think it should begin, in a small way, in Y5, and that Y7 DC should expect to do half an hour to one hour a night, especially in maths, MFL; and I too can see the value of project work in Geography, RE, History for example (though I note with some amusement that it's the teachers on here who decry it yet when I posted 18 months ago that I wasn't sure whether it was fair to, in one piece of homework, expect a new Y7 to a) research a topic in depth and b) present it professionally, 2 different skills altogether, said what a wonderful set of skills had suddenly been brought together...!).

I want bratella setting my DC's homework. S/he's got the point of it and is using it wisely!

Yes, bratella's homeworks sound like the project work DD gets - I wonder if you teach at her school...?

And I bet there's research out there proving homework is beneficial!

I'd also agree with cortina. Though I am in no way an 'private education' apologist, it does cross my mind from time to time that whereas we, in the state sector are endlessly chopping, changing, revisiting, altering, regrading, rewriting, navel-gazing and hand wringing; the private sector just goes on quietly doing what it's always done, including regular properly set and marked homework- and turns out the people who get the best jobs.

Yes, yes, I know there are lots of factors at work here but they aren't all based on private choosing parents 'doing the best by their DC', it's also based on some state parents who might use the 'let DCs be DCs!' argument where what they actually mean is 'I can't be arsed to go the extra mile with my DC'.