year 7, what do they do? rant!!!!

[Starmummy]

Ds has had two lots of homework this week.
Neither is art, so why I ask myself is he required to draw for both history and English. wtf????? I am surprised that he isnt drawing in maths, at least I could see the point with graphs etc.
The history homework is a pictorial representation of hevan and hell in the Middle Ages. Great, I can see the point but I dont want Ds to be marked for his drawing but it isnt a subject he is very good at or enjoys. English, they are reading a novel Skelly (?) and they have to draw a garge and label items in it. Again I see the point, but crikey my ds is a boy and needs practice at hand writing, essay construction etc. Since he has been in year 7 he has yet to in any subject write more than one page. grrrr.
Is it just this school or is the national curriculum????
Late call!!! They are drawing in maths!!! They have to draw a "brick" pyramid and fill it with numbers - something to do with algebra. I think I get the gist of it (although I havent explained it very well) but I am still really miffed about the other stuff.

Woe betide anyone that does bubble writing in my classes.

They do love it though - I wonder if it is because it takes up more space than real content.

I loathe felt-tip pens too, unless it's the ultra thin ones.

Where do they learn do do that stuff? We did it when I was at school Oh the shame!

Haven't read the whole thread, but ARRRRGGHHHH. Don't get me started. I have been in with the school three times to ask for extension homework for DD. She's very bright - not G&T or anything, but easily bored by the SHITE they give them for homework, IF they even get any.

When one teacher finally gave some homework after I spoke to the form tutor, he then "withdrew" it because he "had to mark their class work". WTF?

I think they'd be better off staying in primary school for an additional year, doing one year of not being "setted" at secondary whilst they're assessed and then setted from year 8. The system here is crap. They languish for two years doing feck all and then suddenly are expected to just know how to plan their time for doing coursework and study.

See, you've got me started now...

Homework isn't easy from a teacher's point of view.

I'm fairly comfortable now following my school's policy, which works out at 1x30min for KS3, and 1X45-60min for KS4. My pupils all have text books and CDs, so it is fairly easy to set work.

However, many schools do not issue text books to the children, and it can be incredibly hard to set homework. They may not have much of a photocopying budget to provide worksheets, and perhaps too many children do not have access to the internet at home. This all adds up to having a very limited repertoire of homework activities, unfortunately. There is not an awful lot a subject teacher can do about it, because the reasons are all tied up in school finances.

I tend not to do so much written work in class, because I like to do practical work, and have lots of discussions etc., and that means that I need the homework slot for their written work. At the end of the day, we are all adapting to our unique situations, and are all trying our best.

Some parents love homework, and some loathe it - you can't please everybody all of the time.

Hmm, my FIL is a maths teacher (in a bog standard comp) and is shocked by the attitude to homework in DD's comprehensive.

Never any homework given if there's a substitute teacher, heads of dept failing to set homework where a teacher is absent long term, homework not marked. I don't think it's just me being a fussy parent.

I'd be delighted if DD got 30 mins homework a night. They have a homework timetable so that they don't end up with 7 subject's work on one night and none another. The teachers are supposed to give work on set days, but often don't bother meaning that DD has days with no homework, some days with a 5 minute "research" task. The teachers don't ask them to back up or cross-reference their research. Apparently it's fine to take everything on wikipedia as fact. It's appalling. I have to try to police it at home. If I hadn't had a good secondary education DD would be in a pickle.

Parents of secondary school children who "hate" homework need to wise up and understand that exams don't get passed on classwork alone. (Unless you're me and you get up the duff and have a baby before your exams and wing it.)

I've not read this book but I generally like what Alfie Kohn has to say.
The Homework Myth
Has anybody else read it and if so what's your opinion?
I don't particularly like homework for it's own sake and neither do my children. This fact didn't stop my older ones getting stuck into revision for their exams when it became necessary though.

Juule, looks interesting. Will add to my mile-long reading list!

I am not a parent of secondary aged children, no, but am a teacher and would rather see children spending 30 minutes a day getting stuck into a project of their own devising, something creative. This could be anything - sudoku puzzles, writing a journal or making a dreamhouse out of a shoebox.

Am sounding very home-ed-y, aren't I?!

Nothing wrong with trying for the best of both worlds
It's on my list too, when I get round to it.

Grrrr, more blardy drawing today. I get MB's very relvant point about some things can really be best demonstrated by drawing, and how it aids teachers to check a student understanding. What I am struggling with is lots of bubble writing (hate it hate it hate it), lined paper, etc and Ds not understanding what the teachers says. Parents evening tomorrow and dont get me started on that!!!! today science homework was draw a travel poster based on one of the planets. Children had a fact sheet from class. DS did the hw, completly wrong inmho, as he didnt include any of the facts from the fact sheet (see I did listen earlier about what was required). We talked about it, he had a major huff, conceded evedntually that I might be right (thanks MN) and then shoved in the extra bits, so now he has a c$$P peice of hw. He says no teacher has ever explained what is required as I have done (now I know), not sure if that is just boy thing,? As an aside guess which planet he chose???

Wild stab in the dark, Uranus???

We always give handouts for homeworks which explain task and anything else......so parents can help

ScienceTeacher,

I wish my daughter would only spend 45 minutes on homework.

In year 7 the music teacher asked the class to identify a musical instrument to represent an animal.

Most of the children wrote a line or two. My daughter decided to do safari across Africa with a whole orchestra of instruments and animals. Only took her six hours in all researching animals and instruments.

Last term (yr9)they were asked to write what they knew about gravity. Most managed a paragraph, my daughter managed four pages of A4 typed out. Covering early philosophies and science. Sure as hell didn't get help from us. I did tell her to reference her sources so the teacher would know she didn't just copy something from the internet.

She did, but not very well. ie www.google.com www.wikipedia.com but at least she tried. Rather then say anything myself I left it for the teacher to pick up on it, and hopefully show her how to reference properly. He didn't.

That is one thing which does get me down with schools. There are very simple techniques which can be employed to help shape the students thoughts and the flow of the finished product. Plus they could help to boost scores/grades But they don't seem to use them. When she does show them in her work there might be an odd comment but from what I've seen not actively encouraged.

This year as I'm studying she has taken a lot of interest in how I tackle assignments and so share with her what I'm doing.

But whatever she does she takes it seriously. Including posters and leaflets and produces results I never would have at her age.

My daughter is determined to go to university, despite going to a poor secondary school and takes what opportunities she can to learn. Thats her excuse and she's sticking to it. Personally I think she gets some kind of perverted pleasure hearing teachers moan about the amount of work they have to mark for her

Starmummy,

A holiday brochure for planet is a great homework (or series of homeworks). It tests both knowledge and understanding, and allows for creativity. It's important for the teacher to specify what sections are required - a lot of children will never have seen a holiday brochure or have any idea what they tell you.

Fizzbuzz,

I don't think I particularly want the parents to help with homework. I want it to be the child's own work.

It's nice that your daughter is keen, but she really needs to stick to the task, dgeorgea.

I agree with you ScienceTeacher.

Most of the time she does stick to the task, but tends to take it several steps too far. I also think the school have to accept some of the blame. Her grades are always high, and knowing what she is like would it realy be that difficult to set a word count limit?

This is one of my concerns about her work. She is good at research and putting it down in her own words. However everything she finds out in her research goes into her homework.

Perhaps I'm expecting too much, but it does seem there are key skills which are being ignored. My own belief is she will struggle when faced with word counts because there has been little self editing.

dgeogea - have you thought about sitting down with her and planning what is actually required for each piece of work? In a way, doing 6 pages when asked for 1 is as "wrong" as doing 1 page when asked for 6. There's nothing stopping her researching things which interest her as well, but I would worry that she'll have problems when she has to do timed exams and stuff like that.

I'm in the hate homework camp - especially for year 7s - but at my daughter's school they work so hard during the day that they hardly have time to breathe, so it seems a bit mean to get them to do homework as well! I would welcome a nice bit of bubble writing or colouring occasionally - it would make a nice change from "5 pages on who was to blame for the death of Thomas a Beckett" or " solve problems 1-25 in your maths book"

Yes agree Science teacher, don't want parents to do it, but sometimes pupils don't always get hwk down properly or understand it, then at least a parent can read through it,, or help explain it. One poster, said her son didn't understand what he was supposed to do, but if it was written as a task, he would have, and if he hadn't, I'm sure she could explain it to him....not do it!

I also tend to give most of my younger kids a week to do the homework. So if they don't understand it, they can come and find me and I'll explain it.

Last week a kid told me that she couldn't do the work as I hadn't given her the crossword. Not only had I given it to her, I had stuck it in her book for her as well!

Writing isn't everything. My ds has just left a school where he routinely was set several pages of homework which was simply repeating the rule or skill learned over and over. I swear I remember him having to do 50 - yes, 50, long divisions one evening. Pointless. He has less homework now, but I'd say what he does have is better quality and designed to check his understanding. Some of the posts on here are fantastic btw. Our schools are lucky to have teachers like you lot - your lessons sound well thought out, interesting and vibrant!

I think it is good to give lots of maths problems, tbh. I think standards have really gone done in recent years with the lack of rigour.

Hi Seeker,

Sorry, thought I had responded to this. Perhaps I dreamt it?

To be honest I barely understand her homework, let alone help her to understand what is required. Also she hates having to ask my advice, let alone me offering it. So usually let her decide she needs help then try to show her how to use different techniques.

I would always try to back up the school, and this is where the problem lies, though some of her teachers 'moan' about the amount of work she produces the actual feedback we get is they wished other students would give a fraction of the effort she puts in and seem generally pleased with her work. So would end up with school saying great v mum and dad saying its too much mum and dad would lose.

At one point we had to talk to one of her teachers. She was doing her homework on the computer and then writing it out by hand because this was what was asked for. We explained that she had spent a couple of days researching and typing it out, and then another hour and half just writing it out. We felt she was spending too long on homework and asked if either she be allowed to hand it in typed out or for him to be more specific what was required. No problem, she can print her homework off!

At the moment no one is worrying about her not coping with timed exams. She copes well with them. I should perhaps mention she has Aspergers and as long as there is not too much disruption will remain focused on the task and will generally finish ahead of her peers.

She did sit French GCSE last year, but didn't sit the written exam due to being assaulted. She still got a D, which was a dissapointment as she was expected to get a C or B. Plus she dropped it this year as she felt it was her weakest subject and wanted other choices.

I do think she spends too much time on her homework, but then it is also her choice. She does have a few friends and goes out with them, and does other things.