It's *their* homework - or is it? What are your thoughts?

[SKL]

Homework can be so varied.  When my kids were little, i.e., from 3yo preschool to KG, their homework was *their* homework.  I was perfectly OK giving the teacher whatever they produced.  I also felt that they were too young to be stressed over homework.  It was good to develop the work habit, but there was no place for perfectionism.

 

In 1st grade my kids were graded on their homework.  (They didn't get a ton of it, to be fair.)  I would have them sit at the table and do it, but I would check their work, and if they asked me to spell a word they didn't know etc., I would do so.  If it was a "challenge math" page that was clearly too hard, I'd help them think through it.  I'm pretty sure this is what the teacher expected all parents to do.

 

Now in 2nd grade, my kids get a pile of homework at the beginning of the week.  Some of it is manageable for them, some of it is beyond the average 2nd-grader's ability.  I find myself taking responsibility to decide when and where the homework will be done and, in some cases, providing guidance during the task as well as checking their work afterwards.

 

Standing back, it starts to look like this is trending in the wrong direction.  They should be taking more and more responsibility for their own homework, shouldn't they?  How is this trending in other homes around this age?

[The Way of My People]

I think about this issue a lot!

 

DS's teacher says his homework is supposed to take no more than 15 minutes each night, not including 15 minutes of reading to me. In reality, it would take him at least 30 minutes. There is just SO MUCH writing. DS is a perfectionist - so he's always asking me to help him spell words and check his work for mistakes. What he eventually turns in is MUCH better than what he could produce himself. I don't like the way this is trending, but I also don't want him to self-teach incorrect spelling or grammar.

 

DS's teacher, in response to my question, said she wants the homework to be only the student's work, but I should be "involved." ???

 

And the whole situation is getting worse because DS's teacher started sending him home with the 2nd grade homework packet because she thinks the 1st grade one wasn't challenging him enough. Eek! I have a meeting scheduled with her on Monday to try to sort all this out.

[mathnerd]

My DS will try to finish the homework really fast - the end result is illegible scrawling. Also, the homework is supposed to take from 15-20 minutes not including the free reading. Instead, yesterday, for the LA homework, he took 56 minutes and I timed it on my phone timer - he had a spelling list with 8 words like freeze, shin, face, gone etc and had to write one sentence for each word. The sentences he was coming up with were ridiculous - like "My body has a face". I told him to think at a higher level and come up with a sentence that he had to work on. And it took him more than 5 minutes per word. This was interspersed with perfectionism meltdowns. But, in the end, work ethic and putting in one's best effort are very important things that my child needs to learn. So, I help by asking him leading questions and giving him hints - I tell myself that I am "scaffolding" my child to reach his own level of mastery at this skill. This has been going on since last year (K). It is impossible for him to write a sentence that is meaningful or interesting - he is taking the easy and short path (lazy?) to writing. So, I am hoping that after a while, he starts to take pride in his work and will develop higher order thinking skills to produce high quality homework output for LA. Until then, I need to scaffold him! Returning an incomplete homework or one with mistakes or low quality is not an option for me - I have written notes in the past telling the teacher how long it took and they have generally been nice to us saying we should stop doing work at the 20 minute mark. For the foreseeable future, I am helping - unless my child decides to show me better quality homework output!

[sunnyday]

As I said in the "homework-free home" thread, I don't feel homework adds anything at the elementary level, except stress. So I seriously de-emphasize it. IMO, it's the child's homework. If they can't do it, it will go back undone. I don't give a flying fig about grades. I will check the homework folder and give the child a few reminders to get the work done, and the space and support they need. After that it's on them. I won't teach math concepts they don't know (not that they're getting math they don't know from school), and I won't hand-hold on writing. I'll give correct spelling if they ask for it but I won't correct invented spelling if they're comfortable with it unless it's a decodable word or a spelling concept we've worked on like initial blends.

 

My son's teacher says explicitly, "Your child's homework grade is really YOUR grade." Well, I already passed first grade, so I'm not too worried. ;)

[Uff Da!]

I find myself taking responsibility to decide when and where the homework will be done

 I think this part is habit training- which is a lot of parenting from potty training, to laundry and so forth.  The idea is eventually to have them be independent.  Heigh Ho's comment in the other thread has me thinking that *I* should probably be thinking about how I'm going move DD towards packing her own backpack and lunch in the morning.  It's probably not an unrealistic expectation for us to aim for this year but I didn't think of it until I read her comment.  We made it to a place where we are comfortable, and maybe it's OK to rest here for a moment, but this needs to be a phase that doesn't last forever.

 

As far as helping kids with homework content, I can't say too much about that because I either can't help with the homework because it's not in English or DD understands it so I don't need too.  I just want her to do it somehow/someway.  If it's wrong.  Oh well.  I honestly can't tell with most of it if she made a mistake or not.  I do spend a lot of time sitting beside her and sipping tea so she's not alone while she works and so I can redirect when she's making up yet another story or day dreaming.

 

[vonfirmath]

My DS will try to finish the homework really fast - the end result is illegible scrawling. Also, the homework is supposed to take from 15-20 minutes not including the free reading. Instead, yesterday, for the LA homework, he took 56 minutes and I timed it on my phone timer - he had a spelling list with 8 words like freeze, shin, face, gone etc and had to write one sentence for each word. The sentences he was coming up with were ridiculous - like "My body has a face". I told him to think at a higher level and come up with a sentence that he had to work on. And it took him more than 5 minutes per word. This was interspersed with perfectionism meltdowns. But, in the end, work ethic and putting in one's best effort are very important things that my child needs to learn. So, I help by asking him leading questions and giving him hints - I tell myself that I am "scaffolding" my child to reach his own level of mastery at this skill. This has been going on since last year (K). It is impossible for him to write a sentence that is meaningful or interesting - he is taking the easy and short path (lazy?) to writing. So, I am hoping that after a while, he starts to take pride in his work and will develop higher order thinking skills to produce high quality homework output for LA. Until then, I need to scaffold him! Returning an incomplete homework or one with mistakes or low quality is not an option for me - I have written notes in the past telling the teacher how long it took and they have generally been nice to us saying we should stop doing work at the 20 minute mark. For the foreseeable future, I am helping - unless my child decides to show me better quality homework output!

 

In 1st grade, you want a better sentence than that? My son might be able to tell me a better sentence. But writing it down? Simple is better.

[EKS]

Your kids had homework in preschool?

[beishan]

Mine finishes all his homework in after school except for his Chinese homework. I checked his homework after we get home. Mostly his math homework is good and he has to redo the sentence homework almost every week. He likes to rush through it and use very similar sentence structure for every word which his teacher does not allow. I also erase his works if he did not write them in neat handwriting. He can do it nicely, but just in a hurray to finish it so he can go play. I want him to learn to be careful and try to do best at first try. I have to sit with him for Chinese homework because no one in after school can help him with that. 

[The Way of My People]

I'm tempted to set a timer for 15 minutes and put the homework away when it buzzes. But I think DS would freak out. His teacher has "Fun Friday" where kids who finished their homework play fun games and kids who didn't finish have to sit in the back and work until all their homework is done. My son would hate to miss the games.

 

I'm also considering not helping DS with spelling/grammar the first time through, but circling his errors in pen when he's done and letting him fix them (which I know he'll opt to do, the little perfectionist). That way, he gets it "right" but his teacher knows where he struggled. I think it might make homework time even longer, though, which is the last thing I want!

[Acorn]

Your kids had homework in preschool?

 

The preschool homework about did me in.  It was things like bring something green or bring something round.  Good thing my car has a great assortment of miscellaneous items.    Then there was the sharing bag, the all about me poster, teddy bear day, silly sock day, school color day and on and on.  Of course none of it was "work" or required, but I'd hate to disappoint my child because I couldn't keep my act together and look at the school calendar. 

[SKL]

Your kids had homework in preschool?

 

Yes, for a while the PS3 teacher assigned a package each week.  Mostly tracing and coloring.  At first I was pretty horrified, but my kids didn't seem to mind it, so I would have them do it while I cooked dinner.  After a while the packages stopped coming home, which did not sadden me at all.  ;)

 

[SKL]

The preschool homework about did me in.  It was things like bring something green or bring something round.  Good thing my car has a great assortment of miscellaneous items.    Then there was the sharing bag, the all about me poster, teddy bear day, silly sock day, school color day and on and on.  Of course none of it was "work" or required, but I'd hate to disappoint my child because I couldn't keep my act together and look at the school calendar. 

 

LOL, I almost forgot about the show-and-tell "homework."  PS4 teacher would ask us to bring all of the following:  something , something that started with [letter of the week], something in the shape of [shape of the week], and [number of the week] of some object.  Of course I had two kids, so it was everything times two (but not the same stuff, because each kid's stuff was supposed to be different).  When possible I would let them figure this "homework" out for themselves, but there are limits to everything . . . .

 

[MistyMountain]

Last year in kindergarten I sat next to dd and had to walk her through what she had to do for her homework. For some things I had to help her like when she had to write sentences and spell and punctuate everything correctly. This year she is doing everything independently and doesn't need my help. I do a brief look over and have her correct her mistakes. She isn't graded on homework though and I think since it doesn't count as a grade it is better for her to know she made a mistake right away and correct it so she knows the correct way. The overall goal for me is for them to get more independent over time with homework. I think it is good for kids to take full responsibility even for the mistakes but I am also torn because I also see it as a way to help her learn things that she is struggling with and she may need one on one time to learn. I don't know what I will do as she gets older. For now I have her correct her mistakes because it doesn't count towards her grade so I like having her correct the mistakes when it is still fresh in her mind.

[ondreeuh]

I guess it depends on what the teacher is expecting. Is the homework supposed to to show the teacher what the child did or did not understand in class? Then don't help your kid, so the teacher gets an accurate picture. However, I would be really surprised if teachers are actually using homework as an assessment. More likely, the homework is meant to reinforce what is being taught in class - and in that case, helping with homework to ensure understanding is totally appropriate. Ashleysf Sunnyday, you really wouldn't re-teach a math concept your child didn't understand? See, I would be GLAD to have the opportunity to make sure my kid learned what he obviously missed in class. If the ultimate goal is for him to learn the material, then why not "tutor" my kid rather than send him back (confused) so the teacher may (or may not!) take the time to go over it in class. Yes, homework is also given to teach study skills, but that can be encouraged without denying help.

 

My son doesn't get homework in kindergarten, so it's a non-issue for him. I have always helped my other kids though when they've needed it. My dd has the solutions guide for her pre-calc book so that we can look up solutions when she gets stuck. Her teacher gave us her blessing - he wants homework to be used to further understanding. She occasionally asks me to edit a paper or explain a science concept, but she doesn't rely on me since she can ask friends or look it up online. It certainly hasn't hurt her work ethic. There's no question that parental involvement is a huge component of academic success, and I see supervising homework in the early grades as a huge part of that.

 

edited for wrong name! Sorry!

[Nart]

I love that my son in first grade gets his homework packet on Friday and needs to turn it in the following Thursday.  His homework is usually 3 math sheets, memorize a poem, work on reading fluency sheet, printing practice, and a reading comprehension sheet. In addition he is supposed to read 100 minutes a week.  Since he can already read fluently and has finished Singapore Math first grade, it takes him 15 minutes to do his entire written homework packet on Saturday. I love that he doesn't have any written homework during the week because we are able to afterschool math and spelling/writing. I would have him read 20 minutes a day whether or not it was assigned.  

[sunnyday]

Ashleysf, you really wouldn't re-teach a math concept your child didn't understand? See, I would be GLAD to have the opportunity to make sure my kid learned what he obviously missed in class. If the ultimate goal is for him to learn the material, then why not "tutor" my kid rather than send him back (confused) so the teacher may (or may not!) take the time to go over it in class. Yes, homework is also given to teach study skills, but that can be encouraged without denying help.

 

I think I was the one who mentioned math. And no, I'd like to say I wouldn't, not in elementary school. Admittedly, this is hypothetical...I mean, this week's first grade homework is to count edges and vertices and to identify squares and rectangles. This after having been working on the concepts for a week. If he doesn't get it well enough to do it on the worksheet, that is on the teacher. They have him for 6.5 hours per day, if they can't get the minimum educating done in that amount of time then something is very wrong and needs to be addressed. My son's afterschool time is reserved for: getting him to bed on time; getting him a healthful meal; letting him get some solid imaginative play in; having him read interesting books to me and having me read interesting books to him; trying to squeeze in a little math enrichment; playing with neighbor kids -- and of course, extracurriculars. Homework is at the bottom of that priority list, we do it if DS is motivated and if I feel there is purpose to it.

 

Homework does not improve outcomes.

 

Homework does not improve outcomes. ;)

[ondreeuh]

I think I was the one who mentioned math. And no, I'd like to say I wouldn't, not in elementary school. Admittedly, this is hypothetical...I mean, this week's first grade homework is to count edges and vertices and to identify squares and rectangles. This after having been working on the concepts for a week. If he doesn't get it well enough to do it on the worksheet, that is on the teacher. They have him for 6.5 hours per day, if they can't get the minimum educating done in that amount of time then something is very wrong and needs to be addressed. My son's afterschool time is reserved for: getting him to bed on time; getting him a healthful meal; letting him get some solid imaginative play in; having him read interesting books to me and having me read interesting books to him; trying to squeeze in a little math enrichment; playing with neighbor kids -- and of course, extracurriculars. Homework is at the bottom of that priority list, we do it if DS is motivated and if I feel there is purpose to it.

 

Homework does not improve outcomes.

 

Homework does not improve outcomes. ;)

 

Sorry, my bad! I corrected my post above.

 

I'm a little confused about what you consider afterschooling. Betime, eating, play, reading, and extracurriculars are just regular things that every good parent does. Kudos to you for not giving him junk food and sitting him in front of the computer, but IMO it's not really afterschooling if the only educational enrichment you do is a little math when you can squeeze it in. I look at afterschooling like an opportunity to reinforce what my kid is doing in school and provide instruction on topics that they aren't covering in school. We do 2 science things, history, LA, 2 math programs, and lots of further reading. The school is doing most of the social education, music, gym, art, etc. while I complement it with appropriate academics. The goal is to have a well-rounded student who is well educated.

 

You are saying that if the school doesn't do a good job or your son just doesn't get it, then you will leave the gaps?  Why do you call what you are doing afterschooling? And please know I am not trying to be the Label Police, but from what you wrote I just don't understand what your rationale is.

 

 

[Joker]

My dds are in 6th and 8th grade and they don't do it all themselves. They do the majority of it themselves but they need help here and there. I consider that part of my afterschooling. It's lead to many interesting discussions.

 

I needed help here and there growing up as well and if my parents couldn't help me, I would look elsewhere. I feel fortunate that dh and I can help our dds.

 

They don't need to be reminded or nagged to do their homework, but they often do have questions. I'm happy to answer them. I never thought of it as a problem before.

[SKL]

You are saying that if the school doesn't do a good job or your son just doesn't get it, then you will leave the gaps? 

 

Of course I can't speak for anyone else, but sometimes when a kid isn't "getting it" in school, it's not a matter of knowledge/skills, but a matter of communication.  I could understand prioritizing substantive skill development over the details of how the teacher wants the homework to be done, especially if the kid is cognitively way ahead of the homework level.

 

With Miss E, I don't require 100% perfection in her homework, but I'll review it and tell her if there's a significant mistake.  I'll say, "you have a mistake in #7" and she can find it and fix it.  Sometimes she blows it off and goes off to play/read, leaving the mistake there.  At that point I put it in her folder for the teacher.  I know that she has the skills and she's not going to learn anything by fixing the mistake.  If her teacher doesn't find it acceptable, that message would be best communicated by the teacher.

 

On the other hand, with Miss A, I am more particular because she is on the teacher's radar for being disinterested.  She is also older and more compliant and does not mind taking the extra time to get it right.  And she is more likely to actually learn something by fixing the mistake.

 

[Tsuga]

Homework does not improve outcomes. ;)

 

I'm aware of the studies that suggest that at the national or state level, that hours of homework assigned do not have a significant correlation with outcomes.

 

However, I am not at all convinced that this implies that "homework does not improve outcomes".

 

Rather, it could just as easily suggest the following:

• Hours of instruction assigned is not as actual instruction conducted (usually studies track homework estimates from assignments, not the amount of homework actually done by students);
• Hierarchical variables, such as national and state administrative systems, school systems, and curricula "drown out" the signals from homework, which vary very little between individuals, given that the number of hours in the day are limited;
• Socio-economic variables, which affect implementation of homework schemes (such as poverty keeping kids in daycare until evening, or inability of parents to help kids with homework because of language/illiteracy, quality of teachers) also "drown out" the signals from homework;
• Homework is much less significant than hours spent on quality instruction of academic material in the classroom (e.g. why some homeschooling families need to "only" spend three hours on focused academic instruction in primary grades--well, that's all they're doing in schools as well, if you only count focused time for each child);
• Outcomes measured are not related to homework outcomes, which might be different.
• Time spent on homework might inversely correlate with outcomes only because the harder it is for you, the longer you take to complete it, indicating that children who lack natural talent at the subject matter will work more for fewer results. But that doesn't mean homework doesn't improve outcomes: it just means that it won't make up for less gray matter, though it will help you avoid failing.

Who knows? But I do know that I've never seen a randomized trial done with homework, that suggested that hours studied was not at all correlated with outcomes. All I know is that at the national and state levels, assigned homework amounts are not nearly as important as, for example, food, having a parent around to help, and having a qualified teacher. But that's kind of obvious.

 

What I want to know is whether for my child, practicing a skill is going to improve her outcome, all else being equal.

 

And given what I've seen, not to mention common sense, I'd say that practice and one-on-one tutoring from mom has been enormously helpful for her.

 

Here are some randomized controlled trials suggesting that homework can help in a controlled environment (e.g. when you compare two similar populations and homework is controlled / checked, not just assigned, then yes, it makes a difference):

 

For APD kids, homework and another intervention:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22512470

 

The "flipped classroom" approach (tangentally relevant):

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24044386

 

The IES has some randomized controlled trials up, or rather, had, before the government shut down. :~(

 

Perhaps you're thinking of an Alfie Kohn piece or 5,000 of them (all on the same thing: do/say nothing for/to your kids, you'll quelch their will to live):

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alfie-kohn/homework-research_b_2184918.html

 

"When kids in these two similar datasets were asked how much time they spent on math homework each day, those in the NELS study said 37 minutes, whereas those in the ELS study said 60 minutes. There's no good reason for such a striking discrepancy"

 

They were conducted a decade apart. That's just one single issue with Kohn's cherry-picking. I could take every piece of that article and point out the flaws in his reasoning but there's no need. Many others have. It's too easy.

 

In the article I've posted above, he (comically) goes through study after study suggesting that yes, homework does indeed improve outcomes, and then complains about them. I've no doubt Kohn himself is a bright man but even bright people, when they have an agenda, can be blinded. No study, especially in the social sciences, is perfect, and indeed all studies have problems, including those ones. But the majority of them suggest that when you control for other factors, if you have enough variation within the group after socioeconomic factors are controlled for, that you are going to get results from practicing at home.

[AuntPol]

Well I have an 8th grader and a Freshman. Homework matters because it is graded. It especially counts for the Freshman because homework grade is part of the quarterly grade.(15-30% depending on the class) and the doing the homework in one class pretty much guarantees they do decent on the test.

 

I really keep track of my freshman's homework. I double check her math most days -especially if it's a new concept. I assign her biology homework because the current sub does not and it is affecting her grade. I proofread her work in other classes so she doesn't get dinged for spelling and grammar. I buy materials for projects. I have to hound her to study since that is not something turned in or "due." She is getting better each week at taking self-responsibility for her work and grades.

 

Now the 8th grader is harder for me as I rarely see him. I spend evenings chauffeuring dance and two of the 4 week nights (3 of 4 some weeks depending on afterschool things) I don't even see him. He is home alone and that means homework is not getting done because he is playing video games. Some days his dad picks him up and takes him to his dad's office where he is supposed to do his homework. He just sits there??? No one knows what he does. My husband is too busy working to make sure anything is done and I am not there.  :(  WHen I am home, I hound him to get his work done. I rarely have time to check it because he is finishing as it's time to walk out the door for school in the mornings.   I have to figure something out. He gets it done but it's a lot of stress and he really needs to get it together by next year since he will be in high school next year.

[Laura Corin]

Hobbes was 10 when he went to school.  I ask him what homework he has and make sure that there is time in the family schedule for him to do it.  I give help if asked - and then note this on the paper (as the school requests).  I don't look at his homework diary - it's up to them to make sure that everything is completed, and to take the consequences if not.  If there was regularly more work than he could reasonably complete, I'd contact the school to see if it was the child's issue or the school's.

 

With Calvin - I help him a bit with deadlines.  I'll ask him a couple of times a week how his deadlines are going, and he'll talk them through with me.  Occasionally he'll ask for my opinion on structuring a piece.  Apart from that, my main role is to ensure that the wireless internet is turned off so he doesn't get distracted.

 

L

[EKS]

Now that I've recovered from the idea of preschoolers having homework, I'll take a shot at this.

 

I homeschooled both kids in the early grades.  My older son entered school in high school and the younger one after he had finished 4th grade, so I don't have experience with early grades homework.

 

With the younger one, my philosophy is that I want him to be completely independent with homework management by the time he is high school age, which will be in three years.  Right now, I am essentially modeling the executive functioning skills needed to manage homework--how to schedule it, how to know when it is done well enough, how and how much to study, that sort of thing.  I have seen a huge improvement in my son's ability in this regard already (he entered school last year).  But I see it as a marathon rather than a sprint.

 

I don't believe in using failure to get kids to learn these skills.  My parents were very hands off with me, and it resulted in my not developing study/homework skills until I was a junior in college.  It also very rapidly led to my not caring whether I failed a class or not, and any class I didn't care about I essentially ignored.  So my intention with being very hands on with these things with my own son is not only to help him develop the executive functioning needed to deal with studying and homework, but also to help him internalize the idea that he is an excellent student *before* he is turned loose to manage on his own.

[sunnyday]

Sorry, my bad! I corrected my post above.

 

I'm a little confused about what you consider afterschooling. Betime, eating, play, reading, and extracurriculars are just regular things that every good parent does. Kudos to you for not giving him junk food and sitting him in front of the computer, but IMO it's not really afterschooling if the only educational enrichment you do is a little math when you can squeeze it in. I look at afterschooling like an opportunity to reinforce what my kid is doing in school and provide instruction on topics that they aren't covering in school. We do 2 science things, history, LA, 2 math programs, and lots of further reading. The school is doing most of the social education, music, gym, art, etc. while I complement it with appropriate academics. The goal is to have a well-rounded student who is well educated.

 

You are saying that if the school doesn't do a good job or your son just doesn't get it, then you will leave the gaps?  Why do you call what you are doing afterschooling? And please know I am not trying to be the Label Police, but from what you wrote I just don't understand what your rationale is.

 

 

What I described was the time spent *after* *school* gets out each day.   :) Excuse the lack of clarity, I see where "afterschool" sounds like I mean the intentional process of supplementing their education.

 

Like you, I feel that what I'm doing in educational afterschooling is providing the true content of my child's academic progress. Unfortunately, because of that litany of "real world" after school priorities, I'm not getting as much actual afterschooling done as I'd hoped, and what I do accomplish is more often looking like unschooling than the semi-structured supplement I'd envisioned.

 

Nonetheless, we do get our work done. The reading time I mentioned is usually somewhat focused on content areas I deem important (Ancient history, life science, advanced phonics). We do spelling/grammar/Singapore math/science experiments on the weekends. We're managing to take nearly a week off of school each month and we treat these times as if we were homeschooling. 

 

What I don't have time for is busywork. I tell my son regularly that the point of schoolwork sent home is to practice enough to cement and reinforce what's been learned. If he doesn't need the practice because it's well-learned, then he needs to move on to greener pastures. If it's not at all learned because he didn't grasp the concept the way the teacher taught it, then what he needs is the teaching and not the practice. He needs to be comfortable skipping the repetitive nonsense -- grade or no -- and asking for the assistance he actually needs, whether from me or from the teacher. So yeah, if he came home with a page of, I don't know, fractions and confessed he had no idea how to proceed? I'd suggest he gave it a good try, I'd ask him to quit when he got frustrated and just leave the worksheet as a record of what he actually understands. Then I'd make a mental note to cover the topic thoroughly ASAP in the context of our math curriculum or a game or something else creative; or else I'd have him contact the teacher or do it myself. What I wouldn't do is sit down and try to crowbar enough of a sketchy understanding into him that he could complete the worksheet, spending an hour to the detriment of other stuff that we need to fit in between school and bed, for the sake of the homework grade, you know?

[Tsuga]

My parents were very hands off with me, and it resulted in my not developing study/homework skills until I was a junior in college.  It also very rapidly led to my not caring whether I failed a class or not, and any class I didn't care about I essentially ignored.  So my intention with being very hands on with these things with my own son is not only to help him develop the executive functioning needed to deal with studying and homework, but also to help him internalize the idea that he is an excellent student *before* he is turned loose to manage on his own.

 

I had a very similar experience. My mom didn't have the skills to help me with math after the sixth grade (I was accelerated, and she was average, plus they moved the math curriculum ahead in the two decades between our education, so basically I was in Algebra in the sixth grade before she got it in college). I failed. I also have "forgets homework" or "doesn't do work" on every report card from first grade on.

 

My mom thought she was teaching me independence but all I learned was that I don't have to work hard to get a passing grade. :)

[eleileen]

I keep an eye on DS1's homework, but I do not sit next to him while he does the work (except for parts like, recite up to no 25). I would be doing household chores or cleaning, but would provide guidance if he asks (hasn't at this level as it's pretty simple work). The first day he came home with homework, he told me he was not going to do it because it's too easy & that my DS2 (age 3) could do it for him. Needless to say, we soon got that one straightened up (it's your work, get it done quickly & correctly if it's too easy).

[kiwik]

ds6 (3/4 of the way through y2/G1)gets one page of homework a week consisting of 20 basic maths facts (some as basic as 2+2), 8 spelling words of which he generally already knows 6 or 7 and occasionally a so called "challenge". It is not really compulsory - if life gets too busy you just write a note on the bottom saying so. I would have ignored preschool homework and I will probably object if it gets above 30 mins a week within the next 5 or 6 years. There are more important things to do with limited time than busywork.

[sunnyday]

I'm aware of the studies that suggest that at the national or state level, that hours of homework assigned do not have a significant correlation with outcomes.

 

However, I am not at all convinced that this implies that "homework does not improve outcomes".

 

 

I've been meaning to come back to this -- thank you for calling me on my parroting of Kohn! I really didn't mean to be so flip and I appreciate your retort. :) It would be more accurate to say that there's no evidence that elementary-age children who excel if they have routine homework (not individually assigned practice, but "for the sake of there being homework" homework) will fail without it, or that kids this age who are struggling (whether from lack of ability or from lack of parental support) would succeed if more routine homework were added. But that's not so sound-bite-y is it? ;)

 

I do have to say though that the links you offered don't really rebut what I'm saying at all. The children with APD whose therapies included 1-2 hours of work a week for the parents to do with them at home...I don't see that correlating with the pages of worksheets that some public school elementary kids get. And while the flipped classroom model is fascinating, I hadn't heard of that, I'm seeing all the evidence pointing to high school level work, and I'm seeing it defined as a requirement to access content-rich material outside of school while the practicing happens during school hours...doesn't sound like the teachers in flipped classrooms are using many content-poor worksheets "to teach study skills". :)

 

So I think maybe I've been unclear about my objection. I did mention elementary school several times...but to be clear, I think that homework (in the sense of work to be filled out and returned) adds nothing to elementary school. I reserve judgment on middle and high school, as my kids aren't there yet, but with what I recall of my own education at those ages, and what I've heard from parents at those ages right now, it seems that some work definitely can and should be shunted off to be completed at home but that there is a bit too much expectation of work at home going on in some districts these days.

[Tsuga]

I've been meaning to come back to this -- thank you for calling me on my parroting of Kohn! I really didn't mean to be so flip and I appreciate your retort. :) It would be more accurate to say that there's no evidence that elementary-age children who excel if they have routine homework (not individually assigned practice, but "for the sake of there being homework" homework) will fail without it, or that kids this age who are struggling (whether from lack of ability or from lack of parental support) would succeed if more routine homework were added. But that's not so sound-bite-y is it? ;)

 

I do have to say though that the links you offered don't really rebut what I'm saying at all. The children with APD whose therapies included 1-2 hours of work a week for the parents to do with them at home...I don't see that correlating with the pages of worksheets that some public school elementary kids get. And while the flipped classroom model is fascinating, I hadn't heard of that, I'm seeing all the evidence pointing to high school level work, and I'm seeing it defined as a requirement to access content-rich material outside of school while the practicing happens during school hours...doesn't sound like the teachers in flipped classrooms are using many content-poor worksheets "to teach study skills". :)

 

So I think maybe I've been unclear about my objection. I did mention elementary school several times...but to be clear, I think that homework (in the sense of work to be filled out and returned) adds nothing to elementary school. I reserve judgment on middle and high school, as my kids aren't there yet, but with what I recall of my own education at those ages, and what I've heard from parents at those ages right now, it seems that some work definitely can and should be shunted off to be completed at home but that there is a bit too much expectation of work at home going on in some districts these days.

 

Your qualified reply is definitely harder to argue with. :)

 

I agree that homework qua homework, or homework without support, or homework when you already know the subject material, does not seem like a good candidate for improving outcomes.

 

But I also think that in this thread, most of the parents are quite involved and are talking about homework to clarify, supplement and go more in-depth in school skills. For example in my home, we do drills of math facts, which are not required, but which have really placed my daughter to excel in math.

 

And I think that the homework she's been assigned--projects using skills, reading age-appropriate books, sight-word and spelling word practice with "challenge" words that are chosen at the third-grade level (i.e. for children who would theoretically be in a gifted program, which is not an option in the first grade)--is also very helpful, to be honest. The school puts a lot of work into homework.

 

Of course, we're in a great school district so a lot of my 'after-schooling' involved getting her to do the homework challenges assigned by the school. I'm aware that most people do not have this luxury.

 

However, I am a big proponent of hard work and I think taking studies that say that busywork assigned does not improve outcomes, and saying, "I guess it doesn't pay to work hard", can come off as disingenous.

 

Obviously with your qualified remark there is a lot more overlap in our perspectives. :)

 

[msk]

I see homework as both a little extra practice for my 7yo, and a time for ME to notice if there's something she hasn't understood well and take responsibility for helping her with it.  Perhaps this is because her school limits homework to 10 minutes per day per grade level (usually much less!) and/or because I've always had a non-antagonistic relationship with her teachers, but if she can't do a math problem I tend to assume it's because *my daughter* didn't understand the classroom explanation that time around and needs to see/hear another explanation-- I don't blame the teacher by assuming the teaching was poor or the homework is inappropriately difficult.

 

If my girl was getting hours of busywork a day I'd be bothered, but I really don't see 10-20 minutes of writing or math practice as a huge intrusion into our lives.

 

I teach college students.  Sometimes I give what I consider a good explanation, and 18 out of 20 students "get it."  I tend to think the two who didn't were either not paying attention or should have asked for extra help, rather than blaming myself for poor teaching when nearly everyone did well.  I am always happy to give the lagging students extra help outside of class of course, but the rest of the class has moved on and those couple of students need to keep up.  I think of my daughter's classroom the same way, and once in a while she needs a few pointers so she can keep moving along with everyone else.

 

I am in the room doing something else during my daughter's 10-15 minutes of daily homework, and I answer questions, check her work, and ask her to fix errors.  I think most people learn a lot from fixing their own mistakes.  I am fine with doing this for the forseeable future if necessary.  My parents checked my English homework until my senior year of high school, unfortunately-- I was writing well enough to get A's in my classes but not well enough to be prepared to do well in college, and they knew it.  I am SO glad they forced me to go "above and beyond" or I wouldn't have learned to write good papers.  In the upper grades I think my role will transition from checking to make sure my daughter has understood things well to checking to make sure she's doing her best and living up to her potential, and I am fine with that.

 

I am often surprised by what comes off as an antagonistic feeling towards schools and teachers in some of the threads on the *afterschooling* board.  I've seen a number of threads on afterschooling (not this one) in which people's dislike of teachers was palpable, and the way they reported speaking to and interacting with teachers was openly rude.  I expect it from some people on the main boards (unfortunately), but I would hope people *afterschooling* have their kids IN school for good reasons rather than resenting the heck out of school in general but sending them anyway.  Obviously that's not the case-- I wonder why?

[EKS]

...if she can't do a math problem I tend to assume it's because *my daughter* didn't understand the classroom explanation that time around and needs to see/hear another explanation-- I don't blame the teacher by assuming the teaching was poor or the homework is inappropriately difficult.

 

An occasional lack of understanding is probably a disconnect on your daughter's part.  But if she didn't understand every single day, and you found that your less than five minute explanation did the trick every single day, hopefully, would begin to suspect that the teacher was at the core of the problem and not your daughter.

[mytwomonkeys]

I am available to sit with my daughter for any of her homework. I certainly don't do it for her by any means, but I am available to explain concepts, problems, etc. sometimes she'll ask me something, other times she is fine. It just depends on the assignment. She is in 6th grade this year. I definitely help her with studying for tests. She has never been to public school previously, so helping her gain strong study habits is simply teaching her a necessary skill.

 

I don't know. I guess I feel like it is still my job as the parent to have my hand in her education. It is her homework, but that doesn't mean she has to figure things out independent of me or her dad. The teachers I've spoken with expect parental involvement at home. If she doesn't understand something or needs clarification, ask me. We are here to help.

[Little Nyssa]

Mine are in 2nd and 4th grade.  

At the beginning of the year we talked together about when is the best time for homework, and I provide the time and space for it: after dinner at the table.  I remind them at that time.

For DD2ndgrade, she needs me to sit with her so she can stay on task and ask questions.

For DS4thgrade, he is completely on his own unless he has questions.  He does pretty well. 

 

The reward comes on Fridays: if they hand in their work for the week, they get to go to a fun activity.  So there is less need for me to assign any reward or consequences, because it is all set up already by the school.  DS remembers on his own to pack up his homework materials for Friday, and DD has to be reminded.