I have recently spoken with a parent about homework expectations. I feel it would be beneficial to hear from parents and also students as to what we should expect from homework.
How long should students be spending on homework every day/week?
What about other commitments? Sports training etc.
What sorts of activities are students being given to do? What sorts of activities do students want to do at home?
Please consider the questions above and post your comments below to grow the discussion. Comments are moderated by Mr Hagler before being shown on the blog.
3 hours a week
ReplyDeleteHi Crazy Frog/Pamela??
DeleteYes 3 hours a week is about the amount you should expect. Works out to be about 40-45 mins a night when spread over four nights (Mon-Thurs). Personally I wouldn't want the amount of HW being SET by teachers to much exceed this, although driven students may want to do more.
I think an important point to consider is that the nature of the HW should be suitable as HW. In other words, it should reinforce objectives covered in class and perhaps provide opportunity for students to interact with their whanau to show them work that they have done. I hope the HW I set meets this definition, otherwise please let me know so that I can modify accordingly.
For me it comes down to realistic expecations - is what I'm setting the students work they can realistically achieve at home (note that with collaborative technologies, this does not necessarily mean in isolation either) and I always ask myself, "Is this work they should really be doing in class?" I really don't want to overload HW simply because I'm trying to fit too much into the Homeroom time I'm given. I'd rather put the necessary time in during class, even if this means cutting out extraneous content, and I feel this leads to better learning.
Please let me know if what I've discussed above is what you are experiencing at home, and whether or not it's what you perceive HW to be. Is this what the students are getting across all their subjects? If not, a discussion may need to be had about it.
Cheers and thanks for commenting :)
Saunil
Sorry... Hamish!! My bad. First student to comment. Well done! Remember to add your name so I know who you are.
DeleteIn recognising the AJHS approach to having students interact and grow, as a parent this has changed significantly from our education. I think it is great to have the autonomy they have and just want to be given a heads up re performance of my child in order to address before it becomes an issue. That said, I am not online and monitoring all school work, performance etc as like them we have enough to do and would like to think any concerns will be raised appropriately and timely with the affected scholar and parent
ReplyDeleteHi Malcolm
DeleteThanks for your comment. I totally agree that autonomy in student learning is a strength of today's education system and technology does support this very well.
Regarding monitoring performance, are you aware of the AJHS Web Portal which allows you to log on and review your child's academic performance, attendance etc? If not, let me know and I'll write a post on it.
As far as homework is concerned, do you have any concerns with the status quo?
Cheers and thanks for commenting
Saunil
I was thrilled when Jessica informed me at the beginning of the year that Mr Hagler was not keen on giving excessive homework.
ReplyDeleteI have been surprised as to how much homework Jessica is having to do each night. She has been up each night until 9:30 -10pm over the last 3 weeks. Her bed time is 9pm. So as you can imagine she has been tired at school.
Part of me wants to say to her, that she doesn’t need to spend so much time on homework, but then I know that in order for them to get a good mark or above expectation mark, then they need to put in so much more time.
It has now got to a point that as her parents we are finishing her homework off for her just so she can go to bed and get some sleep. If they are going to have this much homework, then they may as well stay at school until 8pm every day…which of course no one wants to happen!
I believe that after school and weekends should be spent for quality time with the family, pursuing other activities of their choice like sports, music etc, or just relaxing, chilling out and winding down. Not doing work that should been done during the school day. Jessica is not doing any of these things anymore. The children need a break just like we do as adults from our work. It is my understanding that there have been many studies done to show that homework does not necessarily benefit the students academic outcome.
Jessica used to play golf on the world stage, and loved to practice each day. We moved to live on the golf course so that she do could exactly that. Now, she is lucky if she gets to play once a week. I have spoken to other parents about this and they also feel the same way trying to fit in things that their children loved to do and complete homework.
I guess I am asking questions such as:
Are they needing to do homework because their class time/work is not being managed properly?
Can the various teachers of their various subjects get together and discuss the amount of homework that is being sent home in total, rather than each one setting it and not knowing how much the others are setting?
Can homework be dropped completely apart from a set reading time?
If the content of their homework is that important and vital to their years work, can less important things that they are currently doing during their school day, being dropped instead?
Can Whanau time be used more wisely?
I quite often think that the hours, days, weeks and years with our children fly by before we know it, which is why it frustrates me to find that the awake time we do get to spend with them outside school hours, is being spent on homework. I know as parents we all want our children to achieve great heights and that to do this, they need to be exceptional at school but in order to keep them sane, we need to offer them a balance of life. Pamela Saville
By the way, when I refer to homework I don't mean just the homework from you Mr Hagler, rather the overall homework from all subjects.
DeleteHi Pamela
DeleteI couldn't fit my reply in this comment box so open the link below in a new window:
http://goo.gl/9nvk0R (COPY AND PASTE)
Sorry for signing in as Anonymous - for some reason it wouldn't let me use my google account.
ReplyDeleteWinter sport does take up a lot of our families time with at least 3 nights a week training sessions and Saturday games. This does not leave much time for homework.
I don't think it is so much the amount of homework you set for the children but the other subjects and the entirety of it all. I am aware that there is a lot of science homework each week.
I understand that homework is there to reconsolidate what is being taught in class but I personally would like to see a reduced amount during the winter months.
Thanks. Jane.
Hi Jane
DeleteThanks for the comment. Science has been mentioned a few times so I will investigate.
Cheers
Saunil
I feel that grace appears to be spending all her spare time doing homework, and yes science seems excessive. She only has after school activities 2x a week but her brother & sister also have activities which means we are out every day till dinner without internet access or ability to complete science models and the like. I would like to see the amount of time drop or at least the work be that which can be done on the go.
ReplyDeleteCheers
Jocelyn
Not sure if my original post came through, so just in case.....
ReplyDeleteI feel that some weeks the amount of homework coming home is in excess. Grace is very studious and gets her homework done on a timely basis, but this can seem to take all the free time she has.
She has after school activities only twice a week, however is out every night of the week with sibling activities as well, often with no internet access until we get home.
On a whole it appears the homeroom HW is of a manageable nature (and often completed quite quickly when not project based like the WW1 diaries), I do find that science is becoming quite a lengthy homework session though, and is almost doubling her work load.
I don’t feel they need to be inundated with HW as they do need to have some free time or time to unwind, time with family, and time for chores before bed.
I do agree that HW helps the kids to start managing their time and tasks to a level required as they progress through the school years, but wouldn’t like to see it become too excessive too early.
Regards
Jocelyn Pryor
Reading the above comments is making we wonder what Melissa is missing in her homework as she definitely is telling me that she is completing her homework in class time and is definitely not spending more than 3 hours a week (if that) after school. This doesn't include reading which Melissa doesn't regard as homework! The homework which seems to cause her the most stress is science as she opens the tasks and there seems to be more there than she is expecting. Also thinking this through I realise that she doesn't appear to have any maths homework.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the comment that it can be difficult to find the time in which to complete homework online, as I also have 2 other siblings with after school activities as well as Melissa. We are lucky in that my husband can pick up some evenings allowing us time at home
Now that we have settled into the term we are trying to identify homework times that will work for us and also activities such as spelling which Melissa can learn while we are on the move.
I am happy that using the blog to identify what homework is due when is teaching Melissa that she needs to plan her time to fit everything in. Certainly some weeks we have had a panic over work which hasn't been completed which is due the next day. It would be great to have the homework from other classes such as science included on the blog so everyone can see what is expected overall during the week and plan for it.
Thanks, Dionne
Hi Jocelyn
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments.
Excessive amounts of HW can work against the education process, especially when you're only 12 years old!
Fitting in activities outside of school is a big challenge too. I hear you're frustration when tasks require internet access - a situation where write-on paper sheets would come in handy. Bring back a bit of the old days eh?!
Saunil
I think 3 hrs a week is about right but Jonathan appears to be getting more than this at the moment. He obviously not only gets home room but science and maths as well. To be honest I would question the validity and use of some of the science homework (not yours) making 3 d models is extremely time consuming and I would question of how much use. Homework should aid extended learning not be a make and do project for the whole family.
ReplyDeleteHi Kathryn
DeleteThanks for your comment.
The validity of usefulness of homework is of paramount importance. I wholeheartedly agree with you that it should extend learning, rather than be an anchor around the family. If family is involved, then it needs to be for the right reasons.
Cheers
Saunil
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteHaving so much homework accessed through internet - esp Maths is problematic in that format of worksheets we can't download and there does not seem to be paper hard copy options. I like good old spelling practice(hand written in a book) and reading and some Maths sheets however extended projects I believe should be completed in school time.
ReplyDelete