Primary Homework? Is It Really Necessary For Primary School Students?

[The Coast]

I said there's no point in giving it out if it doesn't reinforce something they are getting stuck on or something important.
If it reinforces something, then I'm fine with it. Otherwise, it's pointless. Why would any child bother doing something that doesn't have any correlation with concepts taught in class (E.g. Pointless, long essays).
Also, homework in itself doesn't have much link to marks does it? I know my children don't do much of the homework they recieve and they still recieved above average grades.
I've long believed it was beneficial and vital. Now I've finally realised it doesn't have much link with learning in itself.
Sporting activities can learn children a world of good and also instill fun. Even though homework does learn them, it really has little benefits and doesn't always do them a world of good. Whoever claims homework is more beneficial to chldren than that, um, I don't really think so!
Plus, shouldn't we be encouraging kids to socialise, participate in sport and to get off the computer instead?

That pretty much says it all...

 

[getthefooty]

I agree that it is necessary in primary years in order to prepare the student for the future, and to ensure that all the fundamentals are down pat. A small amount of work that can be done in an allocated time each week won't hurt anybody, and can only really be beneficial in the long term.

However my gripe is with the amount of homework given in the secondary years. I will say flat out that I am a year 11 student and therefore incredibly biased, but the quantity of work I have to do is ridiculous. When every subject dumps shitload of work on you that's due tomorrow, sometimes it becomes actually impossible to do everything by a due date. Plus I don't want to spend these years of my life locked away in my room working out algebraic equations.

I can definitely understand homework which prepares you for or directly affects exams or SACS. However I get a mountain of work that is completely irrelevant to any mark I will receive or is given just because the teacher feels they need to give some work out.

That's the end of my whinge, off to do some more ****ing homework.

 

[icetea]

I agree that it is necessary in primary years in order to prepare the student for the future, and to ensure that all the fundamentals are down pat. A small amount of work that can be done in an allocated time each week won't hurt anybody, and can only really be beneficial in the long term.

However my gripe is with the amount of homework given in the secondary years. I will say flat out that I am a year 11 student and therefore incredibly biased, but the quantity of work I have to do is ridiculous. When every subject dumps shitload of work on you that's due tomorrow, sometimes it becomes actually impossible to do everything by a due date. Plus I don't want to spend these years of my life locked away in my room working out algebraic equations.

I can definitely understand homework which prepares you for or directly affects exams or SACS. However I get a mountain of work that is completely irrelevant to any mark I will receive or is given just because the teacher feels they need to give some work out.

That's the end of my whinge, off to do some more ****ing homework.

yeah i know how you feel mate, remember "short term pain, for long term gain"

 

[Meow]

That pretty much says it all...

That's not my point.
Sporting activities encourage and allow children to socialise, develop friendships, develop new skills, and most of all, encourage them to live a healthy life, especially in this day and age when the idiot box rules supreme.
Homework, on the other hand; doesn't. It may teach them time management skills (The only thing they'll actually gain from it, even in the long run), but the benefits of sport and extracurricular activities far outweigh that of homework, despite the fact they develop children in vastly different ways altogether.
However, I've always been heavily involved in sport and coaching and it teaches time management skills as well, but in a far better, more encouraging and supportive environment than homework does.

 

[AjsGuns]

I only got the odd sheet of hw in primary school (of which i didnt do) im 19 now. I got pretty good grades in high school (around an A average), so in short its irrelevant and doesn't really aid in anything. If i have kids ill most likely do their homework for them when they are in Primary school as its just idiotic.

 

[Captain_Carlton]

This is a very debatable issue.

Firstly, homework offers the opportunity for a student to learn independantly and to exercise effective study skills outside from the school environment. This benefits immensely in terms of the later years of high school and tertiary education. Becoming accustomed to homework from primary school could potentially enhance an individual's skills in the later years of their education, however, every child is different, for example, learning at different rates and may find other methods of homework/study more effective than others.

Although homework offers the opportunity for independant learning in the individual, it is also done externally and therefore, a child may enthusiastically invest their time into completing their homework, however, without the teacher's help, may end up with poor results when it is marked. This could lead to a student becoming discouraged and disinterested in future. It should also be remembered that although homework can reinforce what is learned in class, and provides a message to parents/guardians, that not every child has the opportunity to refer to their parents in regard to homework. Some parents may be uneducated, some may be too busy with work, whilst some may simply not care. This is where the schools may generalise students in the sense that they all have help readily available to them at home. I'm certain that in studies done, parents who boast a high-paying job are more likely to see their children succeed in life. This has to be partially due to the fact that the parents were educated and therefore, very approachable when it was needed for homework.

In terms of the early years of education, reading is essential as it is one of the very basic life skills required. Remember, that the primary years are the formative years of a child, so habits they may learn could potentially follow them right through to secondary school. For example, homework may serve as a benefit in the situation where a student mindfully does not complete a task to the best of their ability, and therefore, does not a achieve a high mark. At least a child will learn a lesson that you can only get out what you put in, which is an element of life altogether. In another example, teachers who have often been too 'soft' on students in regard to homework, such as marking very lightly, it tends to result in poor habits eventuating. A student may become accustomed to deliberately completing a task at a mediocre level and still expect an excellent result, however, it is a disastrous habit to have, and a disastrous mistake to make, particularly if a child still has the habit by the later years of secondary school.

While homework and study may consume a considerate portion of a student's life, it really is all about time-management and planning. When coming into the later years of high school and even tertiary studies, homework or study can be used as a safeguard to ensure you complete all your work yet still manage to have a good time. For example, it's Saturday morning. Friends ring up and ask if you want to go to the footy in the afternoon, and you say yes, but only if you've completed homework/study by the time you are going to leave. You work hard all morning, completing the task(s) you had aimed to finish, therefore allowing you to go to the footy. Now, while at the footy you will get the feeling that it is a more deserved outing than a God-given right. You feel you have worked hard and received the rewards. That is what life consists of also. Work hard and rewards will come your way.

 

[Rocco_S]

If we're discussing the topic; "Is homework really necessary for primary school students?" then there really is no debate. Of course it is.

I agree that for homework to be effective, it has to be;
- specific to an individual child's learning style (some children don't learn best by writing spelling words underneath each other).
- relevant to current learning topics that reinforces current and key learning points.
- not seen as a chore and has to appeal to a child's intrinsic motivation (I take the bins out every Sunday night, I don't get anything out of it, it just has to be done. Homework should not be like this).

There are numerous benefits for homework;
- introduces children to working/learning at home or other area's away from the classroom.
- gets parents actively involved in their child's learning (whether they chose to or not is another thing, but this is a crucial part in a child's education!)
- gives students responsibility over their own learning.
- introduces concepts such as due dates, time management and improves and promotes good and effective working habits.

I agree that sport and extracurricular activities have certain value's (many of which are the same as homework offers) but as was mentioned before, they shouldn't be competing with each other. Some children don't get many benefits out of playing sport.

To the OP, have a chat with the classroom teacher and tell them that your children aren't getting much out of the homework they are given. For example, if they aren't benefiting out of any numeracy homework, organise with the teacher to do a sudoku a week. Or for literacy, exchange some weekly spelling words for the newspapers word square each day.

But as a bare minimum, all children should be reading nightly, and in all different forms - silently, to a parent, parents reading to child etc.

 

[Shinboner '07]

no, i think from prep to grade 4 should be all fun and games

 

[Bluebird28]

Ahh...the old homework debate. As a primary school teacher, I must say children should definitely have some experience with homework for preparation and most importantly, parent involvement in what is going on in the classroom. It is essential for parents and teachers to be a team...homework is one "small" part of this. I defintely agree with many in saying that a young child of primary school age should not be sitting behind a desk for hours upon hours studying...life is too short to miss out on childhood. Teachers and schools should encourage more "hands on" type homework rather than the usual worksheets and chapter reads. Real learning comes from experiences in the world...and research shows children learn most effectively through play. Not saying teachers should assign "play-time", but maybe more "hands-on" assignments related to what is going on in the classroom..."hands-on" assignments that encourage collaboration with peers, family, and the community.

 

[pacemaker]

As a pre-service teacher i believe it is important to have some form of home work from years 3 -7 (as year 7 is still primary in WA schools). Not having home work every night instead have the children given a homework sheet every Monday where the sheet is double sided, one side being mathematcis based and the other English based. Students will be required to hand in the sheet on Friday. It isn't too much to ask to do a work sheet which would take an hour to complete and having a student to work on it at least 15 minutes a night or they can smash it out the first night. The work sheet in meaningful to learning as it can be all revision or based on what is going to be taught during that week

 

[Falchoon]

That's not my point.
Sporting activities encourage and allow children to socialise, develop friendships, develop new skills, and most of all, encourage them to live a healthy life, especially in this day and age when the idiot box rules supreme.
Homework, on the other hand; doesn't. It may teach them time management skills (The only thing they'll actually gain from it, even in the long run), but the benefits of sport and extracurricular activities far outweigh that of homework, despite the fact they develop children in vastly different ways altogether.
However, I've always been heavily involved in sport and coaching and it teaches time management skills as well, but in a far better, more encouraging and supportive environment than homework does.

One thing that has to be avoided is valuing sport above education in the childs minds.

I was horrified to learn that kids are no longer ranked in certain schools, on educational results, that they receive no formal grades and that the reason is they don't want to discourage the "slower learners".

and yet the sports carnival still has first, second and third - horrible.

I have a feeling educated parents will welcome their children receiving homework.

 

[DeanoT]

One thing that has to be avoided is valuing sport above education in the childs minds.

I was horrified to learn that kids are no longer ranked in certain schools, on educational results, that they receive no formal grades and that the reason is they don't want to discourage the "slower learners".

and yet the sports carnival still has first, second and third - horrible.

I have a feeling educated parents will welcome their children receiving homework.

There is no reason why kids can't have an appropriate balance of both. Focus on homework after school and during the week, with only minimal sporting activities, while the weekend the priorities should reverse, with as much sport as desired, and a little bit of homework. In secondary school the requirement for weekend homework and assignments should increase.

I agree that those who think sport has a greater benefit for their children than learning are not setting a great example for their kids.

 

[Gift]

I reckon the main priority after school for primary school kids should be to encourage them to get involved in hobbies and sports so they grow up with them.

However I believe getting used to doing homework from years 3-6 mainly (not heaps though but not too little) is ideal so then they dont become lazy bastards when they enter high school (homework load drastically increases imo from year 7 onwards).

 

[morri]

I had homework in primary school but obviously it wasnt a lot, it was just for example the subtraction calculation in the exercise book , or practising a set of letters, or reading a text in the text book for starters. It wouldnt take half an hour to do it all, and even later ins chool it didnt take much more than half an hour for homework, (unless there were things that werent understood easily) but homework is a great chance to see whether you understood something or not and gives apt feedback to the teacher controlling it.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

I reckon the main priority after school for primary school kids should be to encourage them to get involved in hobbies and sports so they grow up with them.

However I believe getting used to doing homework from years 3-6 mainly (not heaps though but not too little) is ideal so then they dont become lazy bastards when they enter high school (homework load drastically increases imo from year 7 onwards).

I disagree with this philosophy, is there evidence to support it?

To me its like mowing the lawn, when you need to do it you need to, but if I mowed the lawn unnecessarily for several days beforehand it wouldnt make it easier when I had to, if anything it would trivialise it.
I have experience with both secondary and tertiary, and post graduate study, and I still take work home on occasion.

 

[garygee]

Homework at primary school age should not be off any amount to cause stress and shouldn't be snowed the child under. A couple of maths sheets and books to read wont hurt. Many parents mistakenly think the teacher are responsible for their children's education and homework is a way to make parents engage and get involved.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Homework at primary school age should not be off any amount to cause stress and shouldn't be snowed the child under. A couple of maths sheets and books to read wont hurt. Many parents mistakenly think the teacher are responsible for their children's education and homework is a way to make parents engage and get involved.

Teacher IS responsible not are.

It is an education thread after all

The whole idea of public education is that the children are educated, and its a sad fact that some parents will not involve themselves.
Surely it is a function of the public education system to be responsible for the education of the children of such parents.

 

[HappyChappy35]

Seems as though ones stance on homework is determined by what they gained personally from it as a student. I'm currently nearing the completion of secondary school, and despite always putting effort and dedication into homework tasks I've never really gained much from doing it. As a student I've never really struggled greatly learning-wise though, so this may have something to do with it. However, this may not be the case for other students (particularly for struggling students), who require additional work to reinforce concepts taught in class.
If homework is to be given to students, it must be constructive, tailored to students specific academic abilities, reinforce concepts taught in class, and not be lengthy or cause excessive stress/difficulty. During Year 8 and 9 I received (on average) close to 2 hours of homework per night, now surely this is excessive? I can understand this amount for Year 11 or 12, but a Year 8/9 student probably shouldn't receive anywhere near this amount of homework (although the school I attended then was big on homework so this may not be the case elsewhere).
On holiday homework- I've been assigned two projects and two novels to complete over these summer holidays, and although they have been completed, I frankly wasn't too pleased at all with the concept of holiday homework (I can understand a novel, but assignments?). They are a period for kids to relax and enjoy themselves, and in addition to this students already receive enough homework during school terms. And seriously, what is the point of having school holidays when work is going to be assigned during them anyway?
So then, what is an appropriate age to do homework at? Should only be given from Year 6 upwards IMO (and even then it should only be minimal), and increase by small increments per year level. Primary schoolers should be encouraged to get outside and explore their surroundings rather than be holed up indoors doing homework.
Homework does offer benefits for students only if it is constructive and provides them with an opportunity to extend themselves, which I feel it does less of nowadays.

 

[Gift]

I disagree with this philosophy, is there evidence to support it?

To me its like mowing the lawn, when you need to do it you need to, but if I mowed the lawn unnecessarily for several days beforehand it wouldnt make it easier when I had to, if anything it would trivialise it.
I have experience with both secondary and tertiary, and post graduate study, and I still take work home on occasion.

Even though this dude is red carded, ill still reply to this anyways
I said what Im saying is just opinion/my own experience so dunno why you are asking for evidence...

Btw I reckon your lawn mowing analogy sucks, maybe you should provide some evidence

Only point I was trying to make is that its easier for kids when things become a habit. Same thing applies to the lawn mowing, if I got a kid to get into the habit of mowing the lawn every fortnight theyll most likely get used to it and will do it most of the time. If I told the kid to mow the lawn when they reckon its time to, im sure most kids would be lazy bastards and would only do it when snakes are starting to live in the grass Im sure there are kids out there that are good with being responsible etc, but when most become lazy its a really hard habit to break.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Even though this dude is red carded, ill still reply to this anyways
I said what Im saying is just opinion/my own experience so dunno why you are asking for evidence...

Btw I reckon your lawn mowing analogy sucks, maybe you should provide some evidence

Only point I was trying to make is that its easier for kids when things become a habit. Same thing applies to the lawn mowing, if I got a kid to get into the habit of mowing the lawn every fortnight theyll most likely get used to it and will do it most of the time. If I told the kid to mow the lawn when they reckon its time to, im sure most kids would be lazy bastards and would only do it when snakes are starting to live in the grass Im sure there are kids out there that are good with being responsible etc, but when most become lazy its a really hard habit to break.

Dont worry about the red card, that happens on some of the "less serious" threads.
Yeah the trouble is, if you are just doing it to get them used to it does it help anything. Its not like you need to practise doing homework for 10 years for when you really need it at the age of 16.
To me children need to experiment a bit to find out what they are good at. Sport, Music, Dancing, hobbies. Its where they find their niche in life.

More and more parents are having to decide what the children will do, since its not viable to experiment as much. As such many kids can miss the boat for something they could have really enjoyed throughout life.

 

[KillaKanga]

Been teaching for 9 years now and this is a very interesting topic.

IMO Children should read every single night, get to read something they are interested and go... reading helps with everything from reading, vocabulary, imagination and being able to sit still without looking at a screen.

Children should practise their times tables. Kids these days are hopeless in general with this. Not sure if it's society not caring anymore but it holds kids back from everything maths if they can't answer the easy ones (3 x 4) and 2 seconds.

I'm also a bit of a fan of a generic 1 pagers that covers the stuff they already know but just reinforces it. If it's too much though it's either too easy and your just wasting their time or it's too and hard and they can't do it. (or worse the parents do it for them and we think they can do it but they can't)

As for mowing??? bad analogy

Homework is given a) for kids to practise skills they have learnt in the classroom (repitition is good for to improve in some areas)
b) to get the kids ingrained in the habit that work needs to be done out of school

You would get a kid to kick a footy as much as possible if you want them to improve. The more they do it, it becomes a muscle memory. But you need to teach them to kick properly first!!!

Just like times tables just keep practising and it becomes a brain muscle memory.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Been teaching for 9 years now and this is a very interesting topic.

IMO Children should read every single night, get to read something they are interested and go... reading helps with everything from reading, vocabulary, imagination and being able to sit still without looking at a screen.

Children should practise their times tables. Kids these days are hopeless in general with this. Not sure if it's society not caring anymore but it holds kids back from everything maths if they can't answer the easy ones (3 x 4) and 2 seconds.

I'm also a bit of a fan of a generic 1 pagers that covers the stuff they already know but just reinforces it. If it's too much though it's either too easy and your just wasting their time or it's too and hard and they can't do it. (or worse the parents do it for them and we think they can do it but they can't)

As for mowing??? bad analogy

Homework is given a) for kids to practise skills they have learnt in the classroom (repitition is good for to improve in some areas)
b) to get the kids ingrained in the habit that work needs to be done out of school

You would get a kid to kick a footy as much as possible if you want them to improve. The more they do it, it becomes a muscle memory. But you need to teach them to kick properly first!!!

Just like times tables just keep practising and it becomes a brain muscle memory.

I hear what you are saying, and I agree regarding the reading , and times tables, though I have my oldest 2 ( the eldest in high school ) at a level where they read for recreation rather than daily because they have to. My son in year 6 has discovered the comedy books that are all about "bums" and "Snot" etc and he reads just about any time we are in the car.

I guess that what bugs me is that there seems to have been an increase "big" assignments without much structure, which requires a lot of research on the internet, and the kids all a bit vague about the sort of thing they are looking for. It tends to blow into a massive time consumer for the kids and the parents, and I'm not convinced there is a lot of education coming from it in the end.

I guess this is what happens if you dont learn the times tables.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qhm7-LEBznk&feature=player_embedded

 

[KillaKanga]

I hear what you are saying, and I agree regarding the reading , and times tables, though I have my oldest 2 ( the eldest in high school ) at a level where they read for recreation rather than daily because they have to. My son in year 6 has discovered the comedy books that are all about "bums" and "Snot" etc and he reads just about any time we are in the car.

I guess that what bugs me is that there seems to have been an increase "big" assignments without much structure, which requires a lot of research on the internet, and the kids all a bit vague about the sort of thing they are looking for. It tends to blow into a massive time consumer for the kids and the parents, and I'm not convinced there is a lot of education coming from it in the end.

I guess this is what happens if you dont learn the times tables.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qhm7-LEBznk&feature=player_embedded

Still not sure what your point is regarding reading and snot etc???? I would hope that reading is focused on as a fun thing and often kids will emulate their parents. Pushing kids to read will not have a good effect on their opinion of reading and if anything will get them to dispise it.

I have a student ATM who hates reading but plays Xbox all day. I had a wrod to mum and said he can read xbox magazines or game booklets or books about his fav character. He now has a stack of this stuff on desk and I'm yelling at him to focus in class and stop reading.

Reading should always lead to being for recreation.

As for big assignments I totally agree, I never get kids to doing anything that isn't fun and able to be done without parental help!!!

That youtube made me shiver and laugh thanks!!!!!! I might show it to my class as a cautionary tale

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Still not sure what your point is regarding reading and snot etc???? I would hope that reading is focused on as a fun thing and often kids will emulate their parents. Pushing kids to read will not have a good effect on their opinion of reading and if anything will get them to dispise it.

I have a student ATM who hates reading but plays Xbox all day. I had a wrod to mum and said he can read xbox magazines or game booklets or books about his fav character. He now has a stack of this stuff on desk and I'm yelling at him to focus in class and stop reading.

Reading should always lead to being for recreation.

As for big assignments I totally agree, I never get kids to doing anything that isn't fun and able to be done without parental help!!!

That youtube made me shiver and laugh thanks!!!!!! I might show it to my class as a cautionary tale

I suspect that most primary school students could answer the 80mph question OK ( though I'll ask my kids in Km/h to be fair ).
Yeah that was my point with the books. Fun.
The books my son reads seem dreadful "Snot Funny" is the title of the one he's reading now. The "Captain Underpants" series were a big hit.
All the toilet humour that appeals to young boys, but its got him reading off his own bat, so I'll just hope that he progresses to better things.

My daughter has just discoverd "Book Club" at high school , and she was surprised because she thought only "Nerds" did it. ( The cool kids sit around with their IPods you see ).

 

[Tigerman20]

I know many people who had homework as a child; they say it didn't benefit them.

They think it didn't benefit them. There's a big difference

However I'm not sure homework is even a valuable thing at high school level. But then again when you think about it, it probably plays a big part in the success of students moving into tertiary studies.

Ideally it would be better to have a system where there was no homework and all the learning was done in class. Here's a radical idea why not extend the school hours and work on achieving all the goals in class so that the leisure time is more sacred. You could timetable in different sporting activities as well so that kids have a balanced life (I'm kinda thinking both primary and high school). Then of course eliminating homework