Are classic homeworks obsolete?
Main myths regarding homework, I can identify two. The first is that our children work, without raising his head, hard, and homework is a barrier to their normal life and development which prevents them to grow up healthy and happy. That is, homework too much and our children are incredibly overloaded.
The second myth is diametrically opposed to the first. I had to repeatedly hear: “Here, in our time, we are asked a lot. We essay in the book wrote, otherwise the teacher is not accepted; we 150 problems solved; we were taught by 200 words… And grew up to be educated!”. That is, the current children set small, they are not working, and therefore our education is under threat due to insufficient load.
Carriers of both of the myth are mostly parents. In fact, homework is not much and not enough, if you start to understand. And meaning do not in their number.
According to the international PISA study, the least amounts of homework — the Finns. The biggest — the Chinese and the Japanese. But in terms of the quality of education Finland, China and Japan are combined. So, the difference is quantitative but not qualitative. Accordingly it has been remarkable conclusion: the quantitative amount of overtime employment of children does not correlate with their success in school.
Moreover, there are studies that suggest that many children and parents are overloaded with homework, not like that.
Everyone is always interested in fried facts. If somewhere someone said that children are overwhelmed that the school abused child amounts of homework, then this news is widely picked up, exaggerate, discuss. But the real picture, I think she is not showing.
How to stop cheating homework
An experienced teacher answer: if you have kids to write off the homework from the theatre company, there’s only one thing — do not ask such homework that is in the theatre company.
Let’s look at things simply. This is commercial edition. Once it is sold, it will be published. Why buy it why these jobs are walk on the Internet — because children are not interested to do what they were given. It’s boring, well, honestly.
These are not very high quality, with errors. But there is a more significant problem. Homework is set after all not with the idea to look on the website such and to rewrite from the website into my notebook. But the child, on the contrary, accustomed to imitating activities, are taught to cheat.
So the kids did homework, it should be nowhere to write and it should be interesting to children.
Here is my wonderful colleague, physics teacher, gave the seventh graders an assignment like that. Take two lemons, one strongly cooled in the refrigerator. And then squeeze the juice and compare what lemon juice has more. And offer a hypothesis about why it happened. And the group of students had their experiment to capture on photos or video, dimensions, to accompany it all.
However, I fully admit that some group of parents, insufficiently informed about what is happening, could complain that the teacher instead of puzzles to solve, makes lemons to translate in vain.
How to make parents and school
The law on education States that the education system public control. And parents can, at a certain activity, to be heard. Yes, I know that the school is quite a closed system. But the dialogue with the parents mutually beneficial.
Need to the electronic journal or diary helped the teacher and parent to comment on the specifics of the homework — why ask him, what the teacher expects? This does not mean that parents will do everything for the child. Any sane teacher would definitely say: dear parents, do not interfere, I have not written, glued or solved, but I need something a child did.
Also need in this e-environment had the opportunity to clarify something, ask a question. The type of chat. The lives of our children different. There are health problems, family situation, extracurricular employment. The teacher may just not know it. And necessary environment in which parents can inform the teacher.
The environment useful is that it is equally convenient for all people involved in this process. But these things should be regulated. I the supporter of that at the school level developed specific rules, policies regarding homework assignments, where it is determined what is possible and what is not. And, most importantly, it defines the role of parents.
As a rule, school parents delegate the function of overseer — like, you don’t control your child. But there may be other functions. For example, the same function of informing the teacher.
If parents are considered by the school not only as supervisors but also as a valid and interesting source of information, then we will be able to interact for the benefit of the child. Parents, don’t do it!
Just not worth it to do homework instead of the child. Just not worth it to allow your child to postpone homework for later time. They say, going to sit until midnight until the homework. Or approach “you got a d and going all the holidays to solve problems” — this is not exactly necessary to do. Kid hates the holidays, tasks, everything.
Very useful, in my opinion, ask the children questions. What do you set? What do you get? What does not work?
The task of parents is to care. Yes, there is the concept of independence. And with age, it is very useful to independence and responsibility the child has developed. And parent and child can agree: Yes, indeed, you do it, or she, will be solved, but only if nothing is going to explode! I’m willing to accept your “I am”, if you have no problems. But if problems arise, then I will intervene.
Every family and their relationships, each child’s personality type. I’m not advocating that the school life of the child allowed on the slide, but the child must be your own space, we respect that we don’t invade, if not let us go.