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I don’t think workbooks are the problem. I think it’s the way they may be implemented in a child’s education. They can be used successfully as a guide and pathway to study more interesting topics on a subject with the parent and child working together. Don’t be a slave to the workbook. Don’t start from page one and cover every single page and problem given in the workbook. Make the workbook work for you. Be creative with it.
What counts as homework? Anything “assigned” by a homeschooling parent, or just things like workbooks?
That’s a good question. I read a lot of the research about homework, and I think it’s what is assigned to the kid vs what the kid would choose to do.
That would make sense, since we know that kids learn way better from self-directed learning.
Penelope
The Duke study that you cited argued for 10 min per grade. So my 4th grader should have 40 minutes of homework each day? I think that’s too much. This study was really an arguement for the benefits of homework as long as it’s not “too much”.
Kristen, yeah. You’re right. That pretty much ruins that piece of my argument, I think. I wish the conclusion I wrote were right, because that one made me really happy.
So, okay. I think then that the conclusion about cores still stands. I think the research still supports that making kids do chores with their time would have longer term impact than making kids do homework. But it’s probably not binary either. Like, older kids could do both chores and homework.
So I am stuck here. And I have to resort to research I read in the Harvard Business Review — which I can’t find, and really, I wonder if you’ll believe me, but whatever..
The research said that people who are considered pundits in their fields are not right more often than other people, but they stick their neck out to say opinions more than other people, so they end up having more times when they are right, and people remember that – when the pundit is right, not when they are wrong.
It’s research like that that keeps me going when I get something wrong.
Penelope
In a roundabout way, this piece from the NYT (it’s a short read) might be a replacement for your argument there…although, it’s aimed at pre-schoolers so maybe not.
Anyway, rather than butcher the article, here are two quotes from it:
1: “When engaged in what looks like child’s play, preschoolers are actually behaving like scientists, according to a new report in the journal Science: forming hypotheses, running experiments, calculating probabilities and deciphering causal relationships about the world.”
2: “Other studies have found that when children are simply taught, they don’t explore and test multiple hypotheses, Dr. Gopnik said, adding:
“There’s a lot of pressure from parents and policy makers to make preschools more and more like schools. This research suggests the opposite.” ”
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/science/scientific-inquiry-among-the-preschool-set.html?smid=fb-share
As usual, I agree with most of what you write however I have a hard time agreeing with specialization. I believe being a well rounded person is important. We must be able to socialize with others that do not understand/appreciate one’s career/study. Being a well rounded person allows us to reach to others, to help them understand who we are and what we do. Having a common ground such as a love of sports or thearter, other than our specilaztion, will help advance a career. More doors have opened for me not just because of my work record but because of a shared love with the Arts, Music, and History, etc.
Charles Darwin stated later in life that after decades studying the theory of evolution, he felt sad becuase he lost all appreciation for the Arts, History, and Music that he studied @ University.
Specialization maybe the key to get into a first rate college, what then??
Then you may become a renowned scientist like Charles Darwin?
Why would people assign homework when they go to school 8 hours a day for 5 days a week, 9 months in a year and at least 12 years? You barely get to see your family. It’s like we’re in school 24/7 and it sucks! All the teachers are doing is putting stress on you, some people kill themselves because how much stress it causes. So let me ask you, Why?
I have a knife to my throat, there’s too much stress in homework, I guess today is the last day I live, thanks to the person who invented homework, and to the people who give it out.
Workbooks are a waste of time, Mark W. Homework is simply busy work meant to appease the teacher’s conscious about whether their students are “learning”. It’s also something for schools to give the state to show how good they’ve been.
If a child knows the material, you don’t have to force them to regurgitate it over and over on a piece of paper. if they don’t, no amount of homework will do the job.
Teachers also don’t have time to assess whether each child has learned the material so they ask them to write down what they know. This is more efficient than spending quality time with each student.
Also, it holds students back because the time that they are spending regurgitating, they could be learning something new.