Thread 103765
Originally posted by AThousandYoung
That's how I'm feeling. I've never had a job with homework before. I'm expected to go home and keep working - grading papers, preparing lessons, preparing worksheets, calling parents, etc.
When I go home I want to be FREE! But the educational system has this thing for keeping it's claws around your neck no matter when or where.
From what I understand current educational research is leaning towards not giving students homework any more, which I think is BRILLIANT!
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blended_Learning_in_K-12/Definition
Dr. Margaret Driscoll identifies four different concepts in defining blended learning The first defines blended learning as meaning "to combine or mix modes of Web-based technology (e.g., live virtual classroom, self-paced instruction, collaborative learning, streaming video, audio, and text) to accomplish an educational goal." (Driscoll, 2002) Other authors also define blended learning according to Driscoll’s first. For example in the introduction to "Building Effective Blended Learning Programs", Harry Singh (2003) indicates blended learning models “combine various delivery modes. Anecdotal evidence indicates that blended learning not only offers more choices but also is more effective."
Dr. Driscoll’s second definition describes blended learning as meaning "to combine various pedagogical approaches (e.g., constructivism, behaviorism, cognitivism) to produce an optimal learning outcome with or without instructional technology." (Driscoll, 2002)
As Charles Graham points out in his introduction to the article “Blended Learning Systems: Definition, Current Trends, and Future Directions”, both of these first two concepts “suffer from the problem that they define BL so broadly that there encompass virtually all learning systems.” (Bonk & Graham, 2004)
The third definition from Dr. Driscoll (2002) defines blended learning as meaning "to combine any form of instructional technology (e.g., videotape, CD-ROM, Web-based training, film) with face-to-face instructor-led training." (Driscoll, 2002)
That statement of mine came from two independent sources, but they were not written. One was my "Intro to Teaching and Learning" professor and the other is my friend who is an experienced history teacher. I don't know where they got that information from.
Wikipedia says
There is a growing number of teachers, parents, and students that advocate the abolishment, or at least a limit to the amount, of homework. The main reason is the belief that students also learn from activities in life other than textbooks and workbooks found in classrooms. A whole day in class and most of the night reading school books that are related to the subject in school leaves a student out of touch, without free time, and unable to get exercise or pursue extracurricular activities. Talents and interest of the student often cannot be nurtured in a classroom setting with teachers focused only on a specific subject.
Moreover, there is a considerable body of research supporting the idea that homework is of little educational value, and that for young children (i.e. under 14) it actually has a negative effect on learning.[15] [16]
[15] Kohn, Alfie, The Homework Myth: why our kids get too much of a bad thing, ISBN 0738210854
[16] Bennett, Sara; Kalish, Nancy, The Case Against Homework: how homework is hurting our children and what we can do about it, ISBN 0307340171
In my opinion homework is often frustrating, painful and demoralizing.
I think one of the big problems with our education system is that we are too often stuck in the assumption that the main way to teach people is to have a teacher or professor giving a lecture in front of a roomful of passively listening (or daydreaming or misbehaving) students -- and then giving out a specific homework assignment for them to do. One major downside is that school becomes very much like a prison.
A better way might be to use the boy scout merit badge approach. Provide the class with a list of requirements that must be met in order to complete the course. Provide them with the textbooks, websites, CDs, filmstrips etc that they will need, and then let everyone work by themselves. The teacher's role would be to supervise the process and offer assistance to anyone having problems. The students would be free to do their work in school, at home, or wherever they are most comfortable.
It might even be possible for each student to do much of his or her schoolwork from home - accessing needed materials including teacher assistance via the internet - and not even have to show up at the school building at all on many days. By having this kind of control over their time, students would find the learning process a lot more fun.
Ultimately, the primary mission of the education system should be to teach people how to teach themselves.
As a teacher, I understand!
I once heard someone say (in a sarcastic tone)
"You're getting paid SALARY not HOURLY..."
I certainly don't see the homework lessening (I teach in a public high school). In fact, it's probably grown with the increase in state testing.
But hey, despite it all, I still think it's one of the greatest jobs out there;
I have a positive impact (it's certainly not mindless or meaningless work), fun with the kids (90%of the time), I run our school's chess club, I've got good health care for my family AND I get two weeks off in the winter, two weeks at spring, two months off for summer (albeit unpaid), and just about every national and local holiday. Find a comparable package that doesn't have you working 70 hours a week.
I do have to question how much homework is necessary...
but compare our school performance to other wealthy/industrialized nations and....