As Henry mentions in his blog, he and I engaged in a conversation about homework last night. We expressed our mutual distaste for the inordinate amount of homework that high school students must complete. And while this brief discussion made Henry (for some reason) imagine a duel with Ms. Serensky, it forced me to examine the place of homework in my life. In a random sampling of students I spoke with today, we spend between two and a half to four hours on homework outside of school - this does not even account for commons periods that students can use as a study hall. To me, it seems that this much homework would only serve to stunt the intellectual curiosity of students - with so much homework, they will become bored with academic material. And how are kids expected to pursue their own personal academic interests outside of school with so much homework?
So I did some research. I found that recent studies have indicated that although homework is correlated with higher academic achievement, after ninety minutes to two hours of homework achievement actually decreases. Schools seem to ignore this startling, yet scientifically proven, fact. We hear constantly about how Chinese and Japanese children surpass Americans in their test scores, and these concerns have surfaced over the past five or so years. Yet since 1981, the amount of homework per night for the average American child has increased by fifty one percent. Teachers in many of the nations that outperform the U.S. on student achievement tests - such as Japan, Denmark and the Czech Republic - tend to assign less homework than American teachers, but instructors in low-scoring countries like Greece, Thailand and Iran tend to pile it on. This illustrates the tenuous link between homework and students' achievement.
How should schools remedy this situation? The solution is not as simple as it would seem. Teachers cannot simply be instructed to assign less homework - each one would expect the others (with far less important subjects) to reduce their homework, but would be reluctant to assign less themselves. So although A.P. English may be a factor in this homework overload, The Taskmaster cannot solely be blamed for ruining your academic future - every teacher and administrator must be held accountable. My plan: move all homework online. School administrators can set a maximum homework time for each student (factoring in their age and number of academic classes). Students then have this allotted time to spend as they please on all their homework, but at the end of this time the homework is locked - they cannot continue working on it. If they do not complete it all, teachers will have to deal with it. They will quickly realize that if they want their students to do their homework, they need to assign less of it. This solution is not perfect, but I cannot think of anything better that would satisfy everyone. Problem solved.
Wow Alex, this is a very impressive and informative entry. It probably would not come as a surprise to you that I am closer to the four hour a night end of the spectrum and I too feel a little frustrated with the amount of homework. Obviously, some homework is much more beneficial (AP English) than other busy work (Economics). But it is frustrating because we are left no time out of school to read about current events in the world or maybe even read for pleasure or study something of our choosing. I think the reason we should focus on this problem is because students begin to dread homework and learning before they even begin college, the most important learning period. Like you, I do not know what the solution to the problem is but it is something that needs to be seriously considered in the field of education.
ReplyDeleteI think these statistics should be taken with a grain of salt. Unlike, Donley, I am closer to the 90 minute side of the spectrum and, obviously, my scholastic achievements do not compare to his. When I went to China this summer I was stunned to learn that rarely any homework is done at home but in study halls after school. I believe this is an extremely effective way of learning, without distractions, and in collaboration with other students. I do completely agree with you that a set amount of time is necessary; however, I think a study hall system like the Chinese could be more beneficiary to the students.
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