15 October 2019
I don’t know how you felt about homework but to me it seemed that teachers somehow thought that quantity was more important than quality. And so they loaded us with hours of resented repetitive homework each day.
An article published today in the Australian Teacher Bulletin provides recommendations based on peer reviewed research for parents and teachers.
I have amended these recommendations as follows
1. Quality of homework set is more important than quality.
2. Homework given by secondary school teachers improves academic outcomes providing it is related to current in-class teaching.
3. Academic results improve when
- Parents show regular interest and encouragement in their child’s homework.
- Parents encourage regular routine when homework is to be completed.
- Parents recommend good study habits before tests and examinations.
4, When children are toddlers, parents, carers, siblings and grandparents need to read to children to establish a love of reading
5. When children begin to read, shared reading is appropriate. More importantly, asking open and closed questions about the book the child is reading is more effective than just listening to the child read. Asking what, why, when, where and who might provide great starting points. You could ask what has happened in the story so far and ask how your child thinks it will end. Reading with understanding/comprehension must be the end goal.