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Fresh Prince
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Location: The glorious nation of Korea
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 Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 5:15 pm Post subject: Should we be giving homework? Does the 10 minute rule apply? |
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A Canadian study and an American study concur that too much homework is a bad thing but in moderation it is good. The problem as we all know, is that Korean kids get massive homework from their other classes and may already be suffering from lack of sleep, burn out, and other problems. I think we all have seen the middle school kids that can't keep their eyes open in class because they hardly get any sleep from studying so much.
So is it really effective to give out homework in addition to work in class? Does giving 10 minutes of homework for each grade level still apply in Korea? For example: A first grader would have 10 minutes of homework, a second grader would have 20 minutes...
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Homework of little benefit to young students: study
The Canadian Press
TORONTO � Homework is of little benefit to students from junior kindergarten to Grade 6, say the authors of a just-released Canadian study, who also found it is often the source of stress and burnout in children, as well as conflict -- even marital stress -- for many families.
The study by two Toronto professors found homework rates vary wildly from student to student, and from grade to grade, with some Grade 2 students spending less than 10 minutes a night, while others log more than 45 minutes.
On average, Ontario students spend almost 40 minutes on homework a night, compared with 32.6 minutes in other provinces.
The authors say this finding is statistically significant.
While research shows some benefits to homework in Grades 7 and 8 and high school, there's scant evidence it improves student achievement in the younger years, say professors Linda Cameron and Lee Bartel of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto.
"For elementary school, especially for the primary grades, I am down on homework entirely," said Cameron, a former kindergarten teacher.
Studies have shown reading with, or to, children every day is the only conclusive way to boost their academic success, and Cameron believes that should be the only "homework" for younger children.
There is a growing body of research in the U.S. that has found homework isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Some American elementary schools have cut back or entirely banned homework.
Cameron and Bartel embarked on this study because of the lack of comparative Canadian data.
In their study, more than 1,000 parents were surveyed and said while they like the good work habits homework promotes, as well as how it helps parents be involved in their children's academic lives, the amount students are getting is interfering with family time, causing stress and even marital troubles.
"Kids are at school for six and a half hours ... and some are on buses at 7:30 in the morning and get home from school at 4:30 or 5 o'clock. That's a very long day, and then they are supposed to do homework?" Bartel said.
"What do we expect of unionized workers, with hours and breaks, and what do we expect of our children? Schooling is their work."
Generally, students should spend 10 minutes per night per grade on homework. Toronto public school board guidelines recommend 10 to 30 minutes for junior kindergarten to Grade 3; 30 to 60 minutes from grades 4 to 6; 45 to 90 from grades 7 to 9; and up to 120 minutes for older high school students. |
http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20080209/Homework_study_080209/20080209?hub=TorontoHome
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Duke Study: Homework Helps Students Succeed in School, As Long as There Isn't Too Much
The study, led by professor Harris Cooper, also shows that the positive correlation is much stronger for secondary students than elementary students
Tuesday, March 7, 2006
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Note to Editors: Harris Cooper can be reached for additional comment at (919) 660-3167 or [email protected].
Durham, N.C. -- It turns out that parents are right to nag: To succeed in school, kids should do their homework.
Duke University researchers have reviewed more than 60 research studies on homework between 1987 and 2003 and concluded that homework does have a positive effect on student achievement.
Harris Cooper, a professor of psychology and director of Duke�s Program in Education, said the research synthesis that he led showed the positive correlation was much stronger for secondary students -� those in grades 7 through 12 -� than those in elementary school.
�With only rare exception, the relationship between the amount of homework students do and their achievement outcomes was found to be positive and statistically significant,� the researchers report in a paper that appears in the spring 2006 edition of �Review of Educational Research.�
Cooper is the lead author; Jorgianne Civey Robinson, a Ph.D. student in psychology, and Erika Patall, a graduate student in psychology, are co-authors. The research was supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
While it�s clear that homework is a critical part of the learning process, Cooper said the analysis also showed that too much homework can be counter-productive for students at all levels.
�Even for high school students, overloading them with homework is not associated with higher grades,� Cooper said.
Cooper said the research is consistent with the �10-minute rule� suggesting the optimum amount of homework that teachers ought to assign. The �10-minute rule,� Cooper said, is a commonly accepted practice in which teachers add 10 minutes of homework as students progress one grade. In other words, a fourth-grader would be assigned 40 minutes of homework a night, while a high school senior would be assigned about two hours. For upper high school students, after about two hours� worth, more homework was not associated with higher achievement.
The authors suggest a number of reasons why older students benefit more from homework than younger students. First, the authors note, younger children are less able than older children to tune out distractions in their environment. Younger children also have less effective study habits.
But the reason also could have to do with why elementary teachers assign homework. Perhaps it is used more often to help young students develop better time management and study skills, not to immediately affect their achievement in particular subject areas.
�Kids burn out,� Cooper said. �The bottom line really is all kids should be doing homework, but the amount and type should vary according to their developmental level and home circumstances. Homework for young students should be short, lead to success without much struggle, occasionally involve parents and, when possible, use out-of-school activities that kids enjoy, such as their sports teams or high-interest reading.�
Cooper pointed out that there are limitations to current research on homework. For instance, little research has been done to assess whether a student�s race, socioeconomic status or ability level affects the importance of homework in his or her achievement.
This is Cooper�s second synthesis of homework research. His first was published in 1989 and covered nearly 120 studies in the 20 years before 1987. Cooper�s recent paper reconfirms many of the findings from the earlier study.
Cooper is the author of �The Battle over Homework: Common Ground for Administrators, Teachers, and Parents� (Corwin Press, 2001). |
http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/2006/03/homework.html |
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Hanson
Joined: 20 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 7:12 pm Post subject: |
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Everyone should print this out and show it to their bosses/co-teachers/students...
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| For upper high school students, after about two hours� worth, more homework was not associated with higher achievement. |
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Easter Clark
Joined: 18 Nov 2007
Location: Hiding from Yie Eun-woong
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| Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 7:33 pm Post subject: |
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My high school students rarely get any homework at all! Maybe since it's a Vocational / Commercial school??  |
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crusher_of_heads
Joined: 23 Feb 2007
Location: kimbop and kimchi for kimberly!!!!
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| Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 7:34 pm Post subject: |
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There is no such thing as too much homework in North America.
Here-give them reasonable amounts. |
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saw6436
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Daejeon, ROK
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| Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 8:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Is that a total of ten minutes per grade level or is it ten minutes per grade level per subject? ie; a second grade student would have 20 minutes of English, 20 minutes of Math, 20 minutes of ... |
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 8:49 pm Post subject: |
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It's the hogwan mothers who DEMAND endless homework then get PO'd if they think it's too much.  |
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spliff
Joined: 19 Jan 2004
Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand
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| Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 8:58 pm Post subject: |
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| ^ Would it be possible to cite this assertion? |
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Fresh Prince
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Location: The glorious nation of Korea
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| Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 9:45 pm Post subject: |
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| saw6436 wrote: |
| Is that a total of ten minutes per grade level or is it ten minutes per grade level per subject? ie; a second grade student would have 20 minutes of English, 20 minutes of Math, 20 minutes of ... |
According to the National Education Association in the U.S., it's a combined total. So a second grader would have a combined total of 20 minutes of homework which would encompass all subjects, while a 6th grader would have an hour a day of homework which would encompass all subjects.
Here's an article from the Scholastic Parents that talks a little more about it:
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| The National Education Association (among other organizations) recommends no more than 10 minutes of homework per grade level per night. In other words, a second grader should be spending about 20 minutes a day on homework, and a sixth grader no more than an hour. |
http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=2073 |
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hari seldon
Joined: 05 Dec 2004
Location: Incheon
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| Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 10:00 pm Post subject: |
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| I don't think the problem with education in Korea is the amount of homework assigned and it sounds like the NEA has its head up its ass on this issue. |
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garykasparov
Joined: 27 May 2007
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| Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 3:27 am Post subject: |
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| Spliff, wen was the last time you gave students homework? This is a serious subject. Stop the jokes. You're not funny. |
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Biblethumper
Joined: 15 Dec 2007
Location: Busan, Korea
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| Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 12:19 pm Post subject: |
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In absolutely every case, students of mine who did more homework regularly always improved their English, while students who did not usually stagnated in their learning.
Likewise, in every case, classes for which I prepared useful, reasonable, appropriate homework and for whom I had a long-term strategy for homework, such classes always outperformed my other classes.
(The NEA's study was thinking in a box: how about comparing homeschooled children who do nothing but homework with publicly educated children who waste countless hours in a classroom?) |
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bassexpander
Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Location: Someplace you'd rather be.
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| Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 12:53 pm Post subject: |
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There is homework, and then there is overkill.
I believe homework is a necessary thing, however it seems to be common of hagwons in Korea to give students far too much. They appear to be playing on the emotions of parents, who feel that if a place gives a lot of homework, they must be legitimate. |
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