- Apr 2025
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fordhaminstitute.org fordhaminstitute.org
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I encourage educators to focus not on the quantity of homework, but instead on its quality
Yes, make sure the work is quality, but I don't think I can get behind the points this article makes apart from that. We should teach kids to learn on their own and give them opportunities to do that IN SCHOOL. The classroom should be a safe place of learning and questions, then when students are out of school, the skills and knowledge will carry over to the rest of their life.
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incomplete homework assignments receive a zero;
Woah! I think there should be some grace. It is not reality to have no tolerance for late work, but also to not allow students to fix their mistakes.
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Students always need a “why” for the things we ask them to do,
I have been trying to learn this. I really want to help my students see the real-world connections to the content. I want them to actually engage with it, instead of just "getting done."
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only spend a fraction of their time in school.
It is a fraction, but it is a big fraction. Adults with jobs only spend a "fraction" of their time working. I don't think I agree with kids not getting free time to discover, be with family and friends, and get some good exercise. We should try to encourage parents to have their kids do that instead of melting their brains on their phones or games all day.
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“flipped classroom”—a model developed by ed tech innovators to make large college lecture classes more engaging. In flipped classrooms, students learn everything they can on their own at home (in the original conception, via recorded lectures); class time builds on what they learned to address confusion and elevate their thinking to a more sophisticated level
This sounds really interesting, but I just don't know how well it would work in public school because of the wide range of learners. It can definitely help the kids who do well in school, but the kids who need more help / don't do their work, will just fall even more behind.
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Homework must be challenging and purposeful for kids to recognize its value.
I try to do this for projects and assignments in school, but I don't want it to be homework because I want them to work on it in school. If they have to take it home, they will either not have enough time with their family, or they will just get their siblings to help them do it...
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homework is mere busywork. Low-quality homework is likely what drives the mixed research evidence on the impact of homework on student achievement.
I hate getting busywork, and I hate giving it to students, too. However, now that I am teaching, I realized it is really easy to give a bunch of worksheets which feel like almost feel like busywork.
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it reflects an unconscious conviction that kids can’t learn without adults
This is a powerful point. WE need to teach kids how to learn and to love learning, not just content.
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Homework is a powerful tool to help narrow these inequities, giving children from all backgrounds the opportunity to keep learning when they are not in school.
I can agree with this because it can give opportunities for students to learn / expand their learning. However, many students just won't do their homework. For example, when I was in high school, the pandemic hit. My school did optional online classes because not everyone had reliable online access. I did a few classes, but most of my classmates did not want to keep learning and they just skipped out on it. I think it is more important for teachers to teach the enjoyment of learning than to assign more work for students to do at home.
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