Recently, my child’s friend asked, “Do you have homework in home school?” My snarky but very honest child responded, “You’ve met my mother haven’t you?” Yes, this mother and teacher gives homework in home school, despite the considerable debate about the value of the endeavor.
Some long standing critics of homework, such as Kohn, argue that homework results in frustration and exhaustion, family conflict, time lost for other activities, and possible diminution of children’s interest in learning. As a parent of a child that struggled through homework in elementary school – and still loses points for missed assignments in high school – I see some validity in these arguments. Kohn also argues that there is no conclusive evidence that homework increases student achievement (as measured by test scores).
In a more general sense of achievement, homework provide opportunities to engage in activities that support learning and long-term memory. Students can practice skills or concepts to which they were introduced during the school day. Students can engage in “spaced repetition,” the idea of returning to content over multiple sessions results rather than a single session. During spaced repetition, students can undertake “active recall,” a study method that involves repeated questioning to improve retention, memorization, and comprehension, and “directed notetaking,” a process of reviewing notes to clarifying meaning and understanding. Each process helps students build their knowledge and grow in their understanding.
As a college educator, who only sees her students once or twice a week, I see homework as a means to experience content on a deeper and more practical level. When else would students be allowed to engage deeply with a reading or thoughtfully plan an essay (Ravitch)? Through homework, educators in any setting can “flip” their classroom – using the time in class for discussion, inquiry, and application, and the time out of class for research, reading, and writing. The classroom can take on the feel of a laboratory rather than a lecture hall.
However, there are many non-academic reasons for tackling work outside of school. Pryor-Johnson, for example, identified four pragmatic qualities children develop when they complete homework: 1) responsibility, 2) time management, 3) perseverance, and 4) confidence. These qualities are life skills that can aid children well into adulthood. If we greatly reduce or eliminate homework in elementary school, we deprive kids of opportunities to instill these important learning habits and skills (Bempechat). For example, my child is a competitive athlete that has an intense practice schedule at times. This student-athlete has to decide how to prioritize assignments and when to complete assignments, the same decisions that will need to be made in higher grades and at work. And it’s for these non-academic reasons that this home school mom gives homework.