how much homework is enough? depends who you ask much homework is... · 2020. 7. 6. · sponsor...
TRANSCRIPT
4/20/2018 How Much Homework Is Enough? Depends Who You Ask - Education Week
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/04/19/how-much-homework-is-enough-depends-who.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news2&M=58457861&U=2665776 1/4
LOGIN | REGISTER | SUBSCRIBE
Sign Up for FREE ENewsletters
Browse archived issues Current Issue
PrinterFriendly
Email Article
Reprints
Comments
COMMENTARY
How Much Homework Is Enough? Depends WhoYou Ask
—Getty
For teachers, parents, and students the homework debate is complicated
By Sir Ken Robinson & Lou Aronica
April 19, 2018
Editor’s note: This is an adapted excerpt from You, Your Child,
and School: Navigate Your Way to the Best Education (Viking)—
the latest book by author and speaker Sir Ken Robinson (co
authored with Lou Aronica), published in March. For years,
Robinson has been known for his radical work on rekindling
creativity and passion in schools, including three bestselling books
(also with Aronica) on the topic. His TED Talk “Do Schools Kill
Creativity?” holds the record for the mostviewed TED talk of all
time, with more than 50 million views. While Robinson’s latest
book is geared toward parents, it also offers educators a window
into the kinds of education concerns parents have for their children, including on the
quality and quantity of homework.
The amount of homework young people are given varies a lot from school to school and
from grade to grade. In some schools and grades, children have no homework at all. In
others, they may have 18 hours or more of homework every week. In the United States,
the accepted guideline, which is supported by both the National Education Association and
the National Parent Teacher Association, is the 10minute rule: Children should have no
more than 10 minutes of homework each day for each grade reached. In 1st grade,
children should have 10 minutes of daily homework; in 2nd grade, 20 minutes; and so on
to the 12th grade, when on average they should have 120 minutes of homework each
day, which is about 10 hours a week. It doesn’t always work out that way.
In 2013, the University of Phoenix College of Education commissioned a survey of how
Get more stories and free enewsletters!
Password
Select your primary connection to education
Keep me logged in Send me Education Week enewsletters
REGISTER NOW
By clicking "Register" you are agreeing to the Terms ofService and Privacy Policy.
EDUCATION WEEK EVENTS
The Role of Assessment in PersonalizedLearningSPONSOR WEBINAR APRIL 24, 2:00 P.M. EASTERNREGISTER NOW.
Content Provided by: Instructure
Live Webinar With Fountas & Pinnell: GettingPractical About a MultiText Approach toLiteracy InstructionSPONSOR WEBINAR APRIL 25, 4:00 P.M. EASTERNREGISTER NOW.
Content Provided by: Heinemann
School Data Privacy: How to Meet State andDistrict Requirements (Premium Market BriefWebinar)WEBINAR APRIL 27, 2:00 P.M. EASTERNREGISTER NOW.
Principals Tackle Classroom Tech ChallengesWEBINAR APRIL 30, 2:00 P.M. EASTERNREGISTER NOW.
Sponsored by: littleBits
Tackling the Challenges of PersonalizedLearning
April 20, 2018
Tweet
Share 2
TOPICS BLOGS
REPORTS & DATA
EVENTS
OPINION
VIDEO GALLERY
JOBS
EDUCATION WEEK TEACHER DIGITAL DIRECTIONS MARKET BRIEF TOPSCHOOLJOBS SHOP ADVERTISE
4/20/2018 How Much Homework Is Enough? Depends Who You Ask - Education Week
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/04/19/how-much-homework-is-enough-depends-who.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news2&M=58457861&U=2665776 2/4
"Many parents findit difficult to helptheir children withsubjects they’ve notstudied themselvesfor a long time, if atall."
SEE ALSO
Want to know more about Sir KenRobinson? Check out our Q&A withhim. “Q&A With Sir KenRobinson”
MORE OPINION
Follow Commentary here.
much homework teachers typically give their students. From kindergarten to 5th grade, it
was just under three hours per week; from 6th to 8th grade, it was 3.2 hours; and from
9th to 12th grade, it was 3.5 hours.
There are two points to note. First, these are the amounts given by individual teachers.
To estimate the total time children are expected to spend on homework, you need to
multiply these hours by the number of teachers they work with. High school students who
work with five teachers in different curriculum areas may find themselves with 17.5 hours
or more of homework a week, which is the equivalent of a parttime job. The other factor
is that these are teachers’ estimates of the time that homework should take. The time
that individual children spend on it will be more or less than that, according to their
abilities and interests. One child may casually dash off a piece of homework in half the
time that another will spend laboring through in a cold sweat.
Do students have more homework these days than previous generations? Given all the
variables, it’s difficult to say. Some studies suggest they do. In 2007, a study from the
National Center for Education Statistics found that, on average, high school students
spent around seven hours a week on homework. A similar study in 1994 put the
average at less than five hours a week. Mind you, I [Robinson] was in high school in
England in the 1960s and spent a lot more time than that—though maybe that was to do
with my own ability. One way of judging this is to look at how much homework your own
children are given and compare it to what you had at the same age.
There’s also much debate about the value of homework.
Supporters argue that it benefits children, teachers, and parents
in several ways:
• Children learn to deepen their understanding of specific
content, to cover content at their own pace, to become more
independent learners, to develop problemsolving and time
management skills, and to relate what they learn in school to outside activities.
• Teachers can see how well their students understand the lessons; evaluate students’
individual progress, strengths, and weaknesses; and cover more content in class.
• Parents can engage practically in their children’s education, see firsthand what their
children are being taught in school, and understand more clearly how they’re getting on—
what they find easy and what they struggle with in school.
Ashley Norris is assistant dean at the University of Phoenix
College of Education. Commenting on her university’s survey,
she says, "Homework helps build confidence, responsibility,
and problemsolving skills that can set students up for
success in high school, college, and in the workplace."
That may be so, but many parents find it difficult to help their children with subjects
they’ve not studied themselves for a long time, if at all. Families have busy lives, and it
can be hard for parents to find time to help with homework alongside everything else they
have to cope with. Norris is convinced it’s worth the effort, especially, she says, because
in many schools, the nature of homework is changing. One influence is the growing
popularity of the socalled flipped classroom.
In the stereotypical classroom, the teacher
spends time in class presenting material to
the students. Their homework consists of
assignments based on that material. In the
flipped classroom, the teacher provides the
students with presentational materials—
videos, slides, lecture notes—which the
students review at home and then bring
WEBINAR MAY 10, 11:00 A.M. EASTERNREGISTER NOW.
Sponsored by: Texthelp
MOST POPULAR STORIES
Viewed Emailed Recommended Commented
1. Teachers Are at a Breaking Point. A...
2. Here's How the Public Views Teach...
3. Pearson Tested 'SocialPsychological...
4. Teachers Take to Social Media to S...
5. Could Schools Be Doing More With T...
SPONSOR WHITEPAPERS
Six ways to shore up equitable instruction in atiered curriculum
Power in Numbers: Coaching to Lead SchoolTeams
ESSA: An Opportunity for American Educators
Strengthen your district volunteer program
Assessment is Everything
Creating MultiTiered, Equitable Instruction: 6Strategies
The Success Behind Teacher Collaboration:Leveraging Teacher Expertise to Drive SchoolInnovation
Fostering Student Engagement in theMathematical Practices Provided by CurriculumAssociates
The New Mindframe on Assessment
Guide to Choosing Digital Content andCurriculum
Different Approaches to Improve FormativeAssessment
Developing Teacher Leaders to TransformTeaching and Learning
How a District used eBooks to Evolve & RemainCompetitive
How the Right Technology Keeps StudentsEngaged
Why K12 Cybersecurity Involves More ThanJust CIPA Compliance
The Science Behind Student Engagement
Guide to Meeting the Next Generation ScienceStandards
Meeting the Promise of ContinuousImprovement
Creating A Robust STEM Program
SEE MORE Whitepapers >
High School Principal Monument MountainRegional High SchoolBerkshire Hills Regional School District, Great Barrington,
4/20/2018 How Much Homework Is Enough? Depends Who You Ask - Education Week
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/04/19/how-much-homework-is-enough-depends-who.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news2&M=58457861&U=2665776 3/4
questions and ideas to school where they work on them collaboratively with the teacher
and other students. As Norris notes, in this approach, homework extends the boundaries
of the classroom and reframes how time in school can be used more productively,
allowing students to “collaborate on learning, learn from each other, maybe critique [each
other’s work], and share those experiences.”
Even so, many parents and educators are increasingly concerned that homework, in
whatever form it takes, is a bridge too far in the pressured lives of children and their
families. It takes away from essential time for their children to relax and unwind after
school, to play, to be young, and to be together as a family. On top of that, the benefits
of homework are often asserted, but they’re not consistent, and they’re certainly not
guaranteed.
Sir Ken Robinson is a professor emeritus of arts education at the University of Warwick in
Coventry, England. He is the author or coauthor of several bestselling books on
creativity, passion, and educational transformation. Lou Aronica is the coauthor, with Sir
Ken Robinson, of four books, including Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That’s
Transforming Education (Penguin, 2015).
Follow the Education Week Commentary section on Facebook and Twitter. Sign up toget the latest Education Week Commentaries in your email inbox.
WEB ONLY
RELATED STORIES
"Ed. Department Late on 'Homework Gap' Study, Advocacy Groups Say" (Digital Education) February 1,2018.
"Telecom Sprint Launches Campaign to Close 'Homework Gap' (Digital Education) October 13, 2016.
RELATED OPINION
"How Is Homework Helping Students Learn" (Leadership 360) October 17, 2017.“Happiness Before Homework: Focusing on Feelings in the Classroom,” June 7, 2017.“What Do You Mean My Kid Doesn’t Have Homework?,” December 6, 2016.
Notice: We recently upgraded our comments. (Learn more here.) If you are logged in as a subscriberor registered user and already have a Display Name on edweek.org, you can post comments. If you donot already have a Display Name, please create one here.
MORE EDUCATION JOBS >> POST A JOB >>
Massachusetts
Principal, Northview High SchoolDothan City Schools, Dothan, Alabama
Charter School TeachersRCMA Charter Schools, Immokalee, Florida
High School Principal award winning school inbeautiful CAPE COD, MANauset Public Schools, Eastham, Massachusetts
Upper Elementary TeacherGreen Ivy Schools, New York City, New York
4/20/2018 How Much Homework Is Enough? Depends Who You Ask - Education Week
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/04/19/how-much-homework-is-enough-depends-who.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news2&M=58457861&U=2665776 4/4
1 Comment Education Week Login
Share⤤ Sort by Oldest
LOG IN WITH OR SIGN UP WITH DISQUS
Name
Password
By signing up, you agree to the Disqus Basic Rules, Terms ofService, and Privacy Policy.
Join the discussion…
?
→
• Reply •
dflier • an hour ago
Every teacher--and every principal, in particular--should read Alfie Kohn's work,entitled "The Homework Myth." So much of what schools traditionally askstudents to do outside of school hours is simply a waste of valuable time, andsometimes it's even harmful. Kohn's book references real research, not hearsayor supposition. It's a must-read.
Subscribe Privacy
Recommend
Share ›
Ground Rules for Posting We encourage lively debate, but please be respectful of others. Profanity and personal attacks areprohibited. By commenting, you are agreeing to abide by our user agreement. All comments are public.
Back to Top
ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT
• Online Account
• Manage ENewsletters/ Preferences
• Group Subscription
CONTACT US
• Help/FAQ
• Customer Service
• Editor Feedback
• Letters to the Editor
POLICIES
• User Agreement
• Privacy
• Reprints
ADVERTISE WITH US
• Display Advertising
• Recruitment Advertising
EPE INFO
• About Us
• Staff
•Work@EPE
• Mission and History
EDUCATION WEEK PUBLICATIONS
• Education Week
• Teacher
• Digital Directions
• Market Brief
• TopSchoolJobs
© 2018 Editorial Projects in Education6935 Arlington Road, Bethesda MD 20814 18003461834 (Main Office) 18004458250 (Customer Service)