Many times each year I discuss the topic of homework with students, parents, staff, and other administrators. Most people recognize homework as a necessary element of education. It is a way for students to gain additional practice towards mastery than possible during our limited school day. Homework can also help reinforce classroom learning and foster the development of higher level thinking skills. However, what types of assignments help students learn?
Here is a link to a ten minute interview with Alfie Kohn, author of The Homework Myth, discussing his unconventional views on homework and its place in our schools:
http://www.alfiekohn.org/hmaudio.htm
Fortunately, GKMS teachers have been working to create more meaningful assignments for students that encourage higher level thinking, independent learning, and student selected products.
Students, please leave comments telling me some of the most useful and beneficial assignments you have completed at GKMS (remember to use only your first name). By you telling us what types of assignments have helped you the most, teachers will be able to continue and increase those opportunities. We also welcome input from parents and guests.
Well i think we spend much time learning in school. and that we should not have homework. if someone is struggling in a certain area, they then should go to the teacher and ask for help not get after school curricular activities.
ReplyDeletei think homework does help us students and that we should still get homework but more like study guides, like a list or words and definitions to look over through the night or worksheets that you have to think about the answer more instead of just finding the word and writing it down. i really dont like homework but if i have to do it, it should benefit me a lot.
ReplyDeletewe should have fun home work!!!!!!!! like games and word searches
ReplyDeletei think in some worksheets helps us but other worksheets are just piontless to do. like crossword puzzles and other sheets but we have to do what are we really lerning in wordserches and cossword puzzles. i thinks sometimes the teachers dont know what to do and just give us any thing they can find.
ReplyDeleteEmily
ReplyDeleteWell i dont know if Ar is a class but i do not know what that dose because with out it we would have a longer class for each and then we could spend more time on what is more important to our learning then just sit and read. I think with out AR more students would under stand their homework more then not and just blowing it all off altogether.But Over all i like are homework it is not to hard but not to easy but thats just me.
I feel that techers should look at us and see how we have Strenths and weakness and by no means should they only give us assinments with our Strenths but balce it or better yet tilt tords our Strenths a littile
ReplyDeleteI think its pointless because teachers arent there to instruct us at our weakness so if were stuck, were just lost so we just get more frustrated and parents might not know the way the teacher taught us and if we don't have internet access to look up anything we can't do our homework. When we don't do our homework then we get punished,but it just may be that we don't understand. /-:
ReplyDeletei dont like homework because it takes time. and if you get something wrong it lowers your grade so therefore i dont like homewrork
ReplyDeletei think that teachers need to focus more individually on students. not overall. because we all learn at different speeds. and that should also make it more fun. and focus on our strengths and not always theimpossible. hopefully things will change!
ReplyDeleteWe should have homework but maybe more time in studyhall or more time in class to do homework!
ReplyDeletehome work is ok!!!!but some is to hard!!!!!!! i think teachers should give home work out at a steady pace because some times i will get home work in all classes but some days i will get nothing from any classes!!!!!!! :)
ReplyDeletehomework is ok....... i think some teachers should teach us better. Because sometimes i cant do my homework because they dont explain it
ReplyDeleteI think that homework can be fun. I found a cool
ReplyDeletewebsite that helps with math called hotmath.com.
My math teacher gives homework out at a steady pace, until today when he gave us doubble the
usual amount. Our teacher supprised the whole class.
whoooooo!!! skool rox. it is sooo ez 2 spell nething u want and if u dont no how 2 spell, then u need HELP!!! im just kidding. i dont really spell any of those words that way, but we all would if we werent in school. see, school is helpful and we need to go to learn how to spell and write and add/subtract, or you would have a very difficult life. so instead of hating your teachers for giving you homework, thank them for helping you. i mean they dont teach you because it helps them, they do it to help you!!! think about that!!! :D
ReplyDeleteI think homework can be fun sometimes but most of it is really boring . I think teachers should go over and let us answer the homework questions in class. So we have to time to do other activites!
ReplyDeletehomework can be bennificial to some students but a drag for others. i guess it just depends on the kind of person you are. i like homework but i would like it if we didnt have as many.
ReplyDeletefun games help kids remember....at least I remember better :) & I have short & long-term memory loss ;)
ReplyDeleteI think homework is ok but when the teachers give an amount that is large most of the others do on the same day so that makes it hard to do. i think ar should be cut to a limmited time to
ReplyDeletewe should have more in-class asignments and projects that are due in a couple days. does anyone agree? i agree with what aero est. 87 said.
ReplyDeleteI have been a mom for over 29 years now. I have ALWAYS disagreed with assigned homework. In other words, if a child does all he/she is supposed to in class, they get to come home and do what they want, (are allowed). If a child messes around in class, then the work comes home. I have 7 children and homework is nothing but a source of conflict; either they don't understand it or just don't want to do it. There are many times when the child does not understand what he/she is actually supposed to do, so niether do I. Plus I do NOT have the gift of teaching, (and admire those who do)so end up yelling at my children if they don't understand me. I always support the teachers, do my best to help when I can, but my kids do know how I feel about homework. I especially resent "projects" that require parents to "help". Sorry, but I've finished my schooling! I would much rather spend the time with my children doing family things than school work. If we did away with assigned homework, this mom would be VERY happy!
ReplyDeleteNO ASSIGNED HOMEWORK
ReplyDeletebridget-
ReplyDeletei think we shouldnt have homework since we spend to much time learning in class and if someone needs help tehy should ask a teacher and not do after school activities. i dont know if AR is even a class but i think we should take AR out of our schedules and so that we have a longer class period and the kids who need extra help might understand the stuf the teacher is teaching :D
Blue says I agree with mom of 7:{ :[
ReplyDeleteI think kids shouldn't complain about homework because in Mr.Ellis's class people always say awww.... which is really rude and it makes teachers mad....So stop complaining!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSincerely, Tracye =)
we should not have as much homework as we do know because it takes all night to do and we dont have a nough time with our parrents!!!!!!!
ReplyDeletehomework is a good thing cause you will get to take it home and show your parents and learn out of school. i like the homework that is fun and and when you get to color it.
ReplyDeletei like homework
ReplyDeleteVoLlEyBaLlGaL32
green said he agrees with mom of 7
ReplyDeleteBlake
ReplyDeleteIm not completely against homework but i dont like it on the weekends i take it home and forget it at home
Wow. Nicely put, mom of 7! I'm a mom who works full time. I resent having to come home and spend an hour or two on homework. This is especially upsetting after hearing that my children spent their school day watching movies in the gym! Why not let us enjoy time with our kids watching movies and use class time for learning?
ReplyDeletehomework is neccisary, but if its boring and hard to do why do it? its just confusing and putting down on grades. spice it up. make it better. and i agree school should not be for watching many movies, thats what home is for, but also kids should have a break from the schedual sometimes.
ReplyDeletewell i think homework is important. but learning is important also. some worksheets that we do are comletely pointless. homwork is a tool ment to help us learn. and truthfully we have a pretty light homework load. i dont know what some of us are going to do once we get to high school where we get tons of homework in every class. i dont think the middle school is preparing us for what lays ahead in the later years of our education.
ReplyDeleteI think that homework can be helpful but also some worksheets can be pointless to do, like crosswords, ect. Teachers shouldn't pile homework on us one day and give us none the less, not saying no homework is good, but some days we have a ton of homework and others none. Its a load on us.
ReplyDelete