The Case Against Homework

The Case Against Homework
Author: Sara Bennett
Publisher: Harmony
Total Pages: 254
Release: 2006-08-29
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 0307381455

Does assigning fifty math problems accomplish any more than assigning five? Is memorizing word lists the best way to increase vocabulary—especially when it takes away from reading time? And what is the real purpose behind those devilish dioramas? The time our children spend doing homework has skyrocketed in recent years. Parents spend countless hours cajoling their kids to complete such assignments—often without considering whether or not they serve any worthwhile purpose. Even many teachers are in the dark: Only one of the hundreds the authors interviewed and surveyed had ever taken a course specifically on homework during training. The truth, according to Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish, is that there is almost no evidence that homework helps elementary school students achieve academic success and little evidence that it helps older students. Yet the nightly burden is taking a serious toll on America’s families. It robs children of the sleep, play, and exercise time they need for proper physical, emotional, and neurological development. And it is a hidden cause of the childhood obesity epidemic, creating a nation of “homework potatoes.” In The Case Against Homework, Bennett and Kalish draw on academic research, interviews with educators, parents, and kids, and their own experience as parents and successful homework reformers to offer detailed advice to frustrated parents. You’ll find out which assignments advance learning and which are time-wasters, how to set priorities when your child comes home with an overstuffed backpack, how to talk and write to teachers and school administrators in persuasive, nonconfrontational ways, and how to rally other parents to help restore balance in your children’s lives. Empowering, practical, and rigorously researched, The Case Against Homework shows how too much work is having a negative effect on our children’s achievement and development and gives us the tools and tactics we need to advocate for change. Also available as an eBook

The Homework Myth

The Homework Myth
Author: Alfie Kohn
Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books
Total Pages: 268
Release: 2007-04-03
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0738211346

Death and taxes come later; what seems inevitable for children is the idea that, after spending the day at school, they must then complete more academic assignments at home. The predictable results: stress and conflict, frustration and exhaustion. Parents respond by reassuring themselves that at least the benefits outweigh the costs. But what if they don't? In The Homework Myth, nationally known educator and parenting expert Alfie Kohn systematically examines the usual defenses of homework--that it promotes higher achievement, "reinforces" learning, and teaches study skills and responsibility. None of these assumptions, he shows, actually passes the test of research, logic, or experience. So why do we continue to administer this modern cod liver oil -- or even demand a larger dose? Kohn's incisive analysis reveals how a mistrust of children, a set of misconceptions about learning, and a misguided focus on competitiveness have all left our kids with less free time and our families with more conflict. Pointing to parents who have fought back -- and schools that have proved educational excellence is possible without homework -- Kohn shows how we can rethink what happens during and after school in order to rescue our families and our children's love of learning.

The Battle Over Homework

The Battle Over Homework
Author: Harris M. Cooper
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 142
Release: 2015-02-03
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1631440128

Homework is the cause of more friction between schools and home than any other aspect of education and becomes the prime battlefield when schools, families, and communities view one another as adversaries. This comprehensive fourth edition tackles all the tough questions: What’s the right amount of homework? What role should parents play in the homework process? What is the connection between homework and achievement? This essential reference offers all stakeholders—administrators, teachers, and parents—the opportunity to end the battle and turn homework into a cooperative endeavor to promote student learning.

The Parents' Phrase Book

The Parents' Phrase Book
Author: Whit Honea
Publisher: Adams Media
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2014-01-01
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 1440570744

"Children can be like a foreign country, and this is the phrase book and guide book that adults need to navigate that landscape sensitively and effectively." - Catherine Connors, Editor-in-Chief, Disney Interactive Family "The Parents' Phrase Book shares [Whit's] helpful insight into parenting in a way that is thought-provoking, heartwarming, and always entertaining." - Ed Sanders, TV Host (Owner's Manual, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition) "Whit is...high on my list of people to ask for advice if I wasn't sure how to deal with a parenting issue." - Matt Blum, Editor-in-Chief, GeekDad.com "The Parents' Phrase Book is the go-to guide...for the wild rollercoaster known as parenting." - Mike Adamick, Author of Dad's Book of Awesome Projects; MikeAdamick.com "No matter how much we study and experiment, our best efforts as parents get lost in translation.... This book is the closest thing we have to a 'Dead Sea Scrolls' for parenting." - Charlie Capen, Author of The Guide to Baby Sleep Positions; HowToBeADad.com What do you say when your child gets caught in a fib? Or asks you where babies come from? With The Parents' Phrase Book, you no longer have to worry about coming up with the right response on the spot. Written by Whit Honea, a parenting expert whose advice has appeared on BabyCenter, Babble, and the Huffington Post, this valuable guide provides you with the key language and tactics you'll need to deal with a variety of parenting situations. Inside, Honea explains why his approach quickly resolves issues and why so many of the parenting phrases you'll hear on the playground actually encourage your child to misbehave. From tackling sibling rivalry to handling bullies at school, The Parents' Phrase Book will help you connect with your child and address even the toughest parenting dilemmas.

The Homework Machine

The Homework Machine
Author: Dan Gutman
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 168
Release: 2009-10-27
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1442407093

Doing homework becomes a thing of the past! Meet the D Squad, a foursome of fifth graders at the Grand Canyon School made up of a geek, a class clown, a teacher's pet, and a slacker. They are bound together by one very big secret: the homework machine. Because the machine, code-named Belch, is doing their homework for them, they start spending a lot of time together, attracting a lot of attention. And attention is exactly what you don't want when you are keeping a secret. Before long, things start to get out of control, and Belch becomes much more powerful than they ever imagined. Now the kids are in a race against their own creation, and the loser could end up in jail...or worse!

Ditch That Homework

Ditch That Homework
Author: J. Matt Miller
Publisher:
Total Pages: 206
Release: 2017-06-20
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9781946444394

In Ditch That Homework, Matt Miller and Alice Keeler discuss the pros and cons of homework, why teachers assign it, and what life could look like without it. As they evaluate the research and share parent and teacher insights, the authors offer a case for ditching homework, replacing it with more effective and personalized learning methods.

Fair Isn't Always Equal

Fair Isn't Always Equal
Author: Rick Wormeli
Publisher: Stenhouse Publishers
Total Pages: 233
Release: 2006
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1571104240

Differentiated instruction is a nice idea, but what happens when it comes to assessing and grading students? What's both fair and leads to real student learning? Fair Isn't Always Equal answers that question and much more. Rick Wormeli offers the latest research and common sense thinking that teachers and administrators seek when it comes to assessment and grading in differentiated classes. Filled with real examples and "gray" areas that middle and high school educators will easily recognize, Rick tackles important and sometimes controversial assessment and grading issues constructively. The book covers high-level concepts, ranging from "rationale for differentiating assessment and grading" to "understanding mastery" as well as the nitty-gritty details of grading and assessment, such as: whether to incorporate effort, attendance, and behavior into academic grades;whether to grade homework;setting up grade books and report cards to reflect differentiated practices;principles of successful assessment;how to create useful and fair test questions, including how to grade such prompts efficiently;whether to allow students to re-do assessments for full credit. This thorough and practical guide also includes a special section for teacher leaders that explores ways to support colleagues as they move toward successful assessment and grading practices for differentiated classrooms.

Rethinking Homework

Rethinking Homework
Author: Cathy Vatterott
Publisher: ASCD
Total Pages: 198
Release: 2018-09-25
Genre: Education
ISBN: 141662659X

In this updated edition, Cathy Vatterott examines the role homework has played in the culture of schooling over the years; how such factors as family life, the media, and "homework gap" issues based on shifting demographics have affected the homework controversy; and what recent research as well as common sense tell us about the effects of homework on student learning. She also explores how the current homework debate has been reshaped by forces including the Common Core, a pervasive media and technology presence, the mass hysteria of "achievement culture," and the increasing shift to standards-based and formative assessment. The best way to address the homework controversy is not to eliminate homework. Instead, the author urges educators to replace the old paradigm (characterized by long-standing cultural beliefs, moralistic views, and behaviorist philosophy) with a new paradigm based on the following elements: Designing high-quality homework tasks; Differentiating homework tasks; Deemphasizing grading of homework; Improving homework completion; and Implementing homework support programs. Numerous examples from teachers and schools illustrate the new paradigm in action, and readers will find useful new tools to start them on their own journey. The end product is homework that works—for all students, at all levels.

Tackling the Motivation Crisis

Tackling the Motivation Crisis
Author: Mike Anderson
Publisher: ASCD
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2021-08-16
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1416630341

"Mike Anderson explores incentive systems, which do not motivate achievement or a love of learning, and the six intrinsic motivators that lead to real student engagement"--

In Praise of Wasting Time

In Praise of Wasting Time
Author: Alan Lightman
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 106
Release: 2018-05-15
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1501154370

In this timely and essential book that offers a fresh take on the qualms of modern day life, Professor Alan Lightman investigates the creativity born from allowing our minds to freely roam, without attempting to accomplish anything and without any assigned tasks. We are all worried about wasting time. Especially in the West, we have created a frenzied lifestyle in which the twenty-­four hours of each day are carved up, dissected, and reduced down to ten minute units of efficiency. We take our iPhones and laptops with us on vacation. We check email at restaurants or our brokerage accounts while walking in the park. When the school day ends, our children are overloaded with “extras.” Our university curricula are so crammed our young people don’t have time to reflect on the material they are supposed to be learning. Yet in the face of our time-driven existence, a great deal of evidence suggests there is great value in “wasting time,” of letting the mind lie fallow for some periods, of letting minutes and even hours go by without scheduled activities or intended tasks. Gustav Mahler routinely took three or four-­hour walks after lunch, stopping to jot down ideas in his notebook. Carl Jung did his most creative thinking and writing when he visited his country house. In his 1949 autobiography, Albert Einstein described how his thinking involved letting his mind roam over many possibilities and making connections between concepts that were previously unconnected. With In Praise of Wasting Time, Professor Alan Lightman documents the rush and heave of the modern world, suggests the technological and cultural origins of our time-­driven lives, and examines the many values of “wasting time”—for replenishing the mind, for creative thought, and for finding and solidifying the inner self. Break free from the idea that we must not waste a single second, and discover how sometimes the best thing to do is to do nothing at all.