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Rethinking homeworkShrewsbury Schools community presentationNovember 14, 2019 Dr. Cathy VatterottProfessor Emeritus of Education, University of Missouri-St. Louis vatterott@umsl.edu @realhomeworkldyThree big ideas to start the conversation1. Parents differ in their opinion of the role of homework in their child’s life. All are valid approaches. Academics as the highest priorityBalancing academics with chosen activitiesBalancing academics, leisure, and happinessPriority of family responsibilities and paid work2. Parents have the right to control their child’s free time and to protect their physical and mental health. Parent activism to do so is on the rise around the country. 3. Sleep and downtime are critical to your child’s physical and mental health, and their academic performance. Research about homework--It’s messyIt’s difficult to separate out the effects of classroom teaching, prior learning etc.And we don’t always know who did it or with how much “help” Past research focused on—time not quality of task, groups of students not individualsWhat the research says and doesn’t say about homeworkResearch fails to show benefit for elementary students (doesn’t mean there couldn’t be)Correlation between homework and achievement is .07 at middle school/.25 at high school (research not specific to type of task)Homework benefits for high school students plateau at about two hours per nightStudies cannot show that homework causes higher achievementNo research about non-academic benefits, like responsibilityToday’s researchers disagree as to whether homework enhances achievementThe short answer—the benefit of homework is idiosyncratic to student, subject, and task Correlation is not causation!Does homework cause higher achievement or do high achievers do more homework?My theory Doesn’t mean there is no value, but just a lot of ineffective homework out there.Research on time (not quality of task) reaffirms the 10-minute ruleThe 10-minute rulePTA/NEA recommendation that homework not exceed10 minutes per grade level per night all subjects combinedThat is, 60 minutes for 6th grade, 120 minutes for 12th grade(origin unknown—incorrectly attributed to Harris Cooper)There appears to be a curvilinear relationship between time spent on homework and achievementUp to a point, homework appears positive, but past the optimum amount, achievement remains flat or declines (Cooper, 2007; Fernandez-Alonso, et.al, 2015). Does more homework translate into better performance?’” is the wrong question.A better question is—-60960031051500“Which task yields better performance and is it the same for all learners?” #1 Research takeawayIt’s quality not quantity “Time is not the metric”Stanford study of students in high achieving schools:Only 20-30% of students found their homework “useful or meaningful” (Pope, Brown, and Miles, 2015)23812516764000-74295035433000Three big ideasWe are confusing rigor with loadWe are confusingstudent responsibility for working with student responsibility for learningAt middle and high school levels,We are confusing replication for preparationAbout rigor--It’s a misconception that rigor=load (not depth or complexity)— when in reality hours of homework could be very low level tasks. Preparing kids for rigorous high school or college is not about the amount of homework,it’s about the skills and the habit.Students need to practice academic skills and build the homework habit.Working vs. learning It’s not about completing pile o’ work, it’s about doing what is needed to reach the learning goal. Research about student stressFrom 2005-2017, rates of major depression among 12-17 year olds increased 52%, from 8.7% to 13.2% (APA psychnet 2019; Journal of Abnormal Psych)3.2 million 12-17 year olds had at least one major depressive episode in the last 12 months (NIMH)Children from affluent households with white collar, well-educated parents have higher rates of anxiety and depression than any other SES (APA; Abeles, 2015)Stress among 8-12 year olds is on the rise ()Students in high achieving schools cite homework as the number one stressor (Abeles, 2015)Factors contributing to student stress(All may not apply to your school, your child, your community)Kids are “swimming in this milieu”-77152530162500Achievement culture –(fed by the college admissions industry)False dichotomy about the ivy leagueHarvard or Walmartso feed the resumeoverscheduled childrenMay be reflected in parental anxiety persistent focus on achievement child/teen perception of “conditional love” (not true, of course)Hyper-competitive school culture (“pressure cooker”) Hyper-connectedness of social media (rely on for affirmation, can be addictive—it messes with their brain physically)Role of homework in student stressFirst—the circular relationship between homework, sleep, and mood disordersNational Sleep foundation recommends 9 hours of sleep for teens, most get at least two hours less. 10 hours of sleep for elementary and middle school students (ages 6-13)Sleep deprivation exacerbates anxiety and depression and affects academic performance“A sleepy 6th grader performs like a 4th grader.” (Abeles, 2015) Homework stressors for studentsGeneral load (overall amount) Inflexibility of daily assignments (short deadlines)Too many subjects at one timePercentage it counts in the grade Self-imposed perfectionism And the survey says: Several common sense fixes that many people agreed onState the purpose of each homework assignmentSet time limits by grade level (time-based not task based)Eliminate daily homework (more weekly or flexible due dates)Prohibit weekend and holiday homework (not including student choice on long range assignments) Work on consistency among teachers, coordination of multiple teachers61912518288000My advice for parents?Rethink your child’s schedule-7620025019000Reconsider the overstuffed resumeRespect your child’s need for downtimeReaffirm your unconditional love What our children need are messages that put school in perspective to life.*That their worth is not determined by their GPA or how many activities they are in.*That focusing only on the future insults the value of the present.*That failing a test or even a course does not make them a failure.*That their success is not enhanced by someone else’s failure.In pursuit of the mighty GPA, something is getting lost. Let’s help our children rediscover a sense of joy in their lives by giving them what they most need—time. Adapted from Vatterott (2019) The teens are not alright. (See reference list for link to article.)REFERENCES and other suggested readings Abeles, V. (2015). Beyond measure: Rescuing an overscheduled, overtested, underestimated generation. New York, New York: Simon and Schuster. Pope, D., Brown, M. & Miles, S. (2015). Overloaded and underprepared: Strategies for schools and healthy, successful kids. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Twenge, J., Cooper, A., Bell,J., ,Duffy,J.E., and Binau, S. G. (2019). Age, period, and cohort trends in mood disorder indicators and suicide-related outcomes in a nationally representative dataset, 2005–2017.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Vol 128(3), Apr 2019, 185-199.Vatterott, C. (2015). Rethinking grading: Meaningful assessment for standards-based learning. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Vatterott, C. (2018). Rethinking homework: Best practices that support diverse needs (2nd ed.) Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Vatterott,C. (2019).The teens are not alright. Educational Leadership, 76(8), 12-16. favorite books for parents Bruni, F. (2015) Where you go is not who you’ll be: An antidote to the college admissions mania. New York: Grand Central Publishing. Lahey, J. (2015). The gift of failure: How the best parents learn to let go so their children can succeed. New York: HarperCollins. Lythcott-Haims, J. (2015). How to raise an adult: Break free of the overparenting trap and prepare your kid for success. New York: Henry Holt and CompanyAbout the presenterDr. Cathy Vatterott is Professor Emeritus of Education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and a former teacher and principal. She is the author of four books, most recently Rethinking Homework: Best Practices That Support Diverse Needs, 2nd edition?(ASCD, 2018),?and Rethinking Grading: Meaningful Assessment for Standards Based Learning?(ASCD, 2015). Her current research interest is teen stress. ................
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