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Who Invented Homework?

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Re: Who Invented Homework?

#21

Post by sharmi »

Homework is essential when it is well thought out and helps you understand the material better, like problems that require you to apply multiple concepts in math or science to arrive at a solution. Or language essays that require new constructs or vocabulary, essentially anything that requires you to apply your mind in new ways.

Sometimes rote memory is also required (spellings, formulae, handwriting anyone?)

If anything, the education system in general and homework in particular makes learning very systematic and structured, glossing over broader issues of exploring topics on one's own, seeking out new resources and creating one's own structure and areas of interest. It conceals the deeper questions of education, handing the students only the low-hanging fruits of tests and homeworks.

The education system is so effective, once the pupil is out, learning anything significant becomes a daunting process. The inability to plan and structure one's own learning can lead many to give up early in the process.

Re: Who Invented Homework?

#22

Post by aninhumer »

jib wrote: post #17
clentaminator wrote: post #14

I'm sure the countless hours of homework in every subject that I was never interested in (of which that number was a majority) has helped me in my current career in not-any-of-those-subjects. /sarc I feel like the most important things in school at that age are: - Exposing people to a broad range of subjects that they might be interested in (and thus curious enough about such that they end up learning by themselves)…

Homework can be a good bridge to university studies imo. I would certainly have benefited from learning self-disciplined study earlier on rather than coasting through the Swedish equivalent of high school and then swapping straight into university. For under 12s or so I dont see a reason for homework. For 12-18 year olds I think gradually moving to a more self-driven study environment would be a good thing given that…

Homework doesn't really teach self-discipline, because it is an external motivation. If anything, I think it can work against that goal, because once people finish their mandatory work, they have no energy or enthusiasm left to learn for their own sake.

Perhaps I'm projecting, but mostly homework taught me how to do the minimum possible so I could get back to playing video games.

Re: Who Invented Homework?

#23

Post by timthorn »

dingaling wrote: post #19
Bretlei wrote: post #13

My brother is studying to be a teacher (In the UK) and I asked him what his opinion was on homework. He told me that it's a good way to get students to do some study/open up the text book when they wouldn't have without a punishment if they didn't. This, in my opinion leads to more stress and more work on those trying hard to study AND do homework. Each subject wants at least 1 hour of your home time and a student ca…

I concur with your perspective. If students aren't opening their text-book outside school-hours then that indicates a lack of inspiration being imparted. I used to sit and read my Ecce Romani! text-books at the weekends because my Latin teacher was such a wonderfully eccentric and inspiring person that I wanted to learn more for myself and to please her. I don't remember her giving us homework other than 'learn the c…

Interesting - my Mum was a Latin teacher and in the end moved away from Ecce Romani to the Cambridge Latin Course so the Classical Civilization element got brought out more.

You weren't in the Berkshire area for school?

Re: Who Invented Homework?

#24

Post by contravariant »

lordnacho wrote: post #20

My feelings now are that there really shouldn't be any mandatory homework. - If you do it badly, you may as well not do it. Who else remembers flipping through "The Catcher in the Rye" so fast they don't actually remember any other character than Holden Caulfield? - It's an easy way for teachers to not teach, yet gives them an alibi. "Look I'm teaching, they have loads of books to read. Can't help it if they don't."…

I think the occaisional project would be fine, that also teaches planning and other skills.

Large amounts of homework exercises probably don't teach much. Actually I'm not even too sure about large amounts of exercises, for reasons similar to the ones you listed.

Re: Who Invented Homework?

#25

Post by forrestthewoods »

sharmi wrote: post #21

Homework is essential when it is well thought out and helps you understand the material better, like problems that require you to apply multiple concepts in math or science to arrive at a solution. Or language essays that require new constructs or vocabulary, essentially anything that requires you to apply your mind in new ways. Sometimes rote memory is also required (spellings, formulae, handwriting anyone?) If anyt…

Sounds like you perfectly summed why our education system isn't effective. It fails to teach students how to learn on their own!

And there's nothing to say that _homework_ is essential. It's perfectly plausible to have students get everything done during the regular school day.

Well thought out assignments are obviously good. Why do they need to be done at home? It's not as if third graders are listening to lectures from 8 until 3.

Re: Who Invented Homework?

#26

Post by bitJericho »

clentaminator wrote: post #14

I'm sure the countless hours of homework in every subject that I was never interested in (of which that number was a majority) has helped me in my current career in not-any-of-those-subjects. /sarc I feel like the most important things in school at that age are: - Exposing people to a broad range of subjects that they might be interested in (and thus curious enough about such that they end up learning by themselves)…

Learning a new trade here in my adult life and finding a tremendous amount of information I learned in school all coming back to me. It's allowing me to speed through learning what i need to know.

Re: Who Invented Homework?

#27

Post by bpchaps »

I still can't help but hate the teacher who gave the honor's class an enormous mythology book over the summer and gave it less worth to our grade than a ten minute grammar assignment.

Camel's back, etc, I failed the class, got kicked out of the mostly white honor's program to being the only white kid in most classes. I got picked on less there and enjoyed life significantly more after that. Probably the best thing to happen in my life, actually.

Re: Who Invented Homework?

#28

Post by hdctambien »

Math isn't the only class that gives homework.

Should Spanish class-time be spent memorizing vocabulary and conjugations, or practicing communicating in the language?

Should History class-time be spent reading from the book so you know what happened, or discussing those topics and their implications?

Should English class-time be spent doing silent reading, or talking about the books/authors/time periods that you read about?

Re: Who Invented Homework?

#29

Post by auxym »

lordnacho wrote: post #20

My feelings now are that there really shouldn't be any mandatory homework. - If you do it badly, you may as well not do it. Who else remembers flipping through "The Catcher in the Rye" so fast they don't actually remember any other character than Holden Caulfield? - It's an easy way for teachers to not teach, yet gives them an alibi. "Look I'm teaching, they have loads of books to read. Can't help it if they don't."…

>burn time plugging things into (-b +- sqrt (b2-4ac)) / 2a

I swear to god, I had so much of that to do, I got tired of it and learned enough python in one night, at 15, to get the computer to do my homework for me.

Re: Who Invented Homework?

#30

Post by nibs »

As an unschooler who went to school and did "homework" or any kind of "schoolwork" for the first time when I was 12, it took me about a month to catch up to my peers in terms of abilities to do the coursework, and about a year to catch up to my peers in resentment and disengagement.

Except I got to spend seven years hanging out with my brothers doing fun stuff and my friends had to spend it training to be slaves. There is no reason for the strange masochism that is mass schooling. It is not productive, does not produce smarter or more learned people.

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