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 The
Homework Myth, by Alfie Kohn
Is there any educational value in homework?
This question is popping up all over the country
these days. The national emphasis on No Child
Left Behind has generated a dramatic increase in
the attention the media has paid to homework.
But what have we really learned about the value of the hours of work often put in by
students after their "official" day is done?
According to Alfie Kohn, author of The
Homework Myth, the accepted beliefs about
homework are simply not based on entire
studies, but on careful selection of parts
of studies. Kohn asserts that there is little
evidence to suggest that homework offers
academic benefits for younger students and
questions whether it is necessary for older
ones. He even challenges the belief that
homework promotes independence and good work
habits.
The Homework Myth
suggests that educators have confused quality
with rigor and excellence with competitiveness.
Kohn argues that standardized testing has
prompted the need for additional homework and
asserts that students who have parents at home
who are willing and able to help have a major
advantage over students who do not have help
available to them.
Kohn is the author of several books on education
and parenting, including Punished by Rewards
and The Schools Our Children Deserve.
Once again, the author sheds light on
educations’ commitment to measuring by grades
and a system of competition and rewards. In an
era of NCLB and global measurement of student
scores, The Homework Myth raises some
interesting questions about the nature of
quality education and the political movements
that promote a system that may not be getting
students any closer to receiving that quality
education.
Click on photo
to left to order The Homework Myth from Amazon.
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COLLEGE ADMISSION
KIDS 8-13
PARENTS
Picture Books Special Needs
TEACHERS
Picture Books Special Needs
Professional |
