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Homework: The Rules of the Game
by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P.
reviewed by Laura Jana, M.D., F.A.A.P.
Homework does not have to be war. If you can see your role as a coach rather than a taskmaster, homework can teach your child the value of hard work, as well as teaching you a lot about your child. In order to be an effective coach, though, you have to know the rules of the game. And that means understanding homework from the teacher's point of view.
Why homework?
Teachers assign homework for three basic reasons:
- to get children to practice skills or concepts they have learned in class (for example, practicing certain math fundamentals)
- to prepare children for the next class (perhaps by reading a chapter in a book that the class will later discuss)
- to give children the chance to work on a project that is time-consuming or requires outside resources (such as the library, the Internet, or you, the parents).
Early on, the main point of homework is to get children used to the idea of working outside the classroom, as well as helping them develop time-management and organization skills. Later in elementary school and particularly in high school, children who do more homework score better on standardized tests. It stands to reason that when teachers set high expectations for learning, including relatively high homework demands, children learn more.
How much is enough?
There are no hard and fast rules about how much homework should be assigned. But the National Education Association and the National PTA have issued these recommendations:
- about 20 minutes a night in early elementary grades (first through third)
- about 40 minutes in fifth through sixth grade
- about two hours in seventh through ninth.
Some schools tend to assign much more than others, but this doesn't always guarantee higher achievement, especially in elementary and middle school. Beyond a certain point, homework not only can become overwhelming, but it squeezes out other valuable activities, such as play, sports, music lessons, hobbies, and relaxation. More is not always better.
Working with the teacher
It's a good idea to get on friendly terms with your child's teachers. You want to feel like members of the same team working on behalf of your child's education. If your child is having difficulty in class, you'd expect the teacher to let you know about it sooner rather than later. By the same token, if you have concerns about homework, you should talk with the teacher early on, rather than waiting for the problem to grow.
What are some of the concerns that teachers need to know about?- Too much homework. If your child is spending considerably more time than suggested in the guidelines above, talk with the teacher. Find out if she is truly taking much longer than her classmates, or if the volume of work is larger than the teacher intended. If it seems to be your child's individual problem, it could be a warning sign of a learning disability; some bright and highly motivated students who have learning disabilities manage to keep up with homework by devoting extra long hours to the work. While this is admirable, it may not be necessary. A lighter homework load might teach just as much with less pain. Also, earlier recognition of the learning issues often can lead to effective treatments. So, if your child seems to have more trouble than her peers in handling the homework load, consider having her tested for a learning disability. And if one indeed is identified, make sure that her teacher is aware of the disability and try to work together to devise a personalized homework plan.
- Your child doesn't understand the work. For the most part, children should learn new concepts in the classroom and practice them at home. If your child doesn't seem to understand a lot of the concepts in the homework, it might be because she is missing the ideas in class, or it might be that the teacher is using the homework to introduce new concepts. If this system isn't working for your child, you can assume that it probably also isn't working for other children and that the teacher will want to receive this feedback.
- Your child seems unable to maintain her concentration. Again, it will help you to know if this is just a problem at home (perhaps because she is overtired) or if it seems to be consistent throughout the school day.
- Your child is struggling with homework in one particular subject. Talk with the teacher about how that subject is being taught. It may be that there is a mismatch between your child's learning style (visual/verbal/hands-on) and the way the teacher tends to explain things. You may be able to help by taking another approach--for example, using small candies for addition and subtraction practice, or slicing up a pizza to help understand how division works. You also might decide to find extra tutoring help for your child. The teacher is likely to be able to point you in the right direction. Often, teachers think more positively about a child who is struggling with a problem once it's clear that there is a cooperative parent on the team.
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Created May 08, 2001
Reviewed May 09, 2001
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