I am often asked about the purpose of homework at Prep level, and more specifically why it cannot just be completed at school?
These are very good questions. Family life is on the one hand so precious that it is a nuisance if it is marred by a daily battle over ‘school’ work, however, if children wait until their GCSE years to study beyond the classroom clearly there will be some fundamental issues with their ability to succeed.
A balance is needed, and this is what schools try to address, always understanding that some children will not have been able to manage the work for a variety of reasons or circumstances, that some will have had a great deal of help and support and that others will have simply got on and done it, sometimes well and sometimes perfunctorily. This means that teachers are setting work every day that has to be stimulating but well defined, challenging but independently manageable, meaningful practice without too many twists, not too dull or repetitive, allows for proper learning and retaining, not essential for the next lesson for those who will not be able to complete it, progressive for those who need stretching and extendable for those who have further interests and enthusiasm. On the other hand the homework diet cannot all be cakes and treats, sometimes it may seem very routine, too easy or too hard, over long or unpalatable, but that too is part of preparing for life.
Naturally this is a complex set of variables, and whereas some children thrive on exercises and assignments, others find their enthusiasm wanes when faced with work to complete on their own. Learning homework is often viewed as no homework and increasingly, as it is fitted around external clubs, lessons and events, reading is confined to the last few minutes before bed – never a very good time to do anything that requires thinking!
I am all too familiar with the headache of homework sessions. I remember my frazzled mother standing over the table where my siblings and I were pretending to work each evening, and I regularly supervise my niece and nephews in their efforts to wriggle away from the mountain of things they bring home. However, I also see how the routines help to create an atmosphere and a system that works for them, and how well the children can work when they are settled. Independence is very important, so training children to have those study skills and the resilience and perseverance needed to complete activities will pay dividends in the future. Learning homework may well need help, and I am a big fan of using non-fiction books to help with information gathering, and these can be read together if there is time, to help to broaden the subject at hand.
On some occasions every child will say they don’t know how to do the work in front of them, and sometimes this might even be genuine! My advice would be to put a note on the bottom to the teacher, saying just that, and stop. Confusion of methods and frustration at mum and dad turning into teachers is not conducive to happy family life, and the teachers are there to help. If your child is too overwrought or too tired to work well then you should stop. Put a note in the book and go and do something relaxing. If the purpose of homework is to develop good work habits then consider carefully what those might be (I suggest a few below), and if what is happening is not reinforcing those positive skills then there is little point continuing until you want to throw the whole lot into the bin too!
Looking at the work you can usually see that the purpose is one or more of the following:
1. To reinforce work that has been taught and needs practising in order to increase speed and accuracy or remember and retain the skills and knowledge – this work may not be very exciting!
2. To enhance knowledge and understanding by extending something taught, or providing resources for further or richer understanding – this may be quite open ended and time consuming.
3. To allow time to reflect on concepts or topics, or just to finish an extended piece of work – this may require proper consideration of presentation and a bit of thinking and reflection time.
4. To develop independent skills and good life long work habits which include perseverance, meta cognition (coming to a realisation which work styles work best for herself), self-motivation, time management, determination, pride in presentation and content, satisfaction with completion.
You can help by
· Providing a regular place where work can be completed undisturbed, with good light, plenty of space and a reasonable time limit
· Providing a routine time, probably after a light snack and a chance to move around after the rigours of a very busy school day
· Helping to signal that homework is not a punishment and can be rewarded!
· Offering advice, but not too much assistance
· Helping to prioritise what needs to be done (I recommend doing the horrid bit first, taking a moment for praise and then moving on to complete the rest)
· Trying to keep the evenings as uncluttered with extra events as possible. Limiting out of school clubs to weekends when possible.
· Making sure siblings are not too distracting, and when your child has good habits, allowing her to work away from others or away from your direct supervision, so that she knows that you trust her developing work habits.
· A quick check at the end that everything is done, sufficient high standards have been retained and that the bag is repacked with everything required for the next day
Of course all of this assumes that your child has organised her belongings and has all of the things she needs to just to get on – but that obviously is the subject of a whole blog!!
Happy homeworking!
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