Here’s some news your children will love: Homework has almost no academic benefits for primary school students.
At least, that’s what an inquiry in Victoria has claimed in a report published today.
The Herald Sun reports The Victorian Parliament’s Education and Training Committee found that there was “strong evidence” that homework at primary-level had little impact on academic performance.
The report also suggested children’s time could be better spent on other interests and activities, Nine News reports.
But there were some academic benefits for high school students, and homework assisted in developing life skills.
The committee will now recommended a review of homework guidelines after the findings.
The committee, which received 32 submissions and conducted 16 public hearings as part of its eight-month investigation, has recommended a review of homework guidelines.
It has also offered to advise schools on the findings.
Previously, Sharny Kieser wrote for Mamamia…
We live in a time where children are becoming overworked before they even hit high school. And here’s my suggestion – ditch the homework.
Banning homework will make for healthier kids, because they will have time to play, to exercise and to help mum and dad prepare food.
School children already spend six hours a day exercising their minds. What about their bodies? Ban homework and your kids can spend time being more active. More active kids are more intelligent kids. The body carries the mind.
In our opinion, school time should be school time and home time should be home time.
Parents don’t send kids to school with a list of home chores to do, and schools shouldn’t send kids home with a list of school chores to do.
We’re all sitting around waiting for a politician to make a decision, but we forget that politicians aren’t dictators, they’re spokespeople. They can’t make the decision for us.
If you are a parent who believes that schoolwork needs to stay at school, and you want your children to have a real childhood, just start saying “no”.
If families stop doing homework, it will stop being handed out. And don’t worry about the teachers, we’re sure they’d prefer to be actually teaching than creating and marking homework. Just like parents would rather spend the time preparing healthy dinners than helping with homework.
Our call does come with a warning however: Homework is far better than screen or phone time, so warn your kids that if they don’t play outside, do chores and help with dinner, you’ll bring it back!
Do you agree? Should homework be banned in favour of outdoor activities?
Top Comments
I teach senior English and Literature and I have to say that there are aspects of this article that worry me. While I agree that homework is not entirely necessary in the junior years of primary school - with the exception of reading at home, which is vitally important - homework in the final years of primary school helps prepare students for the workload of secondary school. By the time students reach Year 11 and 12 they need to have developed independent be accountable for their own learning. Homework helps them to develop these skills, they can't be developed overnight. In my experience, there is often ( although not always) a direct correlation between the amount of independent study a student completes and their academic success in Year 12.
Of course then there is the fact that in life there will often be things we have to do that we'd rather not. This is a lesson that all children should learn.
I completely agree that children should have time to play outside and enjoy their 'home time'. I also believe that parents need to take some responsibility for their children's education. Many do. However, it's a cop out to say that school work is only for school. There are many things now taught in school that were once solely the domain of parents. Teacher's don't give out homework because we wish to make your home life difficult. We give it because as educated professionals we genuinely believe it will aid your child's education.
I don't know. We have four kids and I'm about to have the second leave high school and the fourth start high school. I haven't every had a problem with homework. Apart from the kids balking at it, of course.
I think homework gives them a multitude of skills that kids need in the real world. Study, time management, discipline, sense of achievement, practice makes perfect. Honestly, the first two didn't have a heap of after school activities, the second two do have a lot, but they all manage.
Even when the kids used to go between two houses it was a little more difficult, but still managed. And schools understood if something happened that was beyond ours or the kids control.
I think keep it. It teaches kids more than people realise.