The authors believe this meritocratic narrative is a myth and that homework - math homework in particular - further entrenches the myth in the minds of teachers and their students. Recently, the sociologist Jessica McCrory Calarco and the mathematics education scholars Ilana Horn and Grace Chen published a paper, “ You Need to Be More Responsible: The Myth of Meritocracy and Teachers’ Accounts of Homework Inequalities.” They argued that while there’s some evidence that homework might help students learn, it also exacerbates inequalities and reinforces what they call the “meritocratic” narrative that says kids who do well in school do so because of “individual competence, effort and responsibility.” I certainly am not the only person wondering about the value of homework.
As a parent, I would rather my daughter not get stuck doing the sort of pointless homework I would occasionally assign, but I also think there’s a lot of value in saying, “Hey, a lot of work you’re going to end up doing in your life is pointless, so why not just get used to it?” But I also imagine that some of my students never would have done their basic reading if they hadn’t been trained to complete expected assignments, which would have made the task of teaching an English class nearly impossible. The teacher side of me can acknowledge that there were assignments I gave out to my students that probably had little to no academic value. The essay begins:ĭo students really need to do their homework?Īs a parent and a former teacher, I have been pondering this question for quite a long time.
In “ The Movement to End Homework Is Wrong,” published in July, the Times Opinion writer Jay Caspian Kang argues that homework may be imperfect, but it still serves an important purpose in school.
Has homework ever helped you practice a difficult skill - in math, for example - until you mastered it? Has it helped you learn new concepts in history or science? Has it helped to teach you life skills, such as independence and responsibility? Or, have you had a more negative experience with homework? Does it stress you out, numb your brain from busywork or actually make you fall behind in your classes? Do you like doing homework? Do you think it has benefited you educationally?
0 kommentar(er)
