Any parent with a school aged child knows about the homework
debate. How much is too much? Will my child fall behind
if he/she doesn't do homework every night? Should homework
displace other, equally important family activities?
Special Needs Kids
For parents of special needs kids, the homework question is an
even hotter button issue. Often it's all these kids can do
just to hold it together for the hours they are in class every day,
let alone sitting down at home for a couple more hours of school
work each night.
Most school boards have guidelines as to how much homework
should be assigned, generally based on grade level. For
example, the Thames Valley District School Board recommends 10
minutes of homework per grade - in other words, grade 8 students
would be doing roughly 80 minutes of homework per day.
The trouble is that for kids with a learning disability, or
ADHD, or any number of other special needs, 80 minutes of homework
a day can translate into a nightly hell session for parents and
kids alike. Add in science projects, book reports and
independent study projects and it's easy to understand how any
family can feel overwhelmed and burnt out.
Many parents also feel that the Ontario curriculum is so broad
that it doesn't allow sufficient time to cover all the work in
class and that homework often entails learning new concepts - a
teaching task that most parents clearly are not comfortable taking
on.
What does the research say?
So what is the real value of homework? How essential
is it to student success? A recent Toronto Star article
(http://www.thestar.com/GTA/Education/article/302001)
on homework reported:
"While research shows some benefits
to homework in grades 7 and 8 and high school, there's scant
evidence that it improves student achievement in the younger years,
say professors Linda Cameron and Lee Bartel of the Ontario
Institute for Studies in Education at the University of
Toronto."
Other studies support these findings and bring into question the
whole rationale for homework, especially in the early grades.
Simply reading with, or to, young children on a daily basis is
frequently cited as the single best way to ensure academic success
in later years.
When is it too much?
If the homework routine takes up most of each and every
evening/weekend and leaves no time for other equally important
family or individual activities, it is clearly too much. If
it is causing significant and prolonged stress for your child, your
spouse or you, it is too much.
Handling Homework Overload
For younger children, set your own limits on the amount of
homework and make sure there is sufficient playtime, reading time,
bath time and general downtime each evening.
If your older child is on an individual education plan, you can
ask that the IEP include accommodations/modifications to the amount
of homework assigned. If not on an IEP, you can still
set reasonable limits on the amount of time you and your child
will devote to homework each night and make sure that your child's
teacher is aware so that the absolute essentials are still
covered.
For some special needs kids, using a timer or a system of
alternating work/break periods is a good strategy, so that 10
minutes of work/concentration is followed by 10 minutes of break,
snack, exercise or rest.
For kids in upper grades, another idea is requesting the teacher
assign a homework free day one day a week, no homework on weekends
or that no major projects be assigned for traditional family times,
such as Christmas or March break.
Children need playtime, family time and just plain "down" time
every bit as much as they need to hone their academic skills.
Work/school/life balance is important to everyone's mental health,
kids included, and should be part of every school's priorities.
