How do I end the nightly homework battle?
Q: How can I make my child do homework? Should I force my child to do homework, or should I do it? The teacher’s homework instructions are unclear — should I talk to the teacher? My child has a learning difficulty and cannot do the homework without help.
Dr Wright answers:
Many parents say that the ‘doing’ of homework is a stressful experience for children and parents alike! Parents commonly complain that homework causes children and parents to feel anxious and pressured due to unrealistic schedules and unclear instructions. Reactions to problems associated with homework can result in tantrums, arguing or crying. The reasons for anxiety relating to homework stress vary, from child-centred matters, such as disorganisation, procrastination and forgetfulness, to school-based problems such as poor instructions, overloading and unclear assessment procedures. Children and adolescents themselves complain of too much to do at any one time, feeling too tired to tackle homework at the end of the school day, and too many distractions from siblings, peers and social media pastimes.
Homework is essentially a partnership between home and school. The intention of homework is to extend school hours of work. School-based tasks are, therefore, usually undertaken in home environments.
The homework tasks themselves vary in purpose and style. Some require independent work for the child, whilst other activities, such as projects, allow for parent involvement.
Opinions about the value and impact of homework contrast strongly. Homework is, therefore, a fiercely debated topic. Arguments for and against homework are heard at home, at school, in academia, in the wider community and in popular media. Some say that homework ‘disciplines’ children’s minds, while others consider it to be harmful, robbing children of valuable play and recreation time. Some parents believe that homework should not be given, while others demand it. According to Dr Wright’s surveys and several meta-analyses, most parents want meaningful, well-paced homework.
Not surprisingly, teachers’ views about the value of homework also differ. Some teachers confide that the sole reason for setting homework is to keep parents happy. Teachers complain that the task of marking homework takes time which could otherwise be used to improve classroom instruction quality.
There is little doubt that beliefs about the value of homework are influenced by cultural and socio-economic factors. It is therefore understandable that parental responses to homework are as varied as the opinions of the teachers who give it.
The value of homework is contested on at least two levels. Firstly, homework is not completed in the same conditions and, therefore, grading is fraught with benchmarking problems. Secondly, there is less than compelling evidence that ‘the doing of’ homework is necessarily study-habit forming, or prepares children for tertiary studies. Some teachers and parents nonetheless see homework as a valuable opportunity to practise valuable skills, and a way for parents to stay connected with activities at school. Whichever position is taken, it is largely uncontested that homework is a problematic topic for parents and children.
The merits of homework have long been debated. A study by Joseph Mayer Rice as far back as 1897 concluded that homework — mainly rote learning of spelling then — was no more than “mechanical schooling”, and Edward Bok in 1900 claimed homework to be detrimental to children’s mental and physical health. Since these early works, numerous meta-studies indicate an area fraught with difficulties. Interestingly, Ozkan Eren and Daniel Henderson’s 2011 study suggests that mathematics homework improves maths grades for some groups of students, in comparison to other subject areas where the benefit of homework is less clear. Improvement in mathematics, in turn, further correlates with overall higher achievement.
Working parents often rely on their children doing their homework unsupervised. This situation frequently raises concerns about homework completion, children’s unsupervised access to the internet and poor eating habits. Proven, field-tested solutions to help parents with these and other homework-related problems are readily available.
A sample of Dr Wright’s tips for homework:
Establish a regular homework period, when you are likely to be available to ‘loosely’ supervise your child’s homework. Children generally respond well to ‘Grandma’s Rule’ — homework first and recreation afterwards. A timer can help rein in homework and ensure that your child has time for other activities.
Homework tasks should be directly beneficial. If your child’s homework is far too easy, or inaccessible for other reasons, speak with your child’s teacher about providing purposeful, achievable and stimulating homework activities.
Keep your child company. Parent company provides access to support, reduces loneliness and keeps parents in touch with homework activities. Further, if your child is using the internet for homework purposes, doing so in shared space within the home provides increased supervision.
It’s OK to help your child with homework. Do not shy from teaching your child alternative ways of approaching tasks or solving problems.
For children who are constantly leaving books or materials at home or at school, explore possible underlying causes. If it is simply a matter of avoidance, where practicable and in consultation with the teacher, obtain a duplicate or equivalent set of materials for home.
If your child has a language-processing problem, or difficulty managing time, help your child break tasks into small chunks. Teach your child to monitor progress and praise achievement of smaller milestones.
If you are overly anxious about your child’s homework success, or if you are displaying anger or negative emotions, step aside from the role of direct supporter and recruit the assistance of another adult to ‘mentor’ your child. Excessive frustration surrounding homework can be counter-productive.
Dr Gloria S Wright is an internationally recognised educator, child expert and speaker. She directly supports parents by bridging the gap between home, school and clinical reports or diagnoses. Her emphasis on education, rather than ‘medicalisation’, provides alternative ways of understanding and managing children’s learning and behaviour. For techniques and strategies for your specific situation, connect with Dr Wright.
