For the most part, homework has been considered work that could not be completed during class time. If that were the case, then any amount of homework would generate questions and investigation. For example, if a child has homework, then why was he/she unable to complete it during the allotted class time? Were there distractions? If so, and if they were not the fault of the child, then why should homework be a punishment?

On the other hand, if the child consistently has difficulty completing work during class time, then perhaps an examination of the teaching methods or the intellectual level of the child would be in order.

Many students and parents see homework as "busy work" that was handed out by the teacher to keep the troublemakers in line and busy during the day. The problem with this is that it has been my experience that the conscientious students will spend hours completing their homework and the students for whom this extra amount of work was given often ignore the homework and spend their time playing outside or fighting with their friends.

Homework in the Primary Grades

Children in the primary grades often love doing homework. They have very little to do outside of school and they enjoy the time spent working with mom and dad on things that are being done for school. Reading, drawing pictures in notebooks, and completing worksheet assignments should be made into a fun activity at this age level and can actually help create a positive attitude towards school.

As a general rule, children should very seldom have homework that must be completed for the following day, and if they do it should not amount to more than 15 minutes per night.

Homework in the Junior Grades

Major homework assignments during these years are often considered as interfering with playtime and other outside activities. It is also during these years that boys and girls are starting to get heavily involved in clubs, groups, and sports activities. Homework gets in the way of these fun times and actually has a tendency to add stress in the household as mom and day continually pressure their children to "finish the homework"

During the junior grades parents will begin to see their children working on special long-term projects that will require research and organization. These may be assignments that are due in a week or two and will have to be completed a little bit at a time by the child. These assignments are good and tend to help students develop learning skills that are needed in future grades. 

Junior students will also have homework assignments that are intended to complete or refine work that was done during the day. Sometimes these assignments are due the next day.

As a general rule, your Junior-aged child should not be required to spend more than one full hour on homework. Even this is a bit excessive for this age group.

Homework in Intermediate Grades

By the time a child reaches Grade 7 and 8, homework is usually one of the least favourite things in his/her life. During this stage in a child's development homework really interferes with other more important things like talking on the phone, watching television or playing on the computer. Homework is also divided up according to subject, so it is common for a child to have homework in four or five different subjects on a given evening. When all is said and done, it is not unusual for a student to have upwards of two hours of homework a night at the Grade 7 and 8 level.

• Try to be as positive as possible about the necessity of doing homework. Explain to your children that homework is the best way for them to learn how to manage their time and that time management is one of the most important skills they will need as an adult.
    
• Help your children schedule a daily time for homework. It is sometimes best to have a set time that will be used for homework and make sure that your child does work during the entire time block. If he/she is finished early then the remaining time should be used for personal reading, studying, reviewing notes, or fixing up notebooks. Do not allow your child to get into the habit of rushing through homework to get outside to something more enjoyable.
    
• Watch your child during the homework sessions and help him/her learn how to concentrate on the task at hand to get the most out of the allotted time. If your child dawdles or seems to daydream or takes too long to get simple tasks completed it will simply make 20 minutes of homework seem like an hour. It is advisable for the entire household to honour the homework period. This may be a good time for you to sit down and ready the evening newspaper, pay your bills, or write a letter to a friend. The fewer distractions in the house, the better.
    
• Try to have your child designate a set space for doing homework. Even the kitchen table is fine as long as you are not working around him preparing dinner or cleaning up after dinner.
   
• Make sure you have all of the school supplies available at home. You will need pencils, pens, ruler, tape, markers, crayons, paper, etc. Try to think of everything that he/she may possibly need and then make sure that you maintain the stock. This will reduce the amount of time wasted during the homework period and will show your child the value of being organized and prepared. 
   
• Try to take time to talk to your child about his homework. When he/she is finished, read it over and give some positive comments when a job is done well. Do not be a perfectionist. Simply ask your child if he/she feels satisfied with the standard of work produced. You may be surprised at the answer. The last thing you want to be doing is creating unnecessary stress that comes from nagging and criticizing.

Early in the school year you should arrange a meeting with your child's teacher to discuss the homework policy for the year. Your teacher will let you know if homework will be assigned nightly and give you an idea of how much time your child should be spending on homework. If you find your child spending much more or much less than expected, then you have a reason to contact the teacher again and find out why. In some cases you may even be doing the teacher a favour by providing feedback that can be useful in planning the classroom program. At times a teacher may be simply assigning too much homework to the class without realizing it.

Always remember that you are a parent and you have certain responsibilities to take care of in that role. Do not let homework prevent you from fulfilling your parental responsibilities. If you have to fight with your child every night to do homework, then pull back. Let the child deal with the consequences of not doing homework from the teacher. Make sure your children understand that you will do whatever you can to help them and support them, but when it comes down to doing the homework that is where you draw the line. 

The life-skills your child learns from homework can be very valuable.

Be Positive
As a parent you must try to be as positive as possible about the necessity of doing homework. Try to make sure that your child understands that the work done at home is as much a part of learning as what is done at school. 

Above all, try not to "fight" with your children about doing homework. Try to let them accept the responsibility of preparing and doing the homework themselves as much as possible. You should provide the support in terms of work space and materials, as well as be there if they need help, but avoid turning every night into "fight night". 

Schedule Family Time For Homework
If possible, it is always a good idea to schedule a "Study Hour" for the entire family. This can be a time when everything in the household stops for "personal learning". For children, it becomes a time to do homework. For parents, it becomes a time to sit down in the vicinity of the children and read a book or write a letter to a friend. I know that we all lead busy lives and this may not be practical, but even if it is broken up so that at least one parent is participating in this ritual it will certainly have a profound modeling effect on your child. It also means that you are right there if your child needs assistance.

Make sure that the Study Hour is completed. For example, if your child finishes his/her homework early, then he/she should take out a book and read or go back and study some previous notes. This will encourage your child to take time to do the work properly since there won't be any extra "play time" for finishing quickly.

Study Area
Make sure you have a spacious study area set up for your child. This could be a desk in the bedroom or it could be the kitchen table as long as other members of the family avoid distracting the child during work time.

You should also make sure to have a good stock of all possible supplies that your child will need to do homework. Too much time can be wasted looking for pens, pencils, sharpeners, etc. If everything is at his/her fingertips then your child will be able to complete his/her homework from start to finish without stopping.

Time Management
This is a good opportunity for you to teach your child about time management. At the beginning of the week take a look at the schedule of outside activities and television programs that your child likes to watch. Then schedule your work periods around those "fun and recreational activities". Your child will then understand that any additional activities must be scheduled into the surplus times and not "bump" already scheduled homework time.

Show An Interest
Even though you may have a busy schedule yourself, make sure that you show an interest in your child's work. Take a look at the homework and try to find something positive to say. Don't always be criticizing the work and making your child do the work over again. You can indicate that you may not be overly pleased with the finished product and ask if the child is satisfied, but at the end of the day it is the teacher who must be the judge. Your child must understand that he/she will face the consequences of incomplete or substandard work.

 
The Learning Clinic is The Private Practice of
Robert Kirwan, B.A. (Math), M.A. (Education), OCT
4456 Noel Crescent, Val Therese, ON P3P 1S8
Phone: (705) 969-7215    Email:    rkirwan@thelearningclinic.ca

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