First Published in 1997. The book explains why homework is important, how teachers can set interesting and effective and well-differentiated homework, how schools can best support homework, how managers can best develop whole-school homework policies, and how parents can support the educational progress of their children. Different parts of this book are aimed at teachers, managers, and parents but pupils do not have a section to themselves.

Death and taxes come later; what seems inevitable for children is the idea that, after spending the day at school, they must then complete more academic assignments at home. The predictable results: stress and conflict, frustration and exhaustion. Parents respond by reassuring themselves that at least the benefits outweigh the costs. But what if they don't? In The Homework Myth, nationally known educator and parenting expert Alfie Kohn systematically examines the usual defenses of homework--that it promotes higher achievement, "reinforces" learning, and teaches study skills and responsibility. None of these assumptions, he shows, actually passes the test of research, logic, or experience. So why do we continue to administer this modern cod liver oil -- or even demand a larger dose? Kohn's incisive analysis reveals how a mistrust of children, a set of misconceptions about learning, and a misguided focus on competitiveness have all left our kids with less free time and our families with more conflict. Pointing to parents who have fought back -- and schools that have proved educational excellence is possible without homework -- Kohn shows how we can rethink what happens during and after school in order to rescue our families and our children's love of learning.

In this updated edition, Cathy Vatterott examines the role homework has played in the culture of schooling over the years; how such factors as family life, the media, and "homework gap" issues based on shifting demographics have affected the homework controversy; and what recent research as well as common sense tell us about the effects of homework on student learning. She also explores how the current homework debate has been reshaped by forces including the Common Core, a pervasive media and technology presence, the mass hysteria of "achievement culture," and the increasing shift to standards-based and formative assessment. The best way to address the homework controversy is not to eliminate homework. Instead, the author urges educators to replace the old paradigm (characterized by long-standing cultural beliefs, moralistic views, and behaviorist philosophy) with a new paradigm based on the following elements: Designing high-quality homework tasks; Differentiating homework tasks; Deemphasizing grading of homework; Improving homework completion; and Implementing homework support programs. Numerous examples from teachers and schools illustrate the new paradigm in action, and readers will find useful new tools to start them on their own journey. The end product is homework that works—for all students, at all levels.

Does assigning fifty math problems accomplish any more than assigning five? Is memorizing word lists the best way to increase vocabulary—especially when it takes away from reading time? And what is the real purpose behind those devilish dioramas? The time our children spend doing homework has skyrocketed in recent years. Parents spend countless hours cajoling their kids to complete such assignments—often without considering whether or not they serve any worthwhile purpose. Even many teachers are in the dark: Only one of the hundreds the authors interviewed and surveyed had ever taken a course specifically on homework during training. The truth, according to Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish, is that there is almost no evidence that homework helps elementary school students achieve academic success and little evidence that it helps older students. Yet the nightly burden is taking a serious toll on America’s families. It robs children of the sleep, play, and exercise time they need for proper physical, emotional, and neurological development. And it is a hidden cause of the childhood obesity epidemic, creating a nation of “homework potatoes.” In The Case Against Homework, Bennett and Kalish draw on academic research, interviews with educators, parents, and kids, and their own experience as parents and successful homework reformers to offer detailed advice to frustrated parents. You’ll find out which assignments advance learning and which are time-wasters, how to set priorities when your child comes home with an overstuffed backpack, how to talk and write to teachers and school administrators in persuasive, nonconfrontational ways, and how to rally other parents to help restore balance in your children’s lives. Empowering, practical, and rigorously researched, The Case Against Homework shows how too much work is having a negative effect on our children’s achievement and development and gives us the tools and tactics we need to advocate for change. Also available as an eBook

Confident Parents, Confident Kids lays out an approach for helping parents—and the kids they love—hone their emotional intelligence so that they can make wise choices, connect and communicate well with others (even when patience is thin), and become socially conscious and confident human beings. How do we raise a happy, confident kid? And how can we be confident that our parenting is preparing our child for success? Our confidence develops from understanding and having a mastery over our emotions (aka emotional intelligence)—and helping our children do the same. Like learning to play a musical instrument, we can fine-tune our ability to skillfully react to those crazy, wonderful, big feelings that naturally arise from our child’s constant growth and changes, moving from chaos to harmony. We want our children to trust that they can conquer any challenge with hard work and persistence; that they can love boundlessly; that they will find their unique sense of purpose; and they will act wisely in a complex world. This book shows you how. With author and educator Jennifer Miller as your supportive guide, you'll learn: the lies we’ve been told about emotions, how they shape our choices, and how we can reshape our parenting decisions in better alignment with our deepest values. how to identify the temperaments your child was born with so you can support those tendencies rather than fight them. how to align your biggest hopes and dreams for your kids with specific skills that can be practiced, along with new research to support those powerful connections. about each age and stage your child goes through and the range of learning opportunities available. how to identify and manage those big emotions (that only the parenting process can bring out in us!) and how to model emotional intelligence for your children. how to deal with the emotions and influences of your choir—the many outside individuals and communities who directly impact your child’s life, including school, the digital world, extended family, neighbors, and friends. Raising confident, centered, happy kids—while feeling the same way about yourself—is possible with Confident Parents, Confident Kids.

Named to the International Reading Association's 2012 Teachers' Choice book list Grammar Girl Presents the Ultimate Writing Guide for Students is a complete and comprehensive guide to all things grammar from Grammar Girl, a.k.a. Mignon Fogarty, whose popular podcasts have been downloaded over twenty million times and whose first book, Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, was a New York Times bestseller. For beginners to more advanced students, this guide covers it all: the parts of speech, sentences, and punctuation are all explained clearly and concisely with the warmth, wit, and accessibility Grammar Girl is known for. Pop quizzes are scattered throughout to reinforce the explanations, as well as Grammar Girl's trademark Quick and Dirty Tips—easy and fun memory tricks to help with those challenging rules. Complete with a writing style chapter and a guide to the different kinds of writing—everything from school papers to letter writing to e-mails—this guide is sure to become the one-stop, essential book on every student's desk.

The main purpose of this Research Topic is to analyze and identify the main family and contextual variables that are involved in the process of carrying out homework. This will require studying the role played by teachers, students, and families in order to ensure that schoolwork is a useful learning tool. Although the role of the student is, obviously, crucial in homework, research has focused on the cumulative time spent by the student carrying out homework. However, the time spent on homework is not in itself evidence of the student’s involvement nor is time spent indicative of quality time. Indeed, an excess of time can sometimes denote low competence in a field of knowledge, while spending less time on homework could be indicative of high competence. It is more likely that a high dedication of time spent on homework reflects high motivation, or comprehension deficits, rather than commitment to learning or academic motivation. In tandem with the role of the student, teachers, as responsible for prescribing homework assignments for students, also become central players in the process of completing homework assignments. The decisions that teachers make about homework prescriptions, and the amount and type of tasks they set, will determine, to a large extent, the quality of the homework process including the student’s motivation and the student’s level of engagement with homework. Furthermore, the fact that homework is useful, interesting and motivating for students, will depend on how the teacher prescribes those tasks and the connection established with classroom learning. Teacher feedback also acquires particular relevance for this point by helping the students to accurately estimate the quality of their progress and overcome the difficulties they may have encountered in carrying out their homework. Lastly, the effectiveness of teacher feedback depends on its contribution to the student’s educational progress and how that student will perform in the future. In addition to the student who performs the task and the teacher who prescribes and corrects it, we must not lose sight of parents’ role. Although there are discrepancies regarding the role that parents play in relation to homework, it is evident that their implication has important consequences not only on the final result of those tasks but also on the very process of carrying them out. Everything seems to indicate that the family environment and, more specifically, the support and feedback provided by parents is a factor that can determine the involvement of students in school duties. In this way, providing emotional support encouraging children to get involved can contribute positively to improving their motivation and interest in the performance of homework. The objective of this Research Topic is to provide researchers and professionals in psychology and education settings with some of the most recent empirical evidence regarding the homework process, its prescription and correction. Overall, we aim to cease making homework a source of conflict and controversy at the socio-educational level in order to provide useful instruments for improving the quality of student learning. This work was developed with the financing of the research projects EDU2013-44062-P (MINECO), EDU2017-82984-P (MEIC).

It is never easy when you learn differently than anyone else in life. However, your teachers keep the same expectations for you as they do their other students in your class. You begin to wonder how can I work around my disability and do great in school? How can I can I take class notes more effectively? How can I organize myself to complete a project? Dawn Lucan is a preschool teacher with eighteen years of experience shares her own tips for handling homework and studying which work great for any disability that she discovered through keeping up with her students as they entered elementary school and beyond.

Very Fundamental Thing About Learning Is To Be Willing To Learn And Homework Provides A Good Opportunity To Learn. Homework Opens The Prime Window Of Opportunity For Students To Reinforce And Recreate Learning, For Teachers To Extend, Create And Facilitate Creative Learning, For Parents To Be Involved And To Observe Child S Progress In Education, For School To Disseminate And Implement Homework Policies And Practices And For Administrators To Review And Monitor All Teachers Homework Guidelines And Make Appropriate Recommendations For The Development And Progress Of Students Learning Capacity And Capability. All The Guardians Of Education Administrators, Schools, Teachers And Parents Through Homework Can Spark Enthusiasm In A Child And Help Teach The Most Important Lesson Of All That Learning Can Be Fun And Is Well Worth The Effort.Some Of The Questions Most Frequently Enquired Are: " Why Do Teachers Assign Homework? " Why Is Student Supposed To Do His/Her Homework? " Do Homework Assignments Really Help The Child Learn? " Why Is He/She Getting So Much Or So Less Homework? " How Can I Get My Child To His/Her Homework? " How Can I Help My Child With His/Her Homework When I Myself Do Not Understand It?The Book In Hand Helps Answer These Questions And Many More That Parents And Others Who Care For Children Most Often Ask About Homework At Various Levels Of School Education. It Examines The Efficacy Of Homework As An Instructional Method, Develops A Sequential Model Of The Factors That Influence Homework Outcomes And Proposes Homework Policy And Guidelines For Teachers, Schools, Students And Parents. Included Are Pragmatic Ideas For Helping Students Complete Homework Assignments Successfully, For Teachers To Create And Assign Creative And Challenging Homework That May Make The Students To Think.In Short, It Has Been Tried To Traverse The Whole Terrain Of Homework Education. Without Presuming To Be Encyclopedic, An Attempt Has Been Made To Take Cognizance Of The Predominant Elements, Concepts And Assumptions That Have Characterized Homework As An Intellectual Discipline.

While there are some books and articles about the importance of understanding in-school learning style and the benefits in achievement and attitude toward learning that accrue from matching learning style to learning environment, this is the first book on homework style. Homework style is the personal preference for doing the tasks assigned by teachers and learning new material outside of the formal school setting. Learning style and homework style have been found to be related yet empirically distinguishable, indicating the unique situation the home variable plays in forming individual learning styles. This guide will help parents, teachers, and counselors understand homework style and gain an awareness of the relationship between homework style, homework achievement, and school achievement.