第99页 The questions left unasked
- 章节名:The questions left unasked
- 页码:第99页
Encouraging lively discussion within a narrow spectrum of acceptable opnion can reinforce the presuppositions. Most researches and surveys investigate how to manage homework, how to assign homework, by what amount, but few questions if homework is really necessary.
The author finds no convincing empirical data that supports homework's benefits, neither work habits nor academic performances. Homework cannot foster responsibility or independence. It fosters students' obedience to do things they are asked to do instead. It hinders intrinsic desires.
Providing more time for students to learn something is to sidestel the question of whether something is worth learning, especially for rote learning. There is no point to spend time memorizing if you can look it up at any time. More time is less likely to enhance creativity or understanding.
Practice problems is an idea of Behaviorism. Learning is not mechanical repetition. There's little deep understanding or a view of big picture. Students should be led to generate their own ideas how to solve a problem instead of being taught the procedure directly. Otherwise they will develop a habit of looking to adults or the book instead of thinking through.
Differences in parents' help in homework and resources student has access to increase the socioeconomic gap between classes.
The claim that students getting low grades causes poor work performance and thus leading to the failure of economy or even a country is dubious. An employee's educational background is only one of many factors that determine job performance, so is corporate profitability. By claiming that country where students who do more homework will outcompete those who do not is to make the reasoning that
1.the school is not to foster the child's development and personal creativity, is to train employees and to pump up economy,
2.competition is the most important. One country needs to do better than another
3.doing more homework will make children learn better and have higher productivity in work.
Grades, rankings and homework fosters competition. They make students less collaborative and less focused on his own growth. It does not make sense to get number one if everyone is doing great. Rankings provide no real clues about the real quality of education. It would be great if another smart student gets into med school and invents a drug that cures cancer which will benefit all. Ranking is unnecessary. Only if you need to know the ranking and who beats whom grades and standardized test scores are needed
The claim that doing homework prepares children for future, because they will have to get used to do things they don't like is wrong. We are to help children love learning, not get them used to unpleasant tasks. The same logic is like feeding them more carcinogens because there are many carcinogens in the environment. More thoughtful classroom conversation about how to plan and premeditation and a preview of what will happen in the future is enough. Immersion is not so vital.
Learn to live with it usually comes from the authority to demand the lower end people not to chang anything. We lose the ability to think and to question the validity of such practices, perpetuating the power of those ordered this.
Assigning homework in fear of children being idle is a distrust and presumes that children are lazy inherently. Children are naturally curious to learn. If they don't want to do homework, it is not that they are lazy. It is the homework is amiss. It is the education system that should change, not children. Inquiring projects, allowing children to choose their own interested topics and assignments can stimulate their interests.
Family activities like watching news and TV shows , reading books of their own choice are better for children's social emotional and intellectual development.
Setting homework to different levels and allow students to choose their own level is more suitable to individuals needs. Some students are smarter others are struggling. A homogeneous difficult level hinders motivation.
Grading homework is to evaluate them on whether they have succeeded, not to help them learn.
After school help center can reduce the inequalities created by homework. Privileged students have access to tutors, and parents help, while poor students don't.
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