Author Says No Homework Should Be Rule, Not Exception
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Michael Anderson-manderson@timesuniononline.com
Homework is the same thing as if an adult had to do their taxes every night, said a speaker to group of parents and teachers Thursday.
Rick Wormeli, an author and former teacher, spoke at the Warsaw Community High School Performing Arts Center about myths surrounding homework.
He said studies have shown the stress levels of someone being audited or doing their taxes every night and a student doing homework every night is about the same.
Wormeli argued that research shows too much homework or homework without a purpose can be detrimental to school children.
He said it also causes stress with families, creating family dysfunction over homework fights.
He argued there is no evidence linking homework to academic achievement.
“Practice makes permanent, not perfect,” Wormeli said.
He argued the default should be no homework. That way, if a teacher does gives homework, they have to justify its purpose.
He argued there are four inappropriate uses for homework: to appear vigorous and demanding, to teach material the first time, to keep students busy and to assess students’ final mastery of a topic.
Homework should be done to practice knowledge already learned, not to learn things, Wormeli said.
“If you have to help your kids with their homework, you should talk to their teachers,” he said.
He said research shows the most time any student should spend on homework should be equal to their grade level with a 0 added. For instance, a third-grader should do no more than 30 minutes of homework a night.
If a student can demonstrate knowledge and skill in the topic, then they shouldn’t be docked for not doing their homework, he said.
“In no other profession would 25 percent of your final evaluation be your first week on the job,” he said.
Wormeli was brought in by the All-Write consortium, a group of 29 school districts that does professional development for teachers.
“We wanted people to rethink how they do education,” said Mindy Hoffar, All Write director.
Prior to the speech,?Wormeli met with 500 teachers from the area to discuss education.
Hoffar said the organization helps bring in guys like Wormeli that most districts can’t afford to bring in by themselves.
