The current debate about homework
Currently, there is a strong debate about the practice of assigning homework in elementary school. There are multiple perspectives, including:
1. A group who advocates for daily homework to be required based on the 10 minutes per grade philosophy. 2. A group who advocates for families to be offered alternative forms of homework. 3. A group who wants to eliminate homework until middle school.
Each group believes their model best fits the needs of elementary students. Choose a stance and write a persuasive argument as to why a school district should adopt it. Your argument must include an answer to the the question: “How can we capitalize on children’s capabilities in middle childhood to create more powerful and equitable learning opportunities in our contemporary educational context?” You must provide evidence to support your argument from the class readings, the chart above, and/or your experiences. You may present your argument in a variety of formats, including a written paragraph, a short video, a chart explaining your main points, a poster, an infographic, or any other format that works for you.
Guiding questions:
• What is the current debate about homework? • How might educators and caregivers optimize learning with respect to homework? • What assumptions are being made about middle childhood and learning? • How might homework be viewed as an equity issue? • How might the current experience of remote teaching and learning be a part of this discussion?
Once everyone has shared their arguments, we will vote as a class on the stance to be adopted (1, 2, or 3).
