Time to do your homework... or not

[Martin-O2]

Hey everyone, 

A secondary school in Essex has made the decision to scrap traditional set amounts of homework in favour of students choosing their own appropriate tasks to complete. The will select these tasks with the guidance of the teacher but can incorporate their own interests or personal targets such as charity work. The new proposal would give students a "greater responsibility for their own learning".

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think this will help with students learning or is the traditional approach of set homework a better option? 

Further reading

[sheepdog]

Hmmm, sounds a good idea in development post-school but when you read the Daily Gazette article you get this rather condescending quote:

"She said it was not compulsory but any students who did not take part and was considered to be in danger of falling behind would be asked to attend an intervention session with motivational speakers."

So no real option to take homework as the teachers won't be giving it so therefore since the pupil won't or can't participate for various reasons, they effectively get re-assessed - because they will change the rules -and then have to attend mandatory motivational classes for something they are not interested in! 

Which brings us round to exactly how do the various tasks get marked appropriately without being abused as "personal targets and interests" are way to vague to provide a comparision across a large number. Wait a second, that sounds remarkably like my annual performance review 

[Cleoriff]

I spent a lot of time in nurse education and then went on to educational development of all staff grades.

How people teach is one issue. How students learn is completely different. Some need goals set for them otherwise they just don't bother...or more importantly, have no idea what is involved in setting their own goals and targets. I am all for freedom of choice and expression....but NOT when the outcome could have a profound effect on good kids who need direction.

Allowing people a choice is fine when you are of an age to realise the importance of learning. Not when you are young and have peer pressure pushing you in a different direction. A lot of kids I know think being out with their mates is a far better option than undertaking 'free study'. It takes far too long to clear up the aftermath of those kids who had the potential to do so well in later life, purely because educationalists chose a method that suited a minority.

[Martin-O2]

Yes I think this could be a good thing but only for some students. I never got on well with rewriting all the days lessons as homework but was always a keep reader at school so would have got on better with that kind of assignment. 

As long as it's properly monitored and the results are measurable this could be an interesting development. 

[Cleoriff]

I honestly remain unconvinced @Martin-O2. I think everyone is individual and learns differently. I am sure it will suit some and they will flourish. I just worry about the others who, at THAT age,  require constant support and a 'rigid' timetable....

[Martin-O2]

Yes agreed they will definitely have to watch the results very carefully and make some changes if anyone has a drop in standards after adopting the new practice. 

[jonsie]

I'm undecided on this to be honest. Some mandatory homework is a good thing. I went to a grammar school back in the day where every lesson in that day (apart from Games and PE ) we were given homework that was supposed to last half an hour for each subject. This could amount to five lessons in a school day so do the maths. However, trigonometry and geometry could well take an hour each unless you copied your mate on the school bus in the morning. This was before the age of the Internet and many subjects meant a trip to the library after school. Some nights it was 11 pm before homework was finished.....far too much those days.

My best mates who went to Secondary Modern schools had no homework at all and didn't have to wear a school cap and silly tie! If I had my time again I would have failed the 11+ as it was then, been with my mates and still have taken an apprenticeship in Motor Mechanicing. I just feel I wasted 5 years at a grammar school which I hated with a passion and I lost count of the thousands of hours spent doing homework which the really clever people copied from me on the bus in the morning. 

I never had the slightest interest in becoming a doctor, architect or draughtsman and enduring further education via University.  OK,  I attended what was then technical college and got a degree and craftsmanship in motor vehicle technology but that was a pleasure because I could give you the ins and outs of engines, gearboxes and rear axles not to mention 4 wheel drive,  automatic transmission, welding, paint spraying and anything at all to do with motor vehicles. It wasn't just a job, it was a passion and a hobby. My life revolved around every aspect of vehicles, all vehicles not just one manufacturer. 

8 A-Levels wasted whilst losing touch with my friends due to the silly hours spent doing homework! 

@Cleoriff.....I used to have to leave Biology lessons because of my aversion to the inner workings of the human body so a career in medicine was a definite no no!!

[Cleoriff]

I get that Steve...but I look at it differently. I delberately failed my 11+ as I did not want to leave my mates.

I was academically able but just didn't want to go to a grammar school. It took me 6 months to realise the mistake I made. So to 'better myself' I went into the nursing cadet scheme which educated you for 3 years to grammar school level and then allowed you entry to Nursing.

Those opportunities no longer exist for the kids of today. If you don't have the qualifications nowadays... you don't progress. Fact.

Then on the other hand my eldest lad was tested for his ability and we were stunned to find out he was in the top 4 percentile in the UK for kids his age. He won a part scholarship to Bablake (one of the top private schools in the Midlands) After two years we took him away!  Despite his academic ability, he was idle. He didn't want to study and he knew if he didn't... we weren't going to pay for him to waste his time and our money.

Does he regret it? You bet he does. Leads me back to the subject that kids are individual and what works for a few...wont work for many

[jonsie]

I agree Den but I sometimes wonder how my life would have been if I had deliberately failed the 11+? However, I would not have met my wife and had two brilliant kids and two beautiful grandkids.

If I were to die tomorrow I could honestly say I've lived a happy life and achieved and done things I wouldn't have thought possible when I was at school and bemoaning homework and everything to do with a grammar school education.

[Cleoriff]

Exactly my point Steve. What we could get away with then and still make a success of a career or profession whether you had reams of qualifications or not.....is not the situation now. Even those kids who have A levels and degrees often struggle to find employment. So in a vicious circle, that makes it worse for those who walk out of school with limited or no qualifications.

Just to add...although I didn't study when I was 15, I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to continue post grad qualifications with my employers (the NHS) footing the bill for every course I applied for. THAT rarely happens now either....