Monday, January 21, 2013

Bloated Curriculum + Standardized Testing = Homework


Would you still assign homework if your curriculum wasn't so bloated and there wasn't a standardized test at the end of the year? I think not...

I'm certainly not the first to write about homework, and I'm far from the last. The topic of homework - whether or not to assign homework (and how often, how much, what form it should take) - is a topic that instantly elicits many emotional opinions from all involved. However, much of what I have read and heard in the debate has glossed over what I feel is a fundamental question. Why are you assigning it in the first place? 

If you were able to teach in an environment where the scope of the curriculum was truly manageable and you knew you'd be able to do it justice and cover it in all its depth, would you assign homework? If you were able to teach in an environment where you knew there wasn't a high-stakes test with serious consequences at the end, would you assign homework? 

I don't believe many of us would - and if we did, it would take on a drastically different format and purpose. 

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