French President Proposes Banning Homework: Talk about courting the youth vote. French President François Hollande has proposed banning homework as part of a series of policies designed to reform the French educational system. “Education is priority,” Hollande said in a speech at Paris’s Sorbonne University. “An education program is, by...
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It is almost six months since this announcement. I haven't heard anything new since.
I remember at the time speaking to a teaching colleague and even a few senior students at one school and they were shocked at this news and didn't agree with the President's idea. Students, while they may resent homework actually understand why it is important to them in terms of learning.
Homework is essential to student learning. It allows for students to consolidate and apply the skills learnt at school that day. Homework doesn't necessarily have to be based on that day's work, but it can also be preparatory work e.g reading a section of a novel to discuss in the class the following day.
Homework can be interesting and take on many forms.
In a high tech world, homework doesn't have to be pen and paper either or merely reading or writing. It can take on many forms like watching a TV show such as the nightly news bulletin to be informed on the main issues in our world, watching a documentary or collecting information based on personal experiences. We can also get students to be creative too and make it hands on.
As an educator, the challenge for me is always to make the homework interesting whilst keeping it engaging. It is often too easy for me to set a worksheet with questions or questions from a textbook. I need to consider other means. Variation is not confronting.
I think we are also lucky in Australia that students can work in settings free from distraction. There is always the local library and in an increasing number of schools provide opportunities. Homework Clubs and library's staying open after school allow students not just to complete their homework but also seek direct support from teachers that give up their time to allow students to optimize their learning outside of traditional school hours.
As the entry shows, banning homework is not a good idea.
