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Prospect of less homework sparks valuable lesson
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One afternoon this week, my eight-year-old son returned from school feeling quite excited. His teacher had asked him — and his classmates — to write a note to her urging her not to give them any more homework. They needed to come up with some good reasons to convince her.
As an Asian parent, I found myself equally intrigued and bemused. As is the usual practice in our household, we sat around the dining table and started a discussion. One of the first thoughts my son voiced was, “So if she is really convinced, will we no longer get homework?” It was a tantalizing prospect, not because homework was such a stressful chore — in fact, he enjoys thinking about new topics to research and write about — but because it could open up a window every weekday evening to do other things, like play, read, build or help in the kitchen.
As we bounced thoughts off each other, it was clear that this was so much more than a new weekly assignment. It was the first step in the process of understanding — reflection.
I make an important distinction here between learning and understanding. So much of our traditional education system focuses on what we have learned and how much we know. Our evaluation parameters are based on regurgitating that learning. When we transfer the emphasis to understanding, we give pupils the space to reflect about what they have done, and why it may be so important.
From the look on my son’s face, I could tell that his mind was turning over furiously.
“Let’s see. I can stay out longer, playing. I can read more books. I can draw. I can build more stuff with Lego. What else could I do?” As he paused, I knew he wanted to say that he could play Minecraft on the iPad or watch a few videos, but we have a “no-screen” policy on weekdays apart from what is essential for homework research.
He was at second step — realization. He was beginning to make the connection between why his teacher had given this assignment and how it might lead to an appreciation of self-learning. There was realization on my part as well: that one of the key functions homework performs is to kindle a spirit of inquiry.
That spirit became evident in the responses my son came up with. He could read more books on new topics. He could cook a daily dessert. It was interesting to see how the prospect of an extra free hour every evening suddenly seemed to create so many new opportunities!
It was time to shift the focus. “Have you thought why your teacher may not want to give you and your classmates homework?” I asked. “How could it be good for her?”
Getting an eight-year-old to feel and demonstrate a bit of empathy and recognize the motivations of others can be a challenge, but he was up to it. Giving it a bit of thought, he replied, “Oh yes. She will have free time as well!”
“And what would she do in that free time?” I posed to him. Pat came the reply, “I get it now! She has just had a baby. She can spend more time playing with her baby and looking after him!”
Suddenly, he was able to assess the situation from her perspective. It was the third step — recognition. He recognized how important it was to appreciate the effort she was putting in every day. “I think she does such a great job at school every day helping us learn,” he explained, “that we don’t need to study anything else at home.” That’s a great reason for not needing homework.
My son had found some answers. Nothing was absolutely right, or wrong. But they were well thought through, original and contextual to his situation and that of his teacher. We revel in role models. One successful business spawns many imitators. “Try to be like her/him,” we were told and now urge the young.
Maybe it’s time to stop giving our students homework and encourage them to explore the unknown.
Kunal Sinha is based in Shanghai and has over 25 years of unearthing and commenting on consumer and cultural trends in Asia.
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