If a student doesn’t understand how to solve a math problem at school, they will probably become frustrated when trying to do it at home. A student who does understand how to solve it may end up bored.
That is the basic thinking behind a policy to limit homework that is new to St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic School this school year.
Robert Furfaro, principal of St. Ignatius, said the policy limits homework to a maximum of just three questions.
“Two or three hours (of homework) a night isn’t conducive to anything positive, especially for young children. We wanted to — not wipe it out — but if we are going to send home a couple of tasks we try to make sure they are targeted,” said Furfaro.
So far, said Furfaro, the policy has been well received by most teachers, parents and especially students.
Michelle Nagy, vice-principal at St. Ignatius, said she believes this policy is the way to go — as an educator and as a parent.
“If we can minimize that and give time for families to spend together, I think that is an ideal situation,” said Nagy.
One constant cause of homework frustration, said Grade 4 teacher Lina Starr, is that math is not taught the same way to students today as it was to parents 15 or more years ago.
“So you get the kids thinking about a strategy or a concept or a way of completing something, and the parents don’t have that. The kids should, if they are paying attention in class,” said Starr.
Sometimes it can be beneficial for children to learn more than one way to solve a problem, said Nagy, but often it creates confusion for student and parents alike.
"It’s always the math, and 'let’s do 20 questions of math'. Well now that's providing a problem at home, as well as a problem at school," she said.
Furfaro said the assigning of homework rates very low on the ranking of teaching methods which have been identified to help students achieve.
“If the student can’t do it here at school and we send 20 questions home with them about long division, they are not going to be able to do it. If they can do it, why are we spending all that time just going over an already enhanced skill?” he said.
Instead, the current policy limits one question per night for primary students, two for junior classes and a maximum of three questions for intermediate grades.
The questions can be tailored to the learning needs of the student.
“It’s called differentiated instruction, so the kids that need basic concepts reinforced may be given simpler tasks to do. The one who have it, you may be giving them a more open-ended question where they can come up with different answers as long as they can justify their thinking,” said Starr.
The questions are intended to reinforce concepts that were already taught in class, with an emphasis in engaging parents in the process.
The policy was not created to eliminate homework entirely, said Furfaro.
“It’s more about streaming and minimizing and focusing on rich, targeted tasks to take home,” said Furfaro.
Some parents have asked that their children still be given homework, said Furfaro, and accommodating those requests is built into the policy.
By limiting homework, Starr hopes families will have more time to spend quality time together.
“That’s key. And spend time face-to-face, don’t just put them in front of a device. Go for a bike ride, go outside. Engage them, ask them to tell you what they learned today and the kids should be able to explain that,” said Starr.
