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PRESIDENT MICHAEL D Higgins won the adoration of plenty of children, not to mention some adults, when he called for homework to be banned in recent days.
He argues that this would make time for youngsters to partake in more creative pursuits outside school hours.
It has long been the bane of after school evenings but there has been increasing debate in the sphere as to its usefulness.
So we want to know, would you like to see homework abolished?
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It can be a source of dreadful stress…..Should have been scraped years ago…
@David cotter: good prep for the real world then. Stress is a normal part of life.
@Fuji Hakayito: there’s enough stress….don’t make it for the sake of it..
@Fuji Hakayito: is it good prep?
I’ve never had to do my work outside of work hours.
@Barry Somers: ever do a thesis for college?
@Fuji Hakayito: an 11 year old doing 2hrs homework after school is very different to an adult doing a thesis.
@Dawn Harvey: you put the age and duration on it, not me.
@Dawn Harvey: it appears that someone skipped on their reading comprehension homework. You are completely off topic, but anyway, show me where I said that they are comparable. You can quote me if that helps.
@David cotter: Homework is society’s way of preparing children for the inevitable misery of adult life, lol.
@Fuji Hakayito: Competitive team sports or constructive group play for younger kids can provide more suitable stressors for developing minds. Kids and teens aren’t like small adults, academic stress can have negative effects on developing minds. There’s a considerable amount of evidence pointing towards this.
@David cotter: It can help with spellings, though. Ahem.
Personally I find it painful to do and believe it does not academically benefit the child. Only reservation I have on fully scrapping it is that it gives parents a little insight into how the child is doing.
It can cause terrible rows between child and parent. Another hour in school doing homework with help from teachers would be more beneficial.
@Ian James Burgess: So the teachers should work an extra hour for the little brats who hate homework so much they have “terrible rows” with their parents over it? That sounds absolutely ridiculous to me, as neither a parent nor a teacher. If they’re going to get full educations, they’ll need to learn how to work at home. I love Miggeldy, but I just think this is ridiculous.
@JusticeForJoe: those “little brats” might be children with learning difficulties or attention difficulties. Some may also have parents with the same difficulties. Our local school takes the last hour of school to sit and help kids with ‘home’ work. It could be an option. They spend long enough learning in school during the day and they will spend long enough working. Let kids be kids.
@David cotter: Like it or not, Ravid, i have a stake in the country’s future too and I’m every bit as entitled to express any opinion as you are so you know what you can do with your tripe. @Neecie, you make a fair point. I didn’t mean to include anybody who has extra needs. I don’t think decisions for the majority should be based on the special needs of some. Different approaches are required for different students but homework is a useful endeavour.
@JusticeForJoe: of course you have a stake in the country joe but increase that stake by having kids …this is an issue for parents teachers and children only..
@David cotter: Did you just tell me to have kids? Are you for real with all these things you say?? You sound like an absolute headbanger
@JusticeForJoe: I think if you’re not a parent this comment section isn’t for you
@David Nolan: That’s great, David. I think anyone who wants to continue adding to the burden of the planet by dropping sprogs should have to seek permission from the rest of us, but you don’t see me invalidating your life choices, whatever i may think of them.
I also think people should have to qualify with a license to have kids in the first place but… again… that’s just me.
@David cotter: that comment says a lot more about you than about Joe.
@JusticeForJoe: I’d be interested in your views on the future of the human race if, as you seem to wish, people stopped “dropping sprogs”?
@Fuji Hakayito: cheers man
@JusticeForJoe: your a gas man Joe
@David Nolan: thats a bs statement. I don’t have children but I was a child once so that alone qualifies me or anyone else to comment here.
@David Nolan: you’re welcome Dave.
@Stanley Marsh: I don’t wish for people to stop reproducing. I wish for them to do it responsibly. I wish for them to make decisions based on logic and reason rather than “I want an easy evening without little Jimmy wrecking my head over homework. That’s his teacher’s job” and I want them to teach their kids that they share this planet with everyone else who lives on it. Not just those in the same demographic or parenting situation as them.
@JusticeForJoe: ” I think anyone who wants to continue adding to the burden of the planet by dropping sprogs should have to seek permission from the rest of us…”
So how exactly would that work?
Would it operate through the UN or be left to national governments?
Maybe it could be done at Parish Council level so that if your neighbours want to start a family they’d have to ask you??
@Stanley Marsh: Good lad, Stanley. Sending me a text will suffice. I’ll reply in 5-10 working days with approval or rejection. It wouldn’t be a parish thing. All such decisions would be down to me personally so i can tell you, a nice big dirty bribe will almost certainly increase your chances of success.
What’s the alternative if homework is stopped? Most children I know will spend the time they would have spent on homework in front of screens again. Invite homework
@Shiv D.: So in that case we should do the same for parents also….
Imagine being asked to take some of your office work home every day, there would be uproar, but yet why we expect it from our kids.
@Shiv D.: the alternative is no homework….your mixing issues let the children have their fun it’s important for development….they’ll be working long enough..
@Lee McKeown: that’s extremely common, folk commonly put in extra time at home for their work
@Lee McKeown: You realise kids are sent to school for different reasons than people go to work? They need education. Very false equivalency there.
@Shiv D.: Imagine a world where parents limited their childrens screen time and set them alternative, more engaging and active tasks!
As a teacher, I definitely wouldn’t support it. I don’t agree with long pointless homework activities but having it on a semi regular basis does help reinforce learning and practice independent thinking rather than spoon feeding everything to them. With my own children, it helps me see what level thet are at and it has definitely helped them in terms of reading and writing anyway (primary school). It’s nigh on impossible for a teacher to get to spend time with everyone in the class with our large class numbers so I think it’s vital that the parents contribute if they can at all in the early years.
@Longlin: without homework and the time spent in class dealing with it there would be time for a certain amount of individual attention, many kids get nothing at home from parents so even a small amount of individual attention is very valuable and beneficial
@Longlin: so get the parents to do your job for you…….classic
@David cotter: If you want to have a look at our states constitution, you’d see that it states that family are the primary and natural educator of children. It’s very obvious from a teachers perspective, what parents show an involvement with their child’s education and it is always beneficial, especially in the early years of primary school. Any teacher I’ve ever spoken to agrees with this. If for some reasons parents are unable to help their children, there should be courses set up to help bring them up to speed.
@Longlin: the parent is the primary educator but not for curriculum state examinations…that Is for education professionals
Don’t try muddying the waters with constitutional law….
@David cotter: good parenting demands being involved in the education of one’s children.
@Longlin: Maybe spend an extra hour in the class and there would be no need for homework. You’d still be out the gate at quarter to 5 which is an extremely short working day compared to the real world,Maybe extend the school year,is 3 months holidays really necessary…???
@Longlin: It’s hardly a parents job to ‘contribute’ in the manner you suggest! Time is tight at school but if homework didn’t have to be prepared, assigned, corrected and tested there would be far more time to devote to meeting childrens individual needs during school hours.
@Sorcha Ní Shúilleabháin: I’m a secondary teacher and can’t speak for primary, but homework would generally be corrected in the teachers own time and doesn’t take up class time other than maybe getting them started on a task. I do think it’s a parents job to instill a good attitude to education and help organise homework in early years and help with reading etc. This shouldn’t amount to them actually doing it for the child which ads nothing either.
@Longlin: There is a vast difference between homework at primary and second level, both in terms of the manner in which it is prescribed and the rationale, and most recent studies confirm that homework, particularly the kind traditionally prescribed in Ireland, does not improve learning in young children and in fact can have adverse effects both academically and emotionally.
The only homework that has merit at the primary school level is reading.
@Ieva Giedrimaite: my next door neighbour is a teacher said she feels she has to give homework as the parents gives out if she doesn’t. The main homework she gives now is ten minutes reading each evening. That’s all she wants the kids to do. She said once the kids get to grips with reading everything else becomes easier.
Between the time the teacher spends handing out and explaining the homework and then correcting it in class. This time would be much better spent teaching. Gives kids the wrong idea about having to bring work home with them. Would also not have the mad heavy bags. So more kids could walk or cycle to school.
Most comments in favour of abolishing homework cite student stress as a reason for eliminating it. A little bit of stress is good for children as it prepares them for real life situations where you can’t always get what you want. Homework is the best way for teachers to ensure their students are absorbing what is taught and can work independently. Homework is also less stressful that spot check exams. Education is not just about cramming a head full of knowledge, it is also about giving students the tools they need to lead a productive life as a responsible member of society. Life is stressful at times.
@Don Hogan: maybe at secondary level kids can learn to self regulate stress but primary kids don’t need the stress , happy kids learn quicker , stressed kids get disruptive and it creates a hate of school . No problem with learning spellings and tables but not endless compositions and writing
@Shelly: a few minutes of an evening practicing reading cannot be stressful for a primary school child. Are you for real? I bet there is more stress involved in trying to get them to eat their greens.
It is in many cases an adverse childhood experience and a huge source of conflict in homes and should be banned yesterday.
Abolishing homework will only create an even stupider society. Reform; don’t abolish
@The Ghost of Dublin: nonsense, just look at Finland, The truth is that there is nearly no homework in the country with one of the top education systems in the world. Finnish people believe that besides homework, there are many more things that can improve child’s performance in school, such as having dinner with their families, exercising or getting a good night’s sleep.
I think full on homework should be replaced with more reading, a mental maths question they have to figure out for the next day, spellings in English and Irish (if doing both), more project work….my kids always prefer projects to homework…encourage more independant thinking.
Mine are all still in primary school for this year. But my friends kids in 1st hear seem to have HOURS of homework and have had to give up sports or other hobbies as a consequence, there has to be a better balance.
Assessment should be done in the classroom. If a teacher gives too much homework, their lessons are not that effective. I say this as a trained teacher.
I don’t think it should be completely abolished, but the quantity should be looked at. In secondary school, I often had 3-4 hours homework per night. School 9-4, home, dinner, homework 6-9 or 10. That is far longer than an average days work.
100% yes. Let kids be kids at home
Reduced yes but not altogether or maybe after School Homework Club everyday instead for an hour
It should just be reading , my kids have 2 hours plus of ho ework after a full day’s school. Take in any after school activities, they usually have very little time to themselves to read or draw or whatever. It’s crazy they can’t cover it in school.
Homework, the bane of my school days, mainly because I never did it.
@Garret Fawl: haha…..not the bane so?!
Jnr infant and 1st class in this house. Thankfully both show ability – but there can still be rows. They’re sometimes too tired after a very intense day of learning. I do like to see how they’re getting on but it should be quality of parental check not quantity of work each evening. If they’re learning words have them recognise them, test them at the end of the week but the study of them in a fun way should be in class. We have stressful evenings trying to juggle homework quantity and quality with after school activities. I’d hate to work all day and come home and have to do more work every evening.
@dottiemac: But people do go home and have more work in the evenings – cooking, cleaning, laundry, it doesn’t do itself.
Overseeing homework is how I keep up with my children’s progress in school.
I think they could go easy on the homework some times but it would be silly to scrap it altogether.
Scrape everything except reading.
Scrapped for primary school but not for secondary, I’d welcome a move away from memory tests of information towards project based work, and teach children how to research and study properly. We do it in 3rd level, why not secondary?
@Piggy: this article is about homework not rote learning. Two completely different things.
‘Homework? I’ve got running around to be catching up on’
In a way I would like to see it scrapped. In other ways it’s the only way I know what’s going on.
My daughter will tell me nothing and the teachers don’t tell me much more. If she’s not making any trouble everything is fine according to the teachers.
El Prisidenti is well out of touch. Less homework equals more phone time watching Tic Toc videos
I think it should be scrapped however I do think parents should be encouraged to help their children with reading.
@Becky Mary: Parents shouldn’t need to be encourage “to help their children with reading.” – This is their bloody job as parents.
The school can only lay out/provide the basics to cater for the 80% – 90% of their pupils. Homework seems to be a valid and good tool to check the level of the kids.
If parents cannot ars*d to help with homework, maybe they should have gotten a dog?
Micky D ‘ the Teachers do little enough as is ‘ how are you supposed to know how your child is doing ‘ no creation of bond if parents not involved in homework’ children will just get dumber ‘ leave well enough alone
Why don’t the schools open for a few extra weeks in the summer in order to get sufficient teaching done…???Surely 2 and a half months holidays instead of 3 would be sufficient,or else stay open to normal working time like 5 or 6 o clock in the evening like parents do.Its not fair on parents going home at 6 o clock after a hard day’s work to spend another few hours helping children with homework. It’s grand for teachers heading out the gate at 3 45.
@Redseat92: I find it rather strange that you assume teaching going home at 3:45 and then have the rest of day off/free time. I’m pretty sure that teachers, although not all, have do some work (corrections, prep for the next day, etc.) after 3:45.
I fully agree with the summer holidays, but think that even -2- months are still too much – make it half, 6 weeks.
As for homework:
If your kid can keep up, it will do it on its own.
If it falls behind and needs additional support, then the school “might” provide some help, but in the end, schools can cater for every single one and it’s up to parents to look after their kids first and foremost.
@Wolfgang Bonow: he assumes that about all teachers because one of his parents were teachers and used to do that, he has said before!! We get the HW on a weekly basis here and we can spread it out whatever way we want in the week that suits us. It’s nice to see what they’re doing in school and have a part to play in supporting them in their development and I’d miss it if it was removed. If we were under pressure in a particular week and couldn’t get some of it done, there isn’t any hassle about it either, but I realise it mightn’t be like that in all homes.
@Joe Kennedy:If you can’t manage to teach the full curriculum within the very short day,Have you ever thought maybe our day isn’t long enough…?? Stay till 5 or 6 like the vast majority of the workforce. What about a few extra weeks or maybe a month longer in the summer…? As the current holidays are the most generous in the World.
@Redseat92: who said they can’t manage to teach the full curriculum within the “short day”? Are you on the right thread? The poll is about whether HW should be scrapped or not. Seems like you didn’t understand the question and just came on here to have a pop at teachers yet again?!
Down with homework!
Research findings are increasingly coming out against the giving of homework, particularly the kind traditionally prescribed in Ireland. For example, learning off lists of spellings in no way improves a childs ability to actually spell! If homework is to be continued it needs to be meaningful and not simply something given out of expectation or because the curriculum is too jam packed to be completed during school hours. A small amount of reading for younger children plus a weekly research based project for those at the more senior end of primary school would be far more beneficial.
@Sorcha Ní Shúilleabháin: is HW being given out to complete the curriculum? I know it’s only primary school currently for us here, but HW we get here is only reinforcement of stuff they seem to have done already in school…..at least it seems like that. Maybe it’s different at second level. I agree with the rest of your post…..must be a nightmare trying to learn lists of spellings if you have difficulty spelling.
@Joe Kennedy: Most schools use homework to reinforce learning however as I mentioned above studies find it does little to improve learning (an exception would be children with SEN). I should probably have used the word ‘books’ rather than ‘curriculum’. It’s a bit of a chicken and egg conundrum. There is an over-reliance on books to teach the curriculum and teachers feel under pressure to get every page covered after parents have shelled out for them. Inevitably, they often get sent home to get finished.
I wouldn’t ban homework but there should be a lot less given, I’m a mother and grandmother I see 2 of my grand kids are in primary school they are smart kids but it takes them 2.5hrs to do the homework they have, the twins are age 14 in 2nd Yr secondary they start homework at 5.30pm and don’t get finished until after 9.30pm most nights it’s car to much, I have a nephew with aspergers and he is a very clever kid but he’s sat there 3.5hrs trying to get through it, none of the kids have out of school activities as there’s no time for them with all the homework,
Homework by itself has become an industry in busy work and not a whole lot of “Learning” or “learning reinforcement”. I fully believe that discussions on homework and abolishing it is way down the list of priorities when the education curricula currently being delivered (not a knock on teachers or the profession) is proving out of touch with modern life and causing a sense of despair when people leave school and it’s a case of “Now what”….well I can quote a bit of Macbeth and Peig!
kids are soft enough these days ….jeez abit of homework never killed anyone.
have your say