Homework can become a real martyrdom for some children, and also for many parents who spend evenings and weekends worried about their children's homework. There are children who do them willingly, but we cannot deny that after six or eight hours of classes it becomes quite heavy to have to continue working at home. Is it that the hours at school are not enough? Something is failing.
The times change. Today's children are active, restless, curious, they need to experiment, investigate. And that way learn and strengthen knowledge. Their way of thinking does not match the passive concept of repeating in the afternoon what they have done on the day in school. Children do not need to do homework to learn. I believe that the way of teaching should be less forced and more natural, accompanying the child in the learning process and enhancing their talents and abilities.
I can't be in favor of homework
Honestly, I can hardly say anything in favor of homework because I am one of those mothers who really suffer every afternoon. If I'm tired of homework, imagine my oldest daughter (10 years) that there are days that end with wrist pain and eyestrain. And that in the best days, because there are others who assemble God's and the day ends with bad moods and even cries. And of course, day after day, week after week, frustration.
Homework choke children, I think they should be banned. It is as if the parents take our work home and after eight hours in the office we should continue working. It is normal to feel overwhelmed. It is time for dispersion, to play (God, they are children), or to do extracurricular tasks that motivate children according to their tastes and hobbies.
All the arguments in favor of the duties end up being diluted. Is it really necessary for the child to do homework to be a responsible person? I do not think so at all. Moreover, it would make children happier and more eager to learn if they were not crushed daily with homework. It is not homework that causes a child to be responsible or not, but in how we educate them in the face of fulfilling obligations.
Are homework necessary to create a study habit for the future? In the future our children will study what they are passionate about and that is why they will do it with pleasure and motivation. Their success in the studies of the accumulation of duties that they have done in their childhood will not depend.
Is it that the hours spent at school to strengthen knowledge are not enough? Something is failing if so. Lack of motivation and more dynamic methods if eight hours a day are not enough for the child to learn.
Six and a half hours of homework per week
According to the OECD, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Spain is the fifth country (of 38) that puts more duties. Children have 6.5 hours of homework a week versus an average of 4.9 hours.
Obviously, something is wrong, as countries with much less homework hours like Finland (2.8 hours) and South Korea (2.9 hours) are two of the countries with the best academic results in the Pisa report.
The results of the international tests show that Spain, despite the fact that schooling is earlier than in other countries and there are more hours of classes, has bad grades in the Pisa report. We were in a general position far below, 29 out of 44 countries, according to 2014 data.
New ways to learn
The duties, as we know them, I think they have the days counted. At least I hope so. But beware I also don't think that learning should end at the end of school hoursOn the contrary, I think you have to instill knowledge as a necessity. Create children eager to learn new things all the time.
The school that our children need is another. They are digital natives and need a school that suits their needs urgently. Changes are needed in the educational model.
There are a thousand ways to motivate them much more creative than sitting them two hours after school to do math exercises or prepare exams. Children could do research work (alone and in teams), practical work, experiments, and even propose their own "homework" around a specific topic they are giving in school. The key is to motivate, encourage and guide them in the learning process.
I would like to know your opinion about homework and be able to discuss it. Are you for or against the duties?
Photos | Thinkstock
In Babies and more | What is the point of homework if we have to do the parents ?, Why children should not have homework
