The MATH Homework Debate: Are We Grading Students Academics or Their Circumstances?
“Homework is a reflection of a student’s home life not of their academic abilities”
I have been a firm believer in not giving students math homework since I started teaching. I have many reasons why I don’t think homework is necessary or appropriate for kids (especially elementary aged kids), and this quote from Christina sums that up for me.
Many teachers use mathematics homework as part of a student’s academic grade. If a child doesn’t complete their homework, they lose academic points. But what if a student has to come home and watch their siblings since their parents work three jobs or they need to go work to help support their family? What if a child has a home that does not have appropriate tools needed to complete the homework or a safe environment to get it done? Should any of this really impact a child’s academic grade? These conditions tell us nothing about a child’s mathematical ability, only about their homelife.
Our goal as teachers of mathematics is to understand and guide a student's process for solving problems, not just worry about the answers that students get. Homework doesn’t allow us to see or hear that process.
I was recently tutoring a 7 year old student and she brought her homework to our session. It was one of those worksheets that I remember seeing as a student (33 years ago!). A bunch of naked number problems, a word problem and a question about vocabulary. I worked with this little mathematician on her homework and gave her all the visuals she needed and broke down each problem to talk through appropriate strategies to help her work through each component. Here is the issue that I have, the teacher saw none of that. The teacher saw the completed product and assumed that this child completed this homework on her own. They have no idea what strategies she used to solve these problems nor which problems she had a hard time on. So once this teacher received the paper, they “graded” it and assumed that this student has a solid understanding of these skills. But the truth is, that this student is not yet proficient.
My point is that when teachers send homework home with kids, there is no way of knowing the process they took to work through the problems or how they came to an answer, and it's the process that allows us to support their learning as mathematicians.
Lastly, kids spend around 7 hours a day in school, just like adults spend at their jobs. Their little brains work hard throughout the day, just like ours. The last thing we should be asking them to do when they come home is to continue working. They need a break. They need to play outside, watch a show, go to soccer practice and give their minds a break from all the hard work they completed throughout the day, just like adults! Homework is just an added stress and, like I mentioned above, doesn’t actually help the teacher know anything about a child as a mathematician!
“There is no conclusive evidence that homework increases student achievement across the board. Some studies show positive effects of homework under certain conditions and for certain students, some show no effects, and some suggest negative effects” (Kohn 2006; Trautwein and Koller 2003).
IF you would like your child working on math skills at home, try some of the tasks you see below. These are way more engaging and connected ways to practice math without the added stress of it being “homework”!
Practicing Math at Home:
Talk about numbers and where you see them
Look for shapes and patterns in real life
Have tools such as a ruler, calculator, and measuring tape available and ask your child to help you with measuring you might do around the house
Have your child measure ingredients while you are cooking
Ask your child to count coins or estimate the total cost while you are shopping
Ask your child to figure out the tip when ordering pizza
PLAY MATH GAMES! Below are wonderful resources that give you ideas of games you can play with your child at home:
Dice and Domino Games (videos)
How Many Rows? How Many in Each Row?
Whether you are an educator or a parent, think through the purpose of the math homework being put in front of your students or child. Is it necessary? Will it provide you the information that you need? Is there an alternative way for your child/student to practice math these skills?
By: Kelly Green
