Homework: It just adds up

There are differing opinions when it comes to homework at primary level, from the parents who feel it eats into valuable time with their children, to other parents and teachers who believe it’s an essential link between family life and school, writes Áilín Quinlan

EVERY afternoon after school, mother-of-four Colette Hogan sits down around the kitchen table with the kids.

From about 3pm onwards, it’s homework time for Doireann, 10, Sadhbh, 8, and Fintan, 7. By virtue of seniority, their 11-year-old sister Caoimhe, now in sixth class, gets to do her “eccer” on her own, in the family’s study at home.

For the other three, however, it’s a communal and, usually, very congenial affair, says mum Colette.

“I’m up and down, pottering around getting the dinner and keeping an eye on them; popping over to ask if anyone needs any help,” she says.

Older children are occasionally called in to help younger siblings and, reports Hogan, the homework often sparks lively conversations.

“I think that homework is vital – it’s extremely important that parents know what their child is doing and how they’re getting on.”

Homework also forms a connection with school, she believes and, if she spots a potential problem at homework time, she can bring it up with the teacher.

“Homework is an invaluable way of keeping in touch with the teacher about the child’s activities. I’ve found the teachers to be more than open and willing to help out.”

Colette Hogan doesn’t agree with the stance taken by the Irish Primary Principals Network (IPPN) in their recent submission paper to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Curriculum Reform.

According to IPPN director Seán Cottrell there’s little evidence to suggest that homework, as we know it, has any real benefit.

IPPN also claims homework causes a “lot of stress” between parents and children, erodes family quality time and makes life difficult for parents who have to struggle to help with homework.

However, Hogan disagrees.

“I think it’s very important and I think it works. Homework reinforces what the children learn during the day. It’s a way of making sure they totally get it.”

It certainly doesn’t cause much stress in the Hogan household, or at least, as she points out, it causes no more stress than the stress involved in getting children to and from Irish dancing classes or sports training.

“The benefit for me of knowing where my children are with their learning outweighs any stress that homework may cause.

“I don’t find it difficult. We have a routine in place. The kids come in from school, open the bags and do it,” she says, adding that she emphasises the importance of careful, well-presented work, to her kids, all pupils of Carrigaline Gaelscoil in Co Cork.

It’s also a chance to spend some quality time with them, she believes: “When I work with the children on their homework I also feel we’re spending good time together.

“I notice that talking points can arise from the homework too! Also we end up with camaraderie and teamwork because sometimes the older ones can help the younger ones with something, which is I think another important lesson to have.”

“We’re all involved in it together. If we didn’t have homework they’d all scatter to the garden or to the TV and there wouldn’t be this togetherness around the table.

“It’s also important for children to see teamwork between the school and the home.”

A classroom teacher for 25 years, and a headmaster for a further 14, Frank Hogan, principal of the 450-pupil mixed primary school, Scoil San Treasa in Mount Merrion, Dublin, is a strong advocate of a solid school homework policy.

When the school reviewed its homework policy in 2007, it invited parental input, and he recalls, discovered that parents were strongly in favour of it: “The parents were very pro-homework. They felt it reinforced work done during the day.”

On the whole, parents strongly agreed, he recalls, with the school’s stance that homework develops good work habits and promotes the ability to work independently, while keeping parents involved and giving them an opportunity to monitor their child’s progress.

It’s important not to give children too much homework, he believes – “it can have a negative effect” – but if enough work is set at the right level it has a positive effect, he says.

Research backs this up – a study in the US in 2006 found a direct correlation between homework and academic success.

Homework can cause stress at home if you allow it to, he acknowledges, but on the other hand, a good homework routine can make things easier.

“As a classroom teacher for 25 years I never had major problems with homework. If there was an issue, parents would come to you and you’d resolve it. Homework doesn’t have to be a chore – it can be banal but with a bit of imagination, homework can be very beneficial.”

He sees no evidence for the IPPN complaint that inexperienced teachers often prescribe too much of it: “If it does happen it will generally stop quickly – it may take any teacher a few weeks to attune to a class and get the balance right. I don’t know that the evidence is there that inexperienced teachers frequently prescribe too much.

“I feel homework is valuable as long as some thought is put into it and that it is pitched at the right level.”

Mother-of-two Marie Byrne from Dunboyne, Co Meath, takes pains to keep in touch with what her daughters, Rachel aged nine and Jennifer aged six, are doing in the classroom – and believes monitoring their homework helps them progress.

“I’m very strong on homework, as I feel it has an effect on a child’s overall performance.

“They do important memory stuff like learning, spellings and tables for their homework, and it gives me a very good insight into where they are and how they are progressing.”

She works part-time, so on her work-days the child-minder oversees the written homework while Marie supervises the reading and checks spellings and tables etc.

“I don’t find doing the homework at all stressful.

“I feel it actually gives me quality time with the children. Generally if I come up against a problem with the homework I’ll talk to the teacher about it.”

She gets good guidelines from the school and values the overview homework provides on how her daughters are doing.

“We’ve been told by the school that Rachel is not to spend more than 40 minutes on her homework and Jennifer will take 10 to 15 minutes.

“I’m a great supporter of homework – it gives working parents like me an insight into how their children are getting on. It helps the children and it also keeps parents in touch.

“For example, Rachel had a problem with her English reading. I work with her in the evenings and it has had great results and she’s improved immensely – I think it’s partly because of the evening work.”

However, Aine Lynch of the National Parents Council Primary says that although NPC believes parents should be involved in their child’s learning, it feels that homework as it is currently structured, can raise difficulties for some families.

Some parents, she says, report problems with trying to get children to do homework, while some struggle with new techniques – eg for long division.

Others disagree with the length of time their children are required to spend on homework. The situation needs to be researched and analysed to see whether it is working properly at primary level, she believes.

“The most significant factor in educational outcome for children, according to research, is parental involvement in learning.

“We would be very much in favour of a parent being involved in learning and we think parents are not involved enough in their children’s learning.

“We know what we want homework to achieve – a parent/school relationship about a child’s learning, and we want children to see it positively,” she says.

However as the situation stands, she says, some parents are reporting that “Monday to Thursday is very stressful around homework”.

“The engagement is negative for some people,” observes Lynch, pointing out that parents also say that if a child is struggling at school, homework can cause further stress at home.

“Sometimes the length of time children are spending at homework is a matter of concern because sometimes they feel it is too short and other times they feel it is too long.

“We really need to look at what homework is trying to achieve – from the school, the parent’s and the child’s perspective. Then we need to measure whether it is achieving those objectives. While parents engaging in a child’s learning is very necessary, we need to see whether the way it is being implemented in the primary school system is working properly for parents, pupils and children.”

Parents who experience difficulty in helping a child with homework should realise that it is the child’s task, not theirs and inform the teacher of any problems, advises Anne Ryan, principal of the 600-all-girl Scoil Bhríde, Eglantine in Cork.

She believes homework is not only an important way of consolidating work done in school, but also teaches good work and study habits. Like Hogan, Ryan’s school has a strong homework policy which spells out recommended time to be spent on homework at the different age levels, and useful tips for parents on how to get the most out of it.

“At the beginning of each school year we give parents advice on the issue of homework – our homework policy as well as tips on how to organise it,” she says, adding that the school also recommends that parents check out the e-book, The What, Why and How of Children’s Learning in Primary School at www.ncca.ie.

“Homework is an important way of consolidating work done in school. It teaches children good study habits as they get older.

“Learning tables, spellings, poetry or songs encourages memory and concentration. As they get older, homework encourages research skills which they will need at second level education.

“Homework is a hugely valuable addition to the school day. If a child encounters difficulties with homework, we tell parents to make an appointment to speak with the teacher.

“I occasionally find that some children are taking a huge amount of time on their homework so we first explore why this is so and then the teacher will differentiate, and give less homework to the child who is having difficulties. We believe it is counter-productive when homework becomes stressful.”

A spokesman for the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation admitted that while a “small” number of teachers may be less convinced of the worth of homework, the union perceives it to be “the most regular and one of the most important links between home and school”.

“It allows a parent/guardian to become involved in children’s school work and to see, on a regular basis, how they are doing in school. It allows teachers to assess learning and extend it beyond the four walls of the classroom.”