Brilliant or Insane?: homework

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Traditional teachers send the wrong message to students

A version of this ran on the Results-Only Learning Blog last year. The message resonates, so we decided to publish it here at Brilliant or Insane.

By Mark Barnes

Traditional teachers, hammering students with homework, worksheets and tests, are teaching the wrong lessons and hindering students' ability to learn.

Although I have every confidence that students in a Results Only Learning Environment excel, some struggle with the progressive nature of the ROLE.

In a survey, given to my students at the end of the first semester, a surprising 22 percent of students reported that they want homework and tests. Of course, this means that 78 percent prefer the way the ROLE functions, without these traditional methods. However, having one-fifth of my students say they'd be fine with old-style teaching is a concern.

The problem, I surmise, is that students are so tuned into the traditional world of points and percentages that they don't know how to handle the freedoms of a workshop-style, project-based class that requires them to evaluate their own progress and set learning goals accordingly.

Furthermore, students are so concerned about acquiring points on homework assignments for other classes that they sometimes disdain their projects, so they can complete the rote-memory activities my colleagues often assign. When I ask why they are doing a science or social studies homework assignment, instead of working on one of our year-long projects, I'm told that "it's due next period, and if I don't get it done, I'll lose points."

This creates a twofold problem. The most obvious one is that students aren't learning for learning's sake, when they are on a quest for points. Also, it puts me in a difficult spot, as I don't like to remove the choice that the ROLE provides.

As I continue to ponder this conundrum, I realize one thing: education's traditionalists are teaching the wrong lessons.

Mark Barnes is an education author and consultant and the publisher of Brilliant or Insane. Learn more about Mark on our Team page. Follow him on Twitter here.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Around the Web: Top 5 posts for the week of 2-16

Ellen Page via ouchpress.com

Our Around the Web Top 5 has become a Brilliant or Insane favorite, so we figured why not keep the series going.

Here are our Top 5 content shares from around the web for the week of 2-16.

Top 5 reasons homework destroys learning -- Brilliant or Insane publisher Mark Barnes continues to outline the deleterious effects of homework in yet an other popular piece.
More than 88 Percent of the Great Lakes Are Completely Frozen Over -- The Huffington Post provides excellent video and graphics on this amazing stat.
10 reasons to greet students at the door -- Our education guru, Reed Gillespie, wowed our readers again with this post on building rapport with kids.
For Lower-Income Students, Snow Days Can Be Hungry Days -- NPR's Jessica Glazer got plenty of heads turning with this staggering story.
What Would Happen If You Improved Everything by 1%: The Science of Marginal Gains -- Buffer's James Clear shares some interesting science on the benefits of small improvements.

Bonus Pick

Ellen Page comes out -- Brilliant or Insane pop culture writer, Anna Turner, shares a poignant story and video about the now "out-of-the-closet" movie star.

Mark Barnes is an education author and consultant and the publisher of Brilliant or Insane. Learn more about Mark on our Team page. Follow him on Twitter here.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

5 reasons homework destroys learning

via parenting-blog.org

I have blasted homework for many years in many places, yet this awful practice continues in schools worldwide, stirring a hatred of learning in many children.

This article explains why I stopped assigning homework. Meanwhile, here are 5 more reasons homework destroys learning.

Homework rarely connects to the real world -- My daughter recently had to complete 14 long division problems. Frustrated, she asked, "Why do I even need to know this?" I couldn't answer. Why not ask her to solve a problem on her iPad, using a cool math app? This is far more realistic.
Most homework is assigned for practice -- There is very little research supporting extra practice, such as 15 math problems or writing Spanish sentences, as a means of improving achievement. Application of skills to larger problems is much better for internalizing knowledge.
Students often don't understand the homework assignment -- My children come to me daily for help, because they don't understand the assignment. Can someone explain why I have to do fourth-grade grammar? Why do fourth graders, for that matter?
Homework cuts into family time -- Today's my birthday. We can't celebrate, until homework is done. What's up with that?
Homework is not fun -- As Cindy Lauper once sang, "Girls just want to have fun." (Boys too.) If homework is purportedly related to learning, and almost universally kids agree that it is not fun, then it stands to reason that homework destroys learning. Why would any educator ever give students something that destroys their love of learning?

Still, the homework madness continues.

Mark Barnes is an education author and consultant and the publisher of Brilliant or Insane. Learn more about Mark on our Team page. Follow him on Twitter here.

Monday, February 3, 2014

Grades are inherently unfair

By Reed Gillespie

If grades matter as much as many say, we need to make reforms.

via: MrMillersBlog.com

I’m the proud father of identical twins. Essentially, they possess similar academic and non-cognitive skills. Yet, their high school experiences were dramatically different, as were their GPAs.

The discrepancies came down to one, randomly assigned variable—their teachers.

In science class, one twin’s teacher weighted homework at 40%, while the other twin’s teacher didn’t calculate homework. In another subject, one teacher allowed extra credit while the other didn’t. Similar subject exams ranged from 10% to 20%.

Of course, these differences are only the tip of the iceberg.

Dinner conversations frequently focused on these differences. “I wish I was allowed to turn in extra credit.” “You’re so lucky to have her. She’s so much easier.” “I’ve worked so much harder, but I only got a B and you have an A.”

Such disparities shouldn’t exist.

By no stretch of the imagination am I fan of more regulation, and since grades are here to stay, we need to make significant grade reforms. Here’s a simple 3-step policy:

Each school should collaboratively develop its own grading policies. The policy should include what goes into a grade and how grades are calculated. As the policy is formulated ask the following questions:

What can and cannot be included in grades?
How do we ensure that grades indicate student understanding?
Will extra credit be allowed?

via: silentstudents.com

Will redos/retakes be permitted? If so, how will they be computed?

Next teachers should meet in grade-level or subject-specific teams. Each team should describe what they want their students to know and how this will be measured (performance indicators).
Teachers articulate their grading policy to students and parents.

The above reforms will take time and energy, but effective grading policies require deliberate planning. Reforms will enable grades to accurately reflect what students have learned and are able to do.

If we must have grades, we should strive to ensure that they indicate the same level of learning in classrooms across the spectrum.

Reed Gillespie writes about education for Brilliant or Insane. Learn more about Reed on the Our Team page. Follow Reed on Twitter here.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Is homework breaking your child's back?

Although this picture may need more pixels (or is it less?), the message, I believe, is clear. This is my 9-year-old's backpack.

It's filled with folders, numerous workbooks, a few hardcover texts and an assortment of pens and pencils.

Just prior to capturing the image for posterity, I picked up the bag; it had to weigh nearly 20 pounds. The homework itself is bad enough, but watching my daughter sling this boulderesque satchel over her shoulders made me realize what's worse.

Homework may be breaking my child's back.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

My take on Alfie Kohn

I'm a big fan of Alfie Kohn and his work. Kohn has written widely on the deleterious effects of traditional education practices like homework and grades.

In this brief segment from my interview with ASCD, I discuss how Kohn has influenced my own work.

Who influences you?

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

5 books every educator should read

As a full-time education presenter, I meet thousands of teachers. I'm always amazed to learn how few have read any of the books that helped transform me from a traditional teacher to a student-centered classroom facilitator.

via: Amazon.com

With far too many teachers missing out on material that could potentially change their lives and the lives of their students, I decided to share the five books that I believe every educator should read.

Although the titles below are numbered, they are in no particular order of importance. Read any one today, and you'll be a better teacher tomorrow.

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel Pink. This book will help you understand what inspires learning, which is critical to the success of any teacher.
The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing, by Alfie Kohn. Far too many teachers rely on homework, because it's always been part of education. Kohn, the consummate researcher, exposes the myth that homework helps students achieve.
The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child, by Donalyn Miller. All we hear about is how we are a nation of non-readers. Miller demonstrates that every child will grow to love books and become an avid reader, if reading is approached the right way in schools.
The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, by Sir Ken Robinson. Sadly, education leaders are so enamored with testing, data and global competition that creativity is often left out of the classroom. A brilliant storyteller, Robinson provides a host of examples of how creativity and passion made many great people what they are today.
Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire: The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56, by Rafe Esquith. While some may find it difficult to work as hard as Esquith does (I know I couldn't), his strategies for engaging reluctant learners are revolutionary and truly inspiring.

For me, these books were transformational. Which books inspire you?

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Most popular posts of 2013: are they brilliant or insane?

It's been an exciting and wild year in writing for me. ASCD published two of my books, Role Reversal and The 5-Minute Teacher. I wrote articles for Teacher Librarian, Learning and Leading with Technology, SmartBlog on Education and eSchool News, to name a few.

Because of my love of blogging and the popularity of my work, thanks to you, I decided to post daily content here at the newly-named Brilliant or Insane Blog.

via: nobelprize.org

Here are the most popular posts of 2013

KidBlog is no longer completely free -- When I realized that the popular education blog host moved to a paid upgrade platform, I wasn't happy. This post prompted a social media uproar and a mix of upset users and KidBlog defenders.
Dear Parents: I want to stop grading your children -- With a promise to redouble my efforts to end traditional grading, I started by giving teachers a letter that explains the reasons for ending grades.
Top 5 reasons homework fails children -- This post originated earlier at ASCDEDge but was hugely popular here, when I posted it this year. Homework is always a hot-button issue among educators.
Top 5 reasons to eliminate guided reading -- What can I say, teachers are passionate about what they teach and Top 5 posts typically generate a lot of views. This one was no different.
Hey Major League Baseball, I'm breaking up with you -- I began my journalism career as a sports writer, so I enjoy the occasional post about sports. I'm not completely sure why, but this one got plenty of run here at Brilliant or Insane?
KidBlog CEO defends move to pay platform -- After many shares of my original post revealing KidBlog's move to a freemium model, co-founder and CEO Matt Hardy commented, sparking even more dialogue from the blog's users.
We must teach our kids about Nelson Mandela -- The death of the former South Africa president inspired this post. Hopefully, it will encourage teachers to keep Mandela's memory alive.

So, what do you think? Are any of these blog posts brilliant? Are any insane?

Please comment. There's much more to come in 2014.

Friday, December 13, 2013

Anti-homework movement is growing

In a post to his brilliant blog, Education Rethink, John Spencer grabs the reader with this opening line: "I hate my son's homework." One sentence in, and I knew I would love Spencer's post.

via: brainandeyeconnection.com

Unlike some of my own posts, which may come off as venting against the practice of assigning homework, Spencer's blog offers some useful advice for teachers who are interested in changing their approach. For example, he says:

"Write out a rationale regarding why you don't assign homework. One of the biggest selling points for me was the explanation that I would not waste any class time. I had seen the way teachers would waste time and say, "I'll just assign that as homework." The other big selling point was the notion of instant feedback and the potential lack of feedback at home."

A few hours after Spencer's post went live, comments poured in from supporters. One commenter links bad homework to bad teaching:

"I think teachers who want to do away with homework must also be prepared to fully engage kids in learning and guided practice for the entire class period. Sloppy homework follows sloppy teaching."

Another reader, seemingly joining the anti-homework movement, suggests some basic in-class writing, in place of something else assigned as an out-of-class activity:

"In many cases, informal writing during class is a better way of providing opportunities to engage with material than homework. Informal writing looks easy, but writing good prompts that produce learning and/or produce valid formative assessments is not easy."

It's exciting to see other educators writing about the negative impact homework has on teaching and learning.

So, are you ready to join the anti-homework movement?

A version of this is cross-posted at The Results Only Learning Blog

Friday, November 22, 2013

Top 5 reasons homework fails students

The homework debate is one that may plague educators for decades -- even centuries -- to come.

It perplexes me, because the research is so overwhelmingly against homework's effectiveness. After much consideration and exhaustive research of my own, I stopped assigning homework a few years ago.

Homework simply doesn't fit into a Results Only Learning Environment. Although I could write endlessly about the deleterious effects of homework, I'll get right to the top five reasons homework fails students.

5 -- Virtually all homework involves rote memory practice, which is always a waste of time. My fourth-grade daughter was recently confounded by a math problem -- 273X62. She was instructed to use some sort of quadrant method to solve this problem. My response: "use the calculator on your iPad."

4 -- Homework has nothing to do with teaching responsibility (HW advocates love this claim). Not only is there not one reliable study to prove that homework builds responsible children, based on what we know about responsibility, the assertion is illogical. Responsibility implies autonomy, and homework offers none of this. Students are told what to do, when to do it, and when it must be returned. With no role in the decision-making, where does responsibility come into play?

3 -- Homework impinges upon a student's time with family and on other, more valuable, activities -- like play. As Alfie Kohn states in The Homework Myth, why should children be asked to work a second shift? It's unconscionable to send children to work for nearly eight hours a day, then have them go home and work for 2-5 more hours; we don't live in 19th century London.

2 -- I can teach the material in the time I'm with my students in the classroom. The endless cry of "I can't teach all of the standards without assigning homework" is a tired excuse used to hide ineffective teaching methods. Creating engaging activities in place of lecture and worksheets, along with less testing will eliminate the need for homework.

1 -- Students hate homework. I want to help my students develop a thirst for learning. I want them to read for enjoyment and exploration. I want them to extend their learning when they choose, because they are interested in what we do in class. If I force them to do activities that they don't choose, they will hate them. If I penalize them for not completing something they see as valueless, they not only don't learn, they get a bad grade and hate learning even more. My colleagues often attempt to persuade me that homework is an integral part of teaching and learning. I'm simply not buying.

So, what's your take on the debate?

A version of this post first appeared at ASCDEdge, where it is one of the most viewed posts of all-time.

Mark Barnes is an education author and consultant and the publisher of Brilliant or Insane. Learn more about Mark on our Team page. Follow him on Twitter here.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Homework rants

As one school year ends and talk of another begins, I'm already wondering how I can convince my colleagues that assigning traditional nightly homework is a waste of time and a practice that has absolutely no effect on achievement.

Thought I'd begin here:

Don't worry, if this doesn't sway them, I've got more.

Monday, January 9, 2012

More bad homework

My son, a third-grader, brought me a reading homework assignment on vocabulary words. In his basal reader program, the vocabulary is taught in isolation -- a complete waste of time.

This particular activity was more troubling than most. He had a list that contained several vocabulary words he didn't know. The assignment instructed students to place the vocabulary word next to its synonym.

I asked him if he'd learned the words previously. "No," he replied. Hmm. Sounded strange. How are you supposed to know the synonyms, I inquired. He shrugged.

Without droning on about the uselessness of homework, let me say that the idea of asking a student to locate synonyms for words he hasn't learned, without the help of context clues, is beyond foolish.

If you agree that this is an act of futility, you'll love the coup de grâce. The words in question were, "coy" and "toil." When is the last time you heard a 9-year-old use these?

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Exposing bad homework research

A heartfelt email from a new teacher prompted yet another post on the deleterious effects of homework. Tony says that his school district is big into the teachings of Robert Marzano, specifically his book, Classroom Instruction that Works.

"In the book," Tony writes, "they end up saying the research shows deliberate moderate amounts of practice homework are recommended (with caveats of grading and informative feedback), so is this research wrong? Or are there exceptions to the homework idea?"

Unravelling Marzano

Robert Marzano

With all due respect, Marzano's evaluation of the research is inaccurate. In an article in Educational Leadership, Special Topic / The Case For and Against Homework (2007), Marzano and Debra Pickering cling mainly to the work of Harris Cooper, whose homework research spans decades. Marzano and Pickering carefully extract quotes from the mountains of research Cooper produced from the 1980s to the mid 2000s. Of course, they take what supports their argument and ignore some of Cooper's own admissions about the ineffectiveness of homework.

Marzano and Pickering rail against Alfie Kohn, who offers a much clearer interpretation of Cooper and dozens of others in his 2006 book, The Homework Myth. What Marzano and Pickering fail to mention, that Kohn so eloquently reveals, is that Cooper's research incessantly relates the effectiveness of homework to grades -- which are subjective measures of a student's achievement. (If I assign homework, my student doesn't do it, and I give her an F, this will easily bear out the supposition that not doing homework hurts achievement. The same scenario will obviously work in reverse.)

In a very telling study in 1998, which Marzano and Pickering conveniently omit, Cooper states that he found no significant relationship between homework and grades or between homework and scores on standardized test results for younger students. The study found only a moderate increase in grades for older students doing homework (Kohn, p. 33) and, as previously stated, connecting homework to grades is a pointless endeavor.

Marzano and Pickering also dwell on the statistics of several meta-analyses on homework by Cooper, John Hattie and others. Again, the problem with all of these, which Kohn dutifully explains, is that the proponents of homework measure it against grades and test scores. This, alone, is enough to discredit all of these researchers, because grades and tests are poor ways to evaluate learning.

Continuing to evaluate the merits of homework against these useless measures only acknowledges that grades and tests are okay, in the first place.
What Marzano and Pickering offer that is useful for teachers working at schools which mandate homework is the section of the EL article that supplies guidelines for homework. For example, they suggest that it should be purposeful and involve parents in appropriate ways. If you are assigning homework, which you shouldn't, this is certainly good advice.

Summarizing

So, back to Tony. "Is the research wrong?" I'd say, as far as Marzano evaluates it, definitely. "Are there exceptions to the homework idea?" This depends on how you look at the word.

I'm fine with students working outside of class, as long as they choose when and how to do so. Reading, as evidenced here, is really the best thing students can do outside of school. This too, though, should be their choice, and it should never be connected to any grade or test. I wouldn't call these activities homework.

References

Kohn, A. (2006). The homework myth: Why our kids get too much of a bad thing.
Philadelphia, PA: Da Capo Press
Marzano, R. Pickering, D. (2007). Special topic/The case for and against homework. Educational Leadership. 64, 6. pp. 74-79.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Angering the traditionalists

It seems that I inadvertently upset a colleague. In fact, angered is a more appropriate word.

While the teacher was making students copy nightly homework into an agenda book (yawn), a frustrated student who also has me for a teacher, announced that "Mr. Barnes says homework has no value." Uh-oh.

Now, just to be clear, I do tell students when they ask why I don't assign homework that I don't see the value in it and that they'd be better off reading for pleasure. I always add that other teachers do what they believe is best, and the students should honor that.

My colleague responded with a rather pointed e-mail, suggesting that my philosophy was hurting the entire building.

My initial reaction was to reply with a cyber dart of my own, but I refrained. After further consideration, I decided that the word is finally getting out. Before today, I thought my colleagues weren't listening to my pleas for reason on homework and grades. This was the first signal that they are taking notice.

Hmm, I wonder what I can do next to anger the traditionalists.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

What is the logic of a homework pass?

Let me begin this post with the precursor that no one has yet clearly explained the logic of homework, so the idea of a homework pass is even more elusive to me.

My 7-year-old, who has more homework than some Ph.D candidates, I think, announced today that she won a homework pass, because she earned stickers for, what else? Completing homework.

Huh?

Is it just me, or is this the craziest system in education? First, teachers inundate second-graders with hours of homework, which they, of course, hate.

Then, if the students complete enough homework, the teachers hand out a homework pass, which forgives future homework, as some twisted reward for doing homework in the first place.

So, what exactly is the message?

Do boring homework. . . reason unknown.
Complete a particular amount of homework, and you can stop doing homework for a night.

I don't get the logic. I wonder if my 7-year-old does.

Monday, August 29, 2011

When will the homework madness stop?

My 7-year-old second-grader brought home her first batch of homework today. It came in two workbooks, one textbook and one worksheet. It took her 30-40 minutes to complete, and it consisted of mostly review-type math, grammar and spelling work.

As I read the teacher's school web page, which explains the homework, I was not too shocked to see that she strongly supports this workload, contending that it will help my daughter learn responsibility and build good study habits, to which my best response is, "Poppycock!"

When will this homework madness stop? How many books and exhaustive homework studies must be completed before teachers eliminate this archaic habit?

To suggest that homework teaches responsibility is nothing shy of ludicrous. How can a child demonstrate responsibility, when given no choice in the task and threatened with punishment if the homework is not done? If I put a gun to your head and tell you to copy the Bill of Rights and you comply, does this make you responsible?

Alfie Kohn, Sara Bennett, John Hattie and Etta Kralovek are all noted educators and researchers who have denounced the effectiveness of homework as a teaching tool. Even Duke researcher Harris Cooper, who tried desperately in two separate studies to find value in the practice, said there is no measurable correlation between homework and achievement in elementary school.

Yet a second-grader is carrying five pounds of books and spending more than 30 minutes drawing lines from words to matching phrases.

Is there no end in sight to the homework monster?

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Make your class a workshop

So you think a classroom that throws out the traditional methods of homework, bell work, worksheets and even grades sounds intriguing. There are several strategies to building this Results Only Learning Environment. One is to make your class a workshop.

What it looks like
Since converting my classroom into a ROLE^TMmy room has desks scattered all over in pods of four or five. Bookcases line the walls, and student work is taped or stapled in no particular order from one corner to the next. Five computers are nestled snugly against one wall (I’m always trying to get more), and one or two carts are rolled someplace, holding student note books, paperbacks or art supplies we may be using for projects. I started the transition to more of a workshop setting a few years ago.

Rows of desks turned into pods. Although re-arranging desks is fairly simple, it can be quite daunting if you’ve lived in the row world your entire teaching career. At first, be careful to keep any potential behavior problems apart. As the year goes on, this won’t be a problem because you’ve thoroughly fanned your students’ intrinsic motivation and thrown out the worksheets and routines. A desired "good chaos" will begin to evolve in these cooperative groups, as students will discuss activities and projects they are engaged in.

Movement
A workshop setting embraces what can be the traditional teacher’s worst nightmare – movement. In the my-way-or-the-highway days, students were to remain glued to their seats. I would have literally glued them if I could have gotten away with it. A static classroom, in which only the teacher moves, is the epitome of the controlled environment. The theory is that if the students aren’t moving, there will be no problems, right? Of course, we know this isn’t true. Most bored students become unruly and they’ll find a way to disrupt, even if they decide to remain seated. In a ROLE, there’s no reason to fear movement, because students only move with a purpose. Remember, the class is project-based, removing the boring worksheets and homework.

Be a part of it
Don’t forget that the teacher is part of the workshop. Be more than a leader; be a facilitator, a coach, a questioner and a partner. Any workshop will fail if the leader sits back and watches or, worse, roams around and does nothing more than hover over the participants. What I love most about the workshop setting in a results-only classroom is the freedom I have to build rapport with students. I glide around the room, while students are working. I’m much more than an observer, though.

Treat it like a party and mingle
If a student is updating a book plan, I stop to look in and ask about a particular title or to share my feelings on the book, if I’ve read it which in many cases I have. If a book chat is taking place in another group, I’ll sit at an open seat and be an active participant, adding to and pulling from each group member. “Oh, I nearly cried when Rue was dying,” I might add to a talk about Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games. “I don’t think I’ve ever read such a powerful scene. How did you react to the way Collins’ handled Rue’s death?”

Make the transition
So, it's the end of another school year. Will you be ready to make your class a workshop next year?