How Long Should My Child Spend on Homework?
You've probably learned already that there is not a precise answer to
this question. Just ask other parents how long their children spend doing
homework. Teachers try to give assignments that will fit all the students
in a classroom; therefore, some will complete assignments much more quickly
than others. It's not uncommon for teachers to hear that students in the
same class with the same assignments are spending extremely different amounts
of time on homework and studying.
Those students who are-task oriented often get right to their homework.
They will use every free minute to work on it at school. If they complete
an in-class assignment ahead of the rest of the class, they'll get out
their homework and start on it if the teacher allows. They'll work on the
school bus and in carpools (watch out for neatness if they do this). Children
who know how to make wise use of their time often seem to have little or
no homework until they get into the higher grades.
Students who have good attention and concentration skills often finish
homework quickly. They usually listen so well in class that they have learned
much of what they need to know already. It is said that students who listen
very carefully to what teachers are saying, can cut their study time by
45%. Other students, whose skills aren't so well-developed may let their
minds wander.
A few students may be so detail-oriented that they take forever to finish
their homework. These are the students who like to edit, redo, and edit
again. There are also those students who love to expand learning from an
assignment. They reach out to search for more information on facts they
find while doing their homework. These "editors" and the "knowledge
seekers," therefore, will take much more time on homework than the
teacher anticipated. Without destroying the positive aspects of these study
methods, if checking or expanding learning is taking too much of your child's
study time, try to help your child toward more effective use of time.
Although your children may be telling you all is well with homework,
if you notice that they don't seem to be doing much homework or have too
much homework, you need to contact the teacher. If your child needs to
go to bed, has worked hard, but has not completed the homework, write a
note to the teacher explaining that the child had difficulty with the home
assignment and it was impossible to spend any more time on it. Ask the
teacher for help with the problem.
Encouraging your children to make effective use of technology for homework
and studying often helps children better manage study time. If your children
use their computer for rewriting notes each night and/or outlining chapters,
studying for tests will be easier. Writing essays and reports using computers
makes editing less time consuming. Think of the time it takes for some
children to write spelling or vocabulary sentences. Often these are completed
much more quickly and correctly using a word processor. Some children enjoy
creating calendars or schedules for their work; this if often fun for them
and has a positive influence on their organization and concentration skills.
There are times when homework and study time is extended because parents
may not understand what a teacher expects. Although homework should be
carefully completed to the best of a child's ability, most teachers do
not expect homework drills and reviews, for example, to be perfect. By
seeing what problems the children are missing in their homework, teachers
can better help students with their learning. If you go over all homework
and problems with your children each night after the students have completed
the homework, this will result in much more time for homework and studying.
Checking parts of homework, checking to see if it looks complete, and/or
reviewing a specific topic might be a better idea. Although helping your
children and checking on homework is part of being a good parent, if you
are having to reteach your children each night, something is wrong. It's
best to check with the teachers about this problem.
Sometimes, if a child is spending more time on homework than a teacher
expects, the teacher might keep the child after school to watch as the
child does the homework. Usually the child will complete the homework much
more quickly than at home. However, if the child is having problems with
independent work, the teacher can then step in and try to find a solution.
Keep in mind that often problems with "so much homework" show
up at the beginning of the school year. At this time your children are
getting used to new teachers, and the teachers are getting used to new
classes. Usually these problems end well before the first term is over.
