The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing

I began reading Kohn’s books with the book, “The Case Against Competition”. I really enjoyed that book and it informed my own educational experiences. The basic premise in this book appears to follow the lines of: it something is worth doing, it’s worth doing for its own sake, and not because anyone has to force you to do it or else. Here, the or else is the threat of grades and ultimately failure.Kohn explores the reasons for the premise and comes up with no much at all to say in favor of homework. If this is truly what the science shows, and it appears to be so (the book is fairly well referenced) then it’s worth considering changing it.Personally, I was never a big fan of homework, but I did it because I wanted good grades and I thought thats what you were supposed to do (an idea Kohn examines at some length). Now, after reading his book, it appears there are better ways to motivate children and better ways to give them a lifelong passion for learning. That is, if you agree that this is a goal of education or should be so.Great title! Worth a read if it strikes your fancy.

I like the book a lot. I agree that young children should not have a lot of homework, but I do believe that children should do work at home.Working at home - I feel is the key to all successful students as an educator, even young children. So, although I agree with the notions put forth by Kohn I do feel that there should be a more explicit twist made towards promoting learner autonomy based on aspects of what is being taught within the school.I agree that schools have, for the most part, become derailed and the meaning of education (to take care of our children) has been slightly lost as the globe blindly harnesses standardized tests and suffocates opportunities for creativity to fill the crevices of the curriculum. In this regard Kohn is absolutely correct (well from my perspective) in that he develops the sense of how homework has become political and policy driven in many instances.For young kids - parents should lead the way at home. In any case, school should not administer homework for administrative sake: and they do. I meet with my child's teachers when such issues arise (fortunately not often) and I work out a way to understand their (the teachers) homework goals and make them as pleasant as possible for my child.The default of a "no homework" policy is not what I would aim for - but a solution on how we can best support the child and reshape homework tasks into truly beneficial one. If tasks are given to make the child want to work at home (to explore and create) I am supportive, but in many instances as Kohn points out homework is given thoughtlessly to fill time - this I agree is abusive to the child.If you are a parent and have not thought about this issue before and are interested, it's a great mind opening read. If you are an educator (one who sends kids of with loads of photocopied worksheets: not your own assignments addressing what you are working on at that point in the curriculum) you NEED to read this, and rethink.

Kohn clearly proves using extensive research that homework is generally bad for students’ health and family life while providing no academic benefit. He certainly convinced me.

My child was complaining about too much homework, and what he was learning doesn't matter for real life. As a parent it is my job to help him get his homework done, and also to understand why he was crying about it and try to see his point of view. This book takes his point of view, so I read it for him. It's really a collection of numerous studies that the current public education system disregards. In any case, it helps in that it is very supportive that homework doesn't actually begin to help the students learn until they are around junior-high level. So us parents that would rather our kids experience their childhoods outdoors and playing instead of having them spend hours going over spelling, math and reading every night with kinder to 6th graders, may be doing our kids a favor.

The author builds a compelling case against homework by providing ample evidence. However, "Practice makes perfect" is so deeply ingrained in my mind since childhood that Alfie Kohn's precious message feels counter-intuitive. However, I am determined to break free from from vestigial beliefs, so I am going to to read the book again to bring home this very important message.

As an educator, I always wondered what the necessity of homework was about. I am slowly learning that it is mostly dictated by parents desires and districts wanted to appear 'competitive' among other schools. This book lays out all of the intricacies of the students 'brain on homework' and how the teacher can streamline their lesson plans to minimize the need for homework. As someone who considers themselves a holistic educator (ie, I consider the whole child and not just parts), this was an excellent read and a great tool that I will want to implement further in my career.

Turns out homework is quantifiably bad for kids, who could’ve seen that one coming? This should be required ‘homework’ for all educators.

I agree 100% with Kohn's view about homework. We never had any homework up through the 8th grade, and somehow, many of my rural schoolmates went on to achieve great careers, including a significant portion who would go on to be the first college graduates in their families' histories, having learned enough during the school day (9 AM - 2:30 PM) to survive quite nicely in the adult world, despite the approximately 40-to-1 student/teacher ratio. (I don't think current teachers' union members could comprehend this....)

Spoiler alert - Kohn doesn’t think kids should have homework.I had high hopes for this book but it fell well short of the professional discussion I was hoping for. Apart from the blatant bias, it took 146 pages to hash out the answer to one question; is homework effective? In the first three pages Kohn identifies the problems with answering such a general question but he does nothing to address these. When we finally got to the crux of the issue (what tasks are effective when completed at home) Kohn was woefully out of date and failed to recognise 21st Century teaching. Maybe my fault for buying a book that was published in 2006. I will learn from my mistake.

As an educator who has set homework religiously and with purpose for many years this book questions the very foundation of that premise and forces you to rethink your attitude and ultimately to stop setting homework. In essence, with increasing mental health issues for young people we must do all we can to reduce that level of pressure on them and allow them free time to explore their own passions and to relax. How many parents have their children going to bed at 11:00 at night after just finishing homework ? What about family time ?

Kohn's book on homework is superb. He systematically demolishes the 'popular culture perspective' on the benefits of homework and what it is designed to accomplish and highlights that, as prescribed, it can have a deleterious effect upon children and families. He is critical but not totally anti- homework - just anti-homework-as-homework-is-done. I like how he writes - and have read a few of his other books as well - and find even where I disagree, I am better off from being provoked into thinking about an issue from his perspective than I would otherwise have been.

A must read for every educator. Stop the damage.

Very interesting and well written