To Homework or Not to Homework? That is the question.

[Alex K]

I don't see yet how some skills, e.g. in maths, but also writing, are supposed to be learned without doing work on your own and thinking about it yourself outside the classroom. There are some things like grammar rules and calculational techniques I definitely trained at home bc there is no time in the classroom. Generically studying for exams without concrete assignments is even harder. Thus I find not assigning anything up till fourth grade a bit dangerous. The firsr year, I can imagine it could work though.

I do agree that there are surely ways to cut back on the amount of homework, which is not always terribly thought through, and there might be ways to let students do more work in class already, it depends on the system.

What Ryantology said, although as a student I loved my hobbies and would have absolutely hated to be confined in school for much longer, so I'm for limiting it to maybe 90 mins.

@bennyboy

Without homework, there might even be a bigger wedge, as stable pro-education families will make sure their kids still learn stuff outside the classroom, while the others don't even get the minimal training effect from assignments any more.