Fantastic Insight re: Homework...And an Offer of a FREE Book!

Spread in front of me are 25 lovely final projects I need to grade for my MSU class...

Across the room is a giant Crock Pot that must be wrapped...

On the counter, not one, but THREE, to-do lists...

Yet I just absolutely needed to write about this...

Today in Ed Week online, there's an interview w/ Cathy Vatterott, known as the "homework lady." She began her own investigation into how homework affects kids and learning after witnessing her son's struggles with the it. Since then, she's written and spoken extensively about her research. (And her son's a successful college student, to boot.)

She has a new book, Rethinking Homework: Practices That Support Diverse Needs. I am going to make it a New Year's revolution---I mean, resolution--to read it and quote it often to the powers that be. (I am already planning to print and distribute the articles to my son's teachers.)

Dear fellow parent or person interested in the future of our nation, if you would like me to send me this book as a Christmas present, email me, and I will. Or, rather, I'll email a free copy to the first ten emailers.


I can't link the article, as it's subscription only, but here are a few excerpts from the EW's interview:

The biggest parent misconception is that a lot of homework is a sign of rigor. A lot of times, parents are like, “If they don’t do all of this work, they’re not going to get into Harvard.” Actually, the research doesn’t support that a lot of homework does any good.

And:

Students may not be able to do homework because of home conditions or family responsibilities, not because they are lazy or irresponsible. When teachers fail to understand how poverty or other circumstances can interfere with homework, there can be a tendency to make moral judgments about the student and the parent.

And:

When students are repeatedly given homework tasks that are too hard for them, frustrations build and students can start to hate learning. When kids are that frustrated, they basically just shut down. We’ve learned about that from brain research. We’ve known that frustration shuts down kids’ learning. And we know psychologically that’s what they do to protect themselves.

Amen, Ms. Homework Lady.