France to Ban Homework

[Reeve]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...of-ed-reforms/

Apparently François Hollande wants to ban homework in public schools in France, saying that schoolwork should be done at school, and that having work done at home puts disadvantaged kids who get no help or supervision from their parents behind the curve.

They also apparently do a 4 day school week 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

What do you all think? Is it a good idea to be pushing schoolwork into school hours rather than having kids bring their work home with them?

[Worgenite]

When I lived in Florida, the way they did the school there meant that classes were done sooner in the day(or maybe they were just that much quicker /shrug) but I was able to do my homework in class 99% of the time and I ended up getting all A's and B's which was a first since like 4th grade b/c I stopped doing homework b/c I didn't like it lol. Homework just seems outdated anyways :3

[Everything Nice]

I support this. Homework violates my constitutional rights to play video games all day when I get home!

[Newbryn]

I've always thought homework was pointless, considering the long hours you spend in school I feel once you're out of school that should be your time to relax. I personally feel this will reduce stress and pressure on students as long as they quizzed or tested at certain intervals.

[Howdyho]

Kids doing 8 hours a day don't deserve to get any extra to do after school.

[Authary]

So... Some kids have a disadvantage. And they want everyone to share it.
Typical.

I propose we remove everyone's eyes, legs, arms, ears and tongues. Some people can't use them.

[smegdawg]

If they are required to spend more time at school per week yes.

Otherwise this is moronic. Not to mention will not prepare any student for a College or University.

[StaeleAilar]

Definitely. Quite frankly as a student i hated homework purely for the fact that if i did not or could not understand it, i had NO access to help with it. Neither of my parents finished school or went on to tertiary education and none of my siblings were put into the class levels that i was so they had no idea what i was asking or on about.

School work and lessons should be taught at school and in the classroom with the aid of the teacher and fellow students studying the same thing and what cannot be taught during that time should be taught during the next session. This will of course impact on assessments and the like but more often than not, at least in Australia, the assessments and exams were, in my opinion, more of a test on how well you could regurgitate exactly what your teacher had told you rather than forming your own views and opinions and backing them up with textual studies and the like.

Furthermore, giving kids homework, for the most part, results in tension at home. Kids don't want to do it when they could be out with friends, watching some tv and relaxing or catching up on sleep after a long day of doing the same crap already. I know personally, with my siblings, their homework and assignments often resulted in my parents fighting with them to get it done at midnight when they were still up doing it due to other commitments after school like work and sports and then ultimately, me having to step in and help (read- do) the work for them just so they could hand it in and not be in trouble for it.

Homework has always and will always be a bad idea. If what is being taught does not receive enough time in class for it to be taught then the problem lies within what is being taught and the time and dedication put into it by both the governing bodies of education in countries and the educators themselves. The only circumstances where "homework" is tolerable to me is if students fail to complete the work that is set out for them during the allotted time and it IS something that they can finish at home. Such as reading a chapter in an english text or cutting out articles from magazines and the like for an in-class discussion the next day. Everything else can be done in the class under the supervision of the teacher.

[Authary]

If they are required to spend more time at school per week yes.

Otherwise this is moronic. Not to mention will not prepare any student for a College or University.

No, no. They're reducing the hours too.

[Symphonic]

I can see benefits to having classes be a little longer for time to do school work. Then, if a student has questions while working, the teacher is able to help.

[Rukentuts]

Personally I never had trouble with homework, because I never had much because I actually paid attention in class and used our work-time wisely.

[Purlina]

Homework is used to get kids to study after school. So I guess they don't think kids should study?

>.<

[Namor of Muradin]

As a teacher, I will suggest that real learning requires the student to actively think through and have to process and work with the ideas being presented in order to master them (and not simply be hand-held by the teacher..have to do that hard individual practice and making sense of out the ideas and concepts). Whether this happens at school or at home is irrelevant, but it has to happen somewhere, and it takes time. The real key is that the work is challenging and thought provoking, and not simply just rote crap (although a bit of rote learning is usually a piece of any topic, just needs to not be the entirety of it...)

[Rukentuts]

I can see benefits to having classes be a little longer for time to do school work. Then, if a student has questions while working, the teacher is able to help.

Bingo. At least give them time to get a "good start on it" in class, and they can take the rest home if they cannot finish or if they choose not to spend their time on it.

[Militant]

I hope this works well for them and the rest of world follows if it is succesfull, it never really made sense to me that you had to work at school and at home :x

[karrad]

Homework is used to get kids to study after school. So I guess they don't think kids should study?

>.<

That is sure going to prepare them for college.

[Wildtree]

Schools are different in each country.
Home work is limited by laws already for a long time in several of them. In Germany it's law that homework cannot exceed an hour. That's law for several decades already.

[Landin55]

So... Some kids have a disadvantage. And they want everyone to share it.
Typical.

I propose we remove everyone's eyes, legs, arms, ears and tongues. Some people can't use them.

Whats stopping kids from doing homework even though they don't have to if it happens? Oh yeah nothing. This guy simply wants homework to stop being mandatory and I agree, from one point it is an outdated concept meant to stimulate kids when all it does really is provide another useless hurdle, and point two homework sucks.

[Wolfsage]

Yes, this is great.


Kids these days don't have free time, or they have significantly reduced free time, or they have to ditch homework to get it.

Homework is yet another tool to keep people in check like cattle.

[bekilrwale]

That is ludicrous. I really don't have much to say to this, just that banning homework is a stupid idea O.o.