Homework: gateway to increased retention

(This is a continuing series in which educators at Legacy Traditional School answer reader’s questions about various educational topics.)

Question: Why does my child have homework? Why is homework important? What role should parents play in the homework process?

Answer: At Legacy, homework is a vital part of our curricular program. It is a necessary component to reinforce the material that the student learned and reviewed that day. Homework is not a time for learning new material, but rather for reviewing the material already learned, and helping to move that concept from short-term, to long-term memory.

Legacy only gives homework four days a week, Monday-Thursday, with a set maximum time, 10 to 15 minutes for kindergartners, and increasing yearly from there. At Legacy, we do not assign the standard homework assignments on Fridays, so as to free up families to spend more time together.

Homework should generally not take longer than the allotted time to complete. If the homework is consistently taking longer than is specified, parents should work with the teacher to determine the cause. It is possible that tutoring or other supports may need to be put in place to ensure that the student understands the material, prior to the homework time.

This year we have instituted a new practice to ensure that the average student can complete the homework in the time allotted, and that homework loads are properly balanced.

Periodically throughout the year, the teacher takes the final portion of the school day to allow the students to complete their homework in class. This allows us to track how long homework is taking, and helps our teachers to adjust the homework loads accordingly. It also gives the parents and students a night off from homework!

The daily homework slip is signed by a parent each night. This helps to ensure that parents are reviewing their child’s homework with them, and checking to make sure that they understand it. It helps the parent gauge the progress of their student and be more aware of what is being taught in class. The homework slip also contains a comment sheet for parents to write notes to the teachers, encouraging communication, and allowing the parent to give immediate feedback to the teacher.

Homework becomes the gateway to increase retention. It is the reinforcement that students need to ensure that they can retain the new content that was learned that day. It also helps parents to be engaged in their student’s education and have the opportunity to participate in the learning process. So the next time your children complain about their homework, simply extol its virtues and sing its praises. I’m sure they will understand how valuable it is and why they should gladly do it. And, if not, at least you understand its importance, and can feel good about standing firm.

To submit an education related question to be addressed in a future edition, send your questions to [email protected].

Aaron Hale, MBA, MSIM, is the executive director of Legacy Traditional School.

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