The homework myth : why our kids get too much of a bad thing

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homework myth

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The Homework Myth

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homework myth

The Homework Myth

  • Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing

By: Alfie Kohn

  • Narrated by: Alfie Kohn
  • Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars 4.6 (40 ratings)

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One basic need all children have, educator Alfie Kohn argues, is to be loved unconditionally, to know that they will be accepted even if they screw up or fall short. Yet conventional approaches to parenting such as punishments (including "time outs"), rewards (including positive reinforcement), and other forms of control teach children that they are loved only when they please us or impress us. Kohn cites a body of powerful and largely unknown research detailing the damage caused by leading children to believe they must earn our approval.

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Since its publication in 1993, this groundbreaking book has persuaded countless parents, teachers, and managers that attempts to manipulate people with incentives may seem to work in the short run, but they ultimately fail and even do lasting harm. Drawing from hundreds of studies, Kohn demonstrates that we actually do inferior work when we are enticed with money, grades, or other incentives—and are apt to lose interest in whatever we were bribed to do. Rewards and punishments are two sides of the same coin—and the coin doesn't buy much.

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Publisher's summary

Death and taxes come later; what seems inevitable for children is the idea that, after spending the day at school, they must then complete more academic assignments at home. The predictable results: Stress and conflict, frustration and exhaustion. Parents respond by reassuring themselves that at least the benefits outweigh the costs. But what if they don't?

In The Homework Myth , nationally known educator and parenting expert Alfie Kohn systematically examines the usual defenses of homework - that it promotes higher achievement, "reinforces" learning, and teaches study skills and responsibility. None of these assumptions, he shows, actually passes the test of research, logic, or experience. So why do we continue to administer this modern cod liver oil - or even demand a larger dose?

Kohn's incisive analysis reveals how a mistrust of children, a set of misconceptions about learning, and a misguided focus on competitiveness have all left our kids with less free time and our families with more conflict. Pointing to parents who have fought back - and schools that have proved educational excellence is possible without homework - Kohn shows how we can rethink what happens during and after school in order to rescue our families and our children's love of learning.

  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: Education & Learning

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  • Maria M. Jacob

Must read for parent and teacher! We should disccus about this subjects with our schools and see what can be done. Great book, very interesting points are made. I have laughed (in a bad way), I have cried and it made me angry at some points. We should do more for our kids, and we should stop treating them like if they don't know anything at all!

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  • Zackery Zounes

Intriguing argument

Author/reader still comes off as pretentious as he does in his other books, but you can't fault his logic and dedication to thorough research. Many of what he shares mirrors my experience as a 90s kid. I hated hw and still do. It deprived me of opportunities to learn how to "study" and teach myself, which gave me a disadvantage when I went to college and the professors didn't teach and tests were the entire grade.

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The Homework Myth by Alfie Kohn

The Homework Myth

by Alfie Kohn

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A compelling expose of homework—its negative effects, why it's so widely accepted, and what we can do about it. Death and taxes come later; what seems inevitable for children is the idea that, after spending the day at school, they must then complete more academic assignments at home. The predictable results: stress and conflict, frustration and exhaustion. Parents respond by reassuring themselves that at least the benefits outweigh the costs. But what if they don't? In The Homework Myth , nationally known educator and parenting expert Alfie Kohn systematically examines the usual defenses of homework—that it promotes higher achievement, "reinforces" learning, and teaches study skills and responsibility. None of these assumptions, he shows, actually passes the test of research, logic, or experience. So why do we continue to administer this modern cod liver oil—or even demand a larger dose? Kohn's incisive analysis reveals how a mistrust of children, a set of misconceptions about learning, and a misguided focus on competitiveness have all left our kids with less free time and our families with more conflict. Pointing to parents who have fought back—and schools that have proved educational excellence is possible without homework— Kohn shows how we can rethink what happens during and after school in order to rescue our families and our children's love of learning.

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"There aren't enough case studies in Kohn's work, but Kohn sounds an important note: parents need to ask more challenging questions of teachers and institutions." - PW.

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Kohn is the author of ten previous books including Punished by Rewards , The Schools Our Children Deserve , and Unconditional Parenting .

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The Homework Myth

Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing

The Homework Myth

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By Alfie Kohn

Read by Alfie Kohn

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homework myth

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The Homework Myth

Why our kids get too much of a bad thing.

  • 3.5 • 2 Ratings

Publisher Description

Death and taxes come later; what seems inevitable for children is the idea that, after spending the day at school, they must then complete more academic assignments at home. The predictable results: stress and conflict, frustration and exhaustion. Parents respond by reassuring themselves that at least the benefits outweigh the costs. But what if they don't? In The Homework Myth , nationally known educator and parenting expert Alfie Kohn systematically examines the usual defenses of homework--that it promotes higher achievement, "reinforces" learning, and teaches study skills and responsibility. None of these assumptions, he shows, actually passes the test of research, logic, or experience. So why do we continue to administer this modern cod liver oil -- or even demand a larger dose? Kohn's incisive analysis reveals how a mistrust of children, a set of misconceptions about learning, and a misguided focus on competitiveness have all left our kids with less free time and our families with more conflict. Pointing to parents who have fought back -- and schools that have proved educational excellence is possible without homework -- Kohn shows how we can rethink what happens during and after school in order to rescue our families and our children's love of learning.

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY JUL 31, 2006

Education watchdog and author Kohn (No Contest: The Case Against Competition) questions why teachers and parents continue to insist on overloading kids with homework when there are no definitive studies proving its overall learning benefits. Indeed, argues Kohn persuasively, homework can be detrimental to children 's development by robbing families of quality evening time together and not allowing a kid time simply to be a kid. Americans in general advocate a tough-going approach to education and push teachers to give more drudgery nightly as a way of "building character." Yet Kohn shows that doing forced busywork only turns kids off to school and kills intellectual and creative curiosity. The American insistence on producing good worker bees "by sheer force or cleverness," notes Kohn, "reflects a stunning ignorance about how human beings function in the real world." Kohn pursues six reasons why homework is still so widely accepted despite the evidence against it, including the emphasis on competitiveness and "tougher standards" and a basic distrust of children and how they would fill their time otherwise if not doing busywork. There aren't enough case studies in Kohn's work, but Kohn sounds an important note: parents need to ask more challenging questions of teachers and institutions.

More Books by Alfie Kohn

The Homework Myth

How to fix schools so kids really learn

homework myth

Alfie Kohn on May 29, 2024

Educational traditionalists and behaviorists like to invoke "evidence" or the "science of learning," but those terms are often misleading.

homework myth

Alfie Kohn on April 25, 2023

We (and our kids) don't remember most of what we were taught, but that's not an argument against school. It's an argument against traditional, "bunch o' facts" schooling.

homework myth

Alfie Kohn on October 10, 2022

It's good when kids are absorbed by something they're doing. It's better—and more likely to be intellectually beneficial—when what they're doing is driven by their curiosity.

homework myth

Sport and Competition

Alfie Kohn on February 14, 2022

We've been raised to assume that playing a game means struggling to defeat other people. But activities without winners or losers actually reveal how much fun competition isn't

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Alfie Kohn on November 5, 2021

Why is it "political" to teach the history of racism in this country but apolitical to ignore it? Or do conservatives actually fear kids' being taught to think for themselves?

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Environment

Alfie Kohn on September 27, 2021

When conspiracy theorists, anti-vaxxers, and climate science deniers claim to be brave truth-tellers and skeptics, how do we distinguish that from genuine skepticism?

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Alfie Kohn on May 3, 2021

What's harder than either traditional or hands-off teaching? Artfully complicating students' thinking. And being in control of putting kids in control.

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Alfie Kohn on March 8, 2021

A meditation on why sugarcoating is best avoided, both literally (in cereals) and figuratively (in education and parenting).

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Alfie Kohn on December 21, 2020

Why do so many teachers privilege test scores (falsely endowing them with "objectivity") over their own, more meaningful knowledge of how kids are faring?

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  • Relationships

Alfie Kohn on October 16, 2020

The pervasive (and poignant) desire to be known by millions of strangers—or to bask in the reflected glory of famous people—is an intriguing psychological puzzle.

homework myth

Alfie Kohn on September 23, 2020

There's a substantial cost to students, and perhaps especially to working-class students, of our extreme ideology of individualism.

homework myth

Alfie Kohn on May 21, 2020

Having some control over what happens to us is a basic human need. Selfish individualism is not.

homework myth

Alfie Kohn on January 29, 2020

Part 3 of 3: A new review of 50 years of research finds little support for ABA. The evidence actually supports treating autistic kids as human beings, not bundles of behaviors.

homework myth

Alfie Kohn on January 28, 2020

ABA can objectify and dehumanize autistic children, with mindless compliance the price for acceptance. Is it any wonder it's widely despised by the children to whom it's done?

homework myth

Behaviorism

Alfie Kohn on January 27, 2020

Part 1 of 3: Research has long shown that rewards inevitably backfire. That includes "positive reinforcement" to manipulate children with special needs.

homework myth

Alfie Kohn on October 18, 2019

There's a big difference between being politically progressive (when talking about education policy) and also being educationally progressive.

homework myth

Alfie Kohn on July 16, 2019

Let's quit the Millennial bashing and, while we're at it, stop the simplistic summaries of Baby Boomers, Gen X'ers, and other huge groups that only have age in common.

homework myth

Alfie Kohn on May 23, 2019

The low points of higher ed: How the system for deciding who's accepted makes our society more inequitable, and how the teaching isn't always so hot for those who do get in.

homework myth

  • Child Development

Alfie Kohn on March 7, 2019

Educators often use a metaphor from the construction industry to describe giving students temporary help. But a closer look suggests the idea is more controversial than it seems.

homework myth

Alfie Kohn on November 26, 2018

Progressive teaching is hard to do well. But describing its rationale to skeptical outsiders is also important.

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Debunking Homework Myths

homework myth

"Do you have any homework tonight?" I asked my daughter Mercedes.

"No, I don't have any homework! Yeah!" she exclaimed.

"When is your next test or quiz?" I countered.

"It's Friday," she quipped.

"Today is Wednesday, shouldn't getting ready for the test be your homework?" I questioned.

"That's not homework. That's just study," she responded, as if I didn't know anything.

"Oh, I get it, homework is not study...it's..." I conjectured while Mercedes finished my sentence.

"...it's worksheets and problems at the end of the chapter. Just busywork," she told me.

It's an obvious myth that students think homework is for their benefit. I wonder how many other students also view homework as pure busywork, or as something you do just because the teacher assigned it for a grade? With that attitude, a student may think, "It doesn't matter how I get the homework done, just as long as it is done before the teacher checks it. Right?" This is why on the day the homework is due a group of students can typically be seen frantically huddled over the "smart girl" copying her answers.

This of course applies to students that are motivated by grades. If not motivated by grades, what is the incentive to do homework, for the joy of learning? Hm, let me think -- not! I know it wasn't until I went to college that I understood that I always had homework whether it was assigned or not. I had to review my notes, read the chapters, and prepare for the exams on my own homework schedule.

As a teacher, I became a proponent of homework in my master's degree program when I learned that by assigning homework, the teacher significantly extends the classroom learning time. I also learned that a teacher should never assign homework on a topic that has not been practiced first in the classroom. It should be focused on one concept and should be difficult enough to challenge a student, but not so difficult that the student feels overwhelmed.

Students need the habit of homework and that every day homework should be graded and feedback should be provided. Those ideas made sense to me at the time because I didn't really understand the conceptual myths that they engendered.

Myths vs. Reality

It didn't take too long for me to figure out that were some things about the homework strategies I had learned that were more mythical than real. For example, while daily homework was supposed to be a major part of the learning, the myth was that I typically only made it worth a quarter of the student grade. Additionally, I soon discovered the myth that in assigning homework, the students would be doing the heavy lifting. I realized that giving homework every day was exhausting not only my energy but also my time. I felt a huge burden in grading the 120 workbook papers daily. Another myth that I debunked was that homework would actually save time in the classroom.

Because I assigned homework every day, I felt compelled to take valuable classroom learning time to review the homework, that sometimes took half the class period, or more, leaving little for instruction and practice of new concepts and skills. I justified this investment of time because I wanted to make sure that the students were "getting it" before we moved on. Feeling defrauded about my fervor for homework, I began questioning my original thoughts on homework:

  • Why was I assigning homework?
  • Was I doing it to increase learning or to absolve myself of the responsibility for student learning deficits (the I-taught-them-so-they-should know-it syndrome)?
  • Was assigning all that homework helping the students learn more?
  • What about the students that struggled doing the homework, or the students that simply copied the work from another student, or what about the students that never did the homework?
  • What benefit were they getting from homework?

These were all poignant questions and I was fortunate enough to have experienced mentor teachers who were able to help me answer these questions and shared with me some of their strategies.

Homework: Facing Reality

I had to come to the determination that homework was extended learning time only if the students were inspired enough to want to practice the skills obtained in class. My worksheets were hardly inspiring, so I had to change what I assigned as homework. I heard other teachers, and I still hear teachers, recite this worn out myth, "I don't assign homework because my students aren't the kind of students that do homework. Now if I had Mr. Sullivan's students, I would assign homework because they would do it."

My answer then and now was, "Then make homework worth doing so they will want to do it."

A New Approach

I began assigning projects that required the students to apply their learning from class. Instead of filling in the blanks on a worksheet I requested that students find a Spanish speaker and have a discussion with them using what they knew. I asked the students to teach a family member how to introduce themselves in Spanish. I asked them to fill out a family history tree by interviewing family members. I had them reporting on Spanish language movies and television shows they watched at home.

I assigned the task of finding Spanish advertisements, news articles, and personal ads. I had them creating Spanish menus, trip itineraries, and illustrated dictionaries. I assigned groups of students to create reader's theaters, reenactments of historical events, game shows, detective who-done-it similar to CSI, Spanish class newspapers, fashion shows, sidewalk art, food bazaars, travel agencies, restaurants, and department stores.

I also had to change how I graded the homework assignments. I was savvy enough to know that if the homework was not recorded in some fashion, students would see it as optional and not do it. I also knew I could not sustain the daily grind of 120 papers to grade, dealing with late work, and keeping up with the grade calculations. One of my mentors suggested a method that simplified this for students and for me.

Homework was due at the beginning of class every day. Class started with a warm up sponge activity while I took roll. I asked the students to pull out their homework so I could see it as I walked around the class, recording one of three things on my grade book: full credit if the homework was completed, half credit for not fully completed, zero for less than half completed.

Stamp of Approval: Grading

Students needed to know that I had recorded their work so I stamped their papers with a smiley face if it was completed, a frowning face if it was not completed (I turned the stamp upside down).

Students who had done their work or even tried to do it were insistent that I stamp their completed papers. It took me five minutes to look at the homework and give feedback to every student. To check their understanding, I asked the students to teach their elbow partners what they learned in the homework.

They then traded papers and we quickly went over the correct answers to the homework on the overhead projector, again it took only five minutes. I found that the students liked this system because it was less tedious and provided immediate feedback. I liked it because I had more time to inspire learning and I got an immediate pulse of where my students were in their learning progress and what students needed my attention for that class period.

What About Blended Learning?

As a teacher I have never experienced blended learning; I have observed teachers in schools over which I was the administrator be successful in flipping the classroom and turning homework into the major learning tool. During my time as a high school principal, students all had iPads and some of the teachers set up learning management accounts (LMS) on places like Moodle. They assigned students work and research projects through the LMS and students did the work at home. When they came to class, the teacher would either review what they had done individually, or step up the learning by providing further opportunities to apply their knowledge in group projects.

So, as I understand it, in blended learning at home or wherever they are, students acquire the skills and gained content knowledge, and in class the teachers prepare scenarios, case studies and projects in which the students could apply the skills and content knowledge. This brings me back to the question of what is the purpose of homework. I would say that the purpose of homework is to not only extend classroom learning time, but to create independent and enthused learners.

Whether it is a blended learning environment or a regular classroom, we must make sure our homework is worth doing. What myths about homework have you debunked and what strategies have you discovered to be successful in engaging students in homework? Please share in the comments section below.

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Alfie Kohn

The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing Paperback – Bargain Price, August 13, 2007

So why do we continue to administer this modern cod liver oil--or even demand a larger dose? Kohn's incisive analysis reveals how a set of misconceptions about learning and a misguided focus on competitiveness has left our kids with less free time, and our families with more conflict. Pointing to stories of parents who have fought back--and schools that have proved educational excellence is possible without homework--Kohn demonstrates how we can rethink what happens during and after school in order to rescue our families and our children's love of learning.

  • Print length 256 pages
  • Language English
  • Publisher Da Capo Press
  • Publication date August 13, 2007
  • Dimensions 8.26 x 6.26 x 0.7 inches
  • See all details

Editorial Reviews

About the author, product details.

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002LITSTI
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Da Capo Press; Reprint edition (August 13, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.26 x 6.26 x 0.7 inches

About the author

Alfie Kohn writes and speaks widely on human behavior, education, and parenting. He is the author of twelve books and hundreds of articles. Kohn has been described by Time Magazine as “perhaps the country’s most outspoken critic of education’s fixation on grades and test scores.” He has appeared twice on “Oprah,” as well as on “The Today Show,” NPR’s “Talk of the Nation,” and on many other TV and radio programs. He spends much of his time speaking at education conferences, as well as to parent groups, school faculties, and researchers. Kohn lives (actually) in the Boston area – and (virtually) at www.alfiekohn.org.

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Customers find the book very insightful, well-researched, and eye-opening. They appreciate the solid information and good arguments. Readers also say the book convincingly argues that there is no evidence that homework is helpful.

"...Well worth reading. Backed by volumes of research . Good stuff." Read more

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"Loved this book. Very insightful and well researched ." Read more

"...generally bad for students’ health and family life while providing no academic benefit . He certainly convinced me." Read more

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homework myth

IMAGES

  1. The Homework Myth

    homework myth

  2. The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much Of A Bad Thing

    homework myth

  3. The Homework Myth

    homework myth

  4. Summary and reviews of The Homework Myth by Alfie Kohn

    homework myth

  5. The Homework Myth by Alfie Kohn

    homework myth

  6. The Homework Myth

    homework myth

VIDEO

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COMMENTS

  1. The Homework Myth

    "The Homework Myth should be required reading for every teacher, principal, and school district head in the country. . . . Kohn cites plenty of research to back up his thesis. None of it shows the slightest connection between homework and independent thinking. Kohn argues that homework is a burden to children, and, not surprisingly, their ...

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

    In The Homework Myth, nationally known educator and parenting expert Alfie Kohn systematically examines the usual defenses of homework--that it promotes higher achievement, "reinforces" learning, and teaches study skills and responsibility. None of these assumptions, he shows, actually passes the test of research, logic, or experience. ...

  3. The homework myth: Why our kids get too much of a bad thing.

    In The Homework Myth, nationally known educator and parenting expert Alfie Kohn systematically examines the usual defenses of homework--that it promotes higher achievement, "reinforces" learning, and teaches study skills and responsibility. None of these assumptions, he shows, actually passes the test of research, logic, or experience. The available evidence indicates, for example, that ...

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

    The Homework Myth is the latest installment in his ongoing challenge to our educational system. In this book, Kohn examines the existing research on homework, hypothesizes about why homework persists, and proposes a new approach to homework. He notes that current research on homework efficacy is inconclusive due to methodological flaws; it ...

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

    The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing. Alfie Kohn. Hachette Books, Aug 21, 2006 - Education - 250 pages. Death and taxes come later; what seems inevitable for children is the idea that, after spending the day at school, they must then complete more academic assignments at home. The predictable results: stress and conflict ...

  6. The homework myth : why our kids get too much of a bad thing

    In "The Homework Myth", Alfie Kohn, one of America's leading educators and parenting experts, systematically examines the usual defences of homework - that it promotes higher educational achievement, "reinforces" learning, and teaches study skills and responsibility. None of these assumptions, he shows, actually passes the test of logic ...

  7. The Homework Myth: Kohn, Alfie: 9780738210858: Amazon.com: Books

    In The Homework Myth, nationally known educator and parenting expert Alfie Kohn systematically examines the usual defenses of homework--that it promotes higher achievement, "reinforces" learning, and teaches study skills and responsibility. None of these assumptions, he shows, actually passes the test of research, logic, or experience. ...

  8. Rethinking Homework

    Rethinking Homework. By Alfie Kohn [For a more detailed look at the issues discussed here — including a comprehensive list of citations to relevant research and a discussion of successful efforts to effect change- please see the book The Homework Myth.] After spending most of the day in school, children are typically given additional assignments to be completed at home.

  9. The Homework Myth : Alfie Kohn : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming

    The Homework Myth by Alfie Kohn. Publication date 2006-08-21 Topics Teaching skills & techniques, Parenting - General, Education (General), Family And Child Development, Education, Education / Teaching, General, Research, Educational Policy & Reform, Educational change, Homework, Parent participation, Social aspects, United States

  10. The Homework Myth by Alfie Kohn

    In The Homework Myth, nationally known educator and parenting expert Alfie Kohn systematically examines the usual defenses of homework-that it promotes higher achievement, "reinforces" learning, and teaches study skills and responsibility. None of these assumptions, he shows, actually passes the test of research, logic, or experience. ...

  11. The Homework Myth by Alfie Kohn

    In The Homework Myth, nationally known educator and parenting expert Alfie Kohn systematically examines the usual defenses of homework - that it promotes higher achievement, "reinforces" learning, and teaches study skills and responsibility. None of these assumptions, he shows, actually passes the test of research, logic, or experience.

  12. Summary and reviews of The Homework Myth by Alfie Kohn

    In The Homework Myth, nationally known educator and parenting expert Alfie Kohn systematically examines the usual defenses of homework—that it promotes higher achievement, "reinforces" learning, and teaches study skills and responsibility. None of these assumptions, he shows, actually passes the test of research, logic, or experience. ...

  13. The Homework Myth by Alfie Kohn

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

  14. The Homework Myth

    In The Homework Myth, nationally known educator and parenting expert Alfie Kohn systematically examines the usual defenses of homework--that it promotes higher achievement, "reinforces" learning, and teaches study skills and responsibility. None of these assumptions, he shows, actually passes the test of research, logic, or experience. ...

  15. The Homework Myth

    The Homework Myth. How to fix schools so kids really learn. Motivation Is It Enough for Students to Be "Engaged"? Alfie Kohn on October 10, 2022. It's good when kids are absorbed by something they ...

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

    In The Homework Myth, nationally known educator and parenting expert Alfie Kohn systematically examines the usual defenses of homework--that it promotes higher achievement, "reinforces" learning, and teaches study skills and responsibility. None of these assumptions, he shows, actually passes the test of research, logic, or experience. ...

  17. Debunking Homework Myths

    Another myth that I debunked was that homework would actually save time in the classroom. Because I assigned homework every day, I felt compelled to take valuable classroom learning time to review the homework, that sometimes took half the class period, or more, leaving little for instruction and practice of new concepts and skills.

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

    In The Homework Myth, nationally known educator and parenting expert Alfie Kohn systematically examines the usual defenses of homework—that it promotes higher achievement, "reinforces" learning, and teaches study skills and responsibility. None of these assumptions, he shows, actually passes the test of research, logic, or experience. ...

  19. The Homework Myth by Alfie Kohn

    The Homework Myth audiobook (Unabridged) ∣ Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing By Alfie Kohn. Visual indication that the title is an audiobook. Listen to a Sample. Sign up to save your library. With an OverDrive account, you can save your favorite libraries for at-a-glance information about availability. ...

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

    The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing. Paperback - Bargain Price, August 13, 2007. In The Homework Myth, nationally known educator and parenting expert Alfie Kohn challenges the usual defenses of homework and shows that none of our assumptions about its benefits actually passes the test of research, logic, or experience.

  21. The Homework Myth:

    The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing (Da Capo Press, 2006)Practical Ideas for Parents: 1. Educate yourself. Make sure you know what the research really says - that there is no evidence whatsoever of any academic benefit from homework in elementary school, little reason to believe that homework is necessary even in high school, and no support for the assumption that ...

  22. The Homework Myth

    THE HOMEWORK MYTH. After spending most of the day in school, children are typically given additional assignments to be completed at home - a remarkable fact, when you stop to think about it. What's more, homework in most schools isn't limited to those times when it seems appropriate and important. Rather than saying, "Doing this ...