tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51440569489407403952024-03-14T00:14:47.835-07:00Homework TrapKenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.comBlogger308125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-65924885793618529422014-01-27T05:56:00.003-08:002014-01-27T05:56:36.385-08:00Home visits vs. reduced homework<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">In the
Washington Post, there is an article by Jay Matthews, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/students-wont-learn-go-visit-their-parents/2014/01/26/a2519390-849c-11e3-9dd4-e7278db80d86_story.html">“Students won’t learn? GoVisit their parents."</a> The article starts with the difficulties teachers have in
high poverty school districts getting their students to complete homework, and
reports on a program in which teachers are trained to visit the homes. The teachers
are paid for the visits and the schools are reporting increased scores in reading
and math. Sounds good?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I know nothing
about this program except what I just read, so my comments are based on limited
information. But I have some thoughts about this program’s success and invite
the author to comment if he likes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">It seems that
the central aspects of this program may have little to do with home visits per
se, but more to do with training and empowering teachers. On the training
front, the teachers have been taught to interact with parents in a different
way, one that involves listening under conditions of respect. On the empowering
front, the teachers are given tools to counteract frustrations they feel about
their work, as they face pain and despair without clear solutions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Even if this
approach has merit, there are problems with it. First, it involves one-time or
possibly sporadic contact with parents, whereas teachers see students every day,
which I think is where their power really lies. Second, it may be hard to reach
every parent. Even if some show improvement, we don’t really know how many
visits were completed and how many children were affected by this approach.
Third, there is the intrinsic question of authority over the home vs. authority
over the school. In the end, it is the parents’ role, not the school’s, to make
decisions about how to run the home. I think it is great that teachers are
being taught to listen. I’d like to hear what they do if the parent says, for
whatever reason, that homework is disruptive and cannot get done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Taking the
notions of training and empowerment, I have my own ideas about what would
really work, and that involves: Teacher <i>training</i> on homework rather than
on parental visits, and <i>empowerment</i> through homework reduction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The sad fact is
that homework, despite its widespread use, is poorly taught (virtually not
taught at all) to educators as a teaching technique. I am not aware of any
school of education that has a course for teachers called “Homework.” A review
of teacher development, continuing education courses will show a virtual
absence of courses on homework. I’m a psychologist, not an educator. If you
came to my office, most likely, I would offer you a psychotherapy session or
administer a psychological test. You can rest assured that over 35 years ago
when I was in school, I had lots of courses on counseling, psychotherapy, and
psychological testing. I have access to numerous continuing education courses
as a practicing professional on those topic. You assume your accountant studied
accounting, and your lawyer studied the law, when they were in school. You
would be shocked to learn that teachers don’t study homework. At the least, it
is critical for teachers to receive education on the theory, research and
practice of giving homework.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The other issue
is empowerment. Teachers in high poverty school districts understandably feel
frustrated. The fact that they are trained in an action (visiting the parents) and
are experiencing some success is important. But why place their bets on visits
to parents, when engagement with children may be their true trump card? If you
read stories of turnaround, high poverty school districts (I have), the central
elements are always the same: a visionary principal, an energized teaching staff,
and a sense of excitement created for the children in school, during school
hours. I have never seen mentioned in any story of a school district like this,
homework.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">All the training
and energy that has been placed in the home visit program could be redirected in
positive ways, if teachers gave up the sacred cow of homework. They have over 6
hours a day with the children, and do themselves a great disservice spending any
of it fretting over the half hour assignment they wish got done at home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">There’s a mantra
that is used in addictions treatment that has great applicability to all
aspects of life. There is serenity in accepting what is out of your control, power
in acting on what you can truly do, and wisdom in understanding where the
differences lie. Our teachers are extremely misguided banking their success on
behaviors outside of their control (what happens in the home), when they have
in their hands important and direct relationships with children, in which they
can share their true love of learning.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br /></span>
<br style="font-family: Georgia, serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p><strong><sub>For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </sub></strong><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><sub><strong>The Homework Trap</strong></sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><sub><strong>, or read his book, </strong></sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><sub><strong>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</strong></sub></span></a><sub><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></strong></sub></o:p></span></div>
Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-11782657254611366342014-01-15T04:55:00.000-08:002014-01-15T04:55:19.314-08:00Response to homework blogThe following comment is given in response to a post on a blog titled <a href="http://autismfromthelighterside.wordpress.com/2014/01/14/homework/">Autism From the Lighter Side</a>.<br />
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Your story appears to have had a happy ending, but I would
like to use it as an example about what is wrong with the system. The fact is
that you got your child back on track with a fairly simple punishment, which is
fine, as long as the punishment need not be used again. The problem with
homework punishments, and punishments in general, is that they are only good if
they work, and the only way to know that a punishment works is that you don’t
have to use it again. Unfortunately, there are many parents who get caught in
the cycle of using the same punishments over and over again, and that is not
good. So let’s consider what happened here.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The teacher enacts a penalty, low grades despite the fact
that your child is learning and can do the work. The penalty impacts you more
than it does him, so you employ a punishment that he responds to and gets his
work done. He does it in 15 minutes, so it takes little effort for him to
comply. What if the assignment took him an hour or two hours, and what if he
was a child who had trouble with work, not just the occasional missed
assignment or foray into ordinary teenage life? That child would not be able to
do the work on a continuous basis, so for that child, no punishment would get
him going.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now, let’s look at the teachers and what “homework” they
have done. In reality, teachers are not routinely taught homework in schools of
education and teachers do not have continuing education courses on homework.
Teachers are generally not acquainted with the research, theory and practice of
homework unless they make special efforts to look into it, and those efforts are
not easy to do because teacher training does not demand it. In effect, your
child faces potentially low grades (Ds despite A levels of competence) for
failing to do something that is not clearly needed for learning and is not
adequately studied by those who give it out.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Hopefully, this will be the end of your child’s “homework
problems.” Unfortunately, it is not the end for many youth. And for kids with
autism spectrum disorders, it can be a double-edged sword.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Most kids, who have trouble with homework, have problems with
pace. Pace involves the speed at which one can work, typically impacted by
difficulties with working memory (think attention) and processing speed (think
handwriting). If a child cannot work quickly, he has two choices: do the homework
and give up socialization and play; don’t do the homework and get poor grades.
Typically, the more social and sometimes more athletic kids will accept the bad
grades to play with their friends. The more awkward and socially isolated youth
will do the work at the expense of play. But they cannot do both. There are only
so many hours in a day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My own recommendation is to limit homework to time by the
clock. In the case of a child who can do the assignment in 15 minutes, there is
no real problem. For the child who cannot accomplish this goal, it is quite
important to place limits on what he has to do. I would also prod teachers into
doing their “homework,” their own study about homework, too.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p><strong><sub><span style="font-size: large;">For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </span></sub></strong><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub><strong>The Homework Trap</strong></sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub><strong>, or read his book, </strong></sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub><strong>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</strong></sub></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><sub><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></strong></sub><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></o:p></span></span></span></span></o:p></span></span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-59990241939979300432014-01-08T05:58:00.000-08:002014-01-08T05:58:40.843-08:00Homework and Concussions<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">There is a
recent item in the news of a research study that shows that <a href="http://www.kaj18.com/news/concussion-recovery-in-kids-may-be-slowed-by-homework-video-games/">homework can beharmful to kids after they suffer a concussion</a>. As someone who is critical of
homework and follows homework news, it would be easy to add this to a list of
research that builds the case against homework. In reality, there is a lot of
research that throws modern homework practices into question and there is some
research that tends to support it. I would say, on balance, that the research
supporting homework is weak. But that said, I want to resist the temptation of
looking for more and more reasons to oppose homework and consider the broader
implications of this study.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">There are
probably thousands of studies that could be done, and have not been done, which
highlight specific situations in which homework might be harmful. Here, it is
post-concussion; tomorrow it may be something else. I think a good study on
kids with ADHD will show that homework demands for them need to be reduced. I’ve
proposed that in my book,<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Homework-Trap-Kenneth-Goldberg-Ph-D-ebook/dp/B007IVQA44/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389189407&sr=8-1&keywords=homework+trap"> </a><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Homework-Trap-Kenneth-Goldberg-Ph-D-ebook/dp/B007IVQA44/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389189407&sr=8-1&keywords=homework+trap">The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity ofParents, Teachers, and Students,</a> </i>but I haven’t conducted a controlled
study. Yet, I would still advise parents of children with ADHD to resist the temptation
to medicate children through the afternoon and into the night with the hopes
that they’ll get their homework done. Rather, set reasonable expectations for
your child, based on your knowledge of your child, about what must be done. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">In the end, we
are talking about parental judgment. Studies are fine as they inform doctors,
psychologists, and teachers who may then go on to offer good recommendations
for parents about how to proceed. But there is still that fine line between
recommendation and requirement that is at the core of the issue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">When I was in my
teens, I was hit in the head by a batted ball and lost consciousness for a
brief period of time. I was sick and unable to function for about two weeks. My
parents did not have to be rocket scientists or well-versed in the research on concussions
to know that I needed to rest until I got better. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it is, the concussion happened during the
summer so I did not have to go to school. But even if school was in session, I
would have stayed home for a couple of weeks, and, hopefully, would have been
fully excused from homework requirements. When I got back to school, the rational
focus would have been on having me “catch up” in the sense of learning, not in
the sense of performing and getting every assignment done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">So, in looking
at this study let’s keep in mind that, on a day-to-day basis, it will have no
applicability for most parents. The lesson is not restricted to concussions but
relevant to the need for someone in charge (and that must be the parent) to
make thoughtful decisions about what’s best for the child.<sub><o:p></o:p></sub></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p><strong><sub><span style="font-size: large;">For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </span></sub></strong><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub><strong>The Homework Trap</strong></sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub><strong>, or read his book, </strong></sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub><strong>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</strong></sub></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><sub><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></strong></sub><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></o:p></span></span></span></span></o:p></span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-73280449259895268562013-12-24T05:44:00.001-08:002013-12-24T05:51:30.602-08:00Blogging again<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I haven't blogged about homework for a while, but I thought I would start up again -- maybe not every day like I did before, but once a week. I still receive a Google alert on homework every day so I can keep abreast about what is going on. Today, I came across <a href="http://matsumoto.eesd.org/TM16/Realm_16/HOMEWORK/HOMEWORK.html">this page</a> from a fourth grade teacher's website and thought I would use it as a basis for comment. It seems likely that this is a very committed and conscientious teacher who is trying her best to teach her children well. Yet, I find some things questionable in this approach (which I think is representative of the ways in which may teachers think).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">First, although it seems reasonable for students to
participate in organizing their weekly planer and I have no objection to the
notion that they will write down their assignments, I don’t get why they would
stay in for recess if they can’t complete the assignment. Recess is there for a
reason. We give salaried workers legally mandated 15 minute work breaks twice a
day, because we know they need breaks. Similarly, we give kids breaks because
we know they are good for them. Why we would take breaks away from a child who
struggles to meet the requirements does not make sense. This is school, so if
the child has trouble doing something the teacher considers important, it would
call for an educational, not a punitive intervention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Second, we have the question of why a child would not get
his or her homework planner organized for the week, assuming 20 minutes is a
reasonable amount of time. Does the child have trouble focusing? Does the child
need help learning this strategy for organization or does the child need to develop
an alternative strategy? Does the child have trouble with handwriting? Is the
child hungry first thing Monday morning and not ready to proceed? Maybe the
child has trouble sleeping on Sunday night, making the adjustment from a
weekend to a weekday schedule? I don’t know the reason for any particular
child, but, as with any behavioral requirement, failure to meet the expectation
is an opportunity to assess why, and engage in an intervention, an opportunity
lost if we blindly assume the child can do what he or she is asked to do and use
a punitive response when the child does not. And keep in mind, even if the
teacher doesn’t see keeping the child in for recess as punitive, the child’s
experience is still one of negativity, not one that is conducive to further
learning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Third, let’s consider the overall volume of work. Educators
typically say ten minutes per night per grade. This teacher seeks 25 minutes
per night reading, which would leave about 15 minutes for other work. Looking
at the volume of the remaining assignments, it seems unlikely that most
children can complete them in that period of time. Is there are agreed upon
amount of time that children should be spending on homework? Is it more than 40
minutes per night in this teacher’s mind? And if so, how much? 50 minutes, an
hour, an hour and a half?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Fourth, let’s assume these requirements are consistent with
the overall philosophy and approach of this school and represents what children
in the fourth grade there are expected to do. Children don’t work at the same
pace? Children may not all be able to <i>hit the ground running </i>and use
their homework time productively. Children may not all be able to read what
they wrote? They may not all remember what the assignments were about? They may
not recall what was taught in class, the basis for understanding what they need
to do? It is not uncommon for children to take twice as much time or more to
complete what the more proficient students can do? Are we looking a situation
in which some kids will need to spend two hours a night on this work? Perhaps,
just to get by? Are we looking at kids who are going to face mounting demands
in subsequent years, without developing positive attitudes toward school and
their own competencies? In my experience between 10 and 25 percent of all
students, to differing degrees, have the experience of moving through the
grades with increasing demands that eventually overwhelm them and cause them to
fail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Finally, what is the relationship between the teacher and
the parent? I’ve often highlighted how homework involves a usurpation of
parental authority by the school. It involves decision-making by the teacher
over activities that are to go on in the home. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where did that authority come from, and should
we leave it unchallenged? What I find interesting here is that there is a clear
threat to parents that, if they don’t use the information in the way the
teacher meant them to; if they take the information given, look at the child’s
homework planner, and make their own best decision how to best help their
child, this website will be taken down. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I’d like to advise the teacher to rethink her homework
policy and make the following adjustments:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span>Establish clear time expectations for homework.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span>Advise parents to stop their children from working after those
limits are met.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span>Advise parents of their ultimate authority to modify
expectations as they see fit for their children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span>Ensure that grading policies do not create situations in which children
fail because of homework difficulties. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p><strong><sub><span style="font-size: large;">For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </span></sub></strong><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub><strong>The Homework Trap</strong></sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub><strong>, or read his book, </strong></sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub><strong>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</strong></sub></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><sub><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></strong></sub><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></o:p></span></span></span></span></o:p></span></div>
Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-57956842246079291192013-08-06T09:03:00.001-07:002013-08-06T09:04:44.375-07:00Homework Advice Articles<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I came across an article this morning entitled <a href="http://www.newsmagazinenetwork.com/2013080538327/setting-the-stage-for-homework-success/">Setting the Stage for Homework Success</a>. It includes what I consider to be <em>common fare</em> good advice, and includes statements that are generally true. The problem is that is also perpetuates some
misconceptions about homework. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The article cites a research-based association between
homework and good grades, which is good, but deceiving, since homework is factored
very heavily into the grading system. We could say that baseball players who
hit home runs make more money that those who do not, yet, it is unlikely that
any of us can will ourselves to hit home runs, let alone play well enough to be
in the major leagues. This may seem an extreme analogy, but we make an error
when we assume that all children are able to do their homework, at least in a
reasonable amount of time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">There is a major fallacy in our thinking when we
forget that the school day is marked by a clock while the homework day is
marked by the assignments. Kids can succeed at school because they go in and
out at the same time, regardless of their varied abilities. Homework is a fixed
assignment that necessarily takes some kids longer to complete than others. One
could argue that the children who are most successful at schools are the ones
that did virtually no homework in elementary school because they were getting
their assignments done in class while the slower-working children finished
theirs. They got lots of recognition but did very little work at home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">This article
mentions the idea of doing homework at a fixed time of the day. I fully agree.
The key to helping children who have trouble with their homework is to make
sure that fixed time is truly fixed time and that, when the time is up, the
child is fully excused, whether or not the assignment is done.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I assume we are going to have a proliferation of these homework-advice articles as we approach the next school year. If some people find it useful to read them, that's fine. I hope people start to realize that these ideas over-simplify the problem for the homework-trapped child, and misdirect parents and teachers to engage I inappropriate responses.</span><br />
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<o:p><br /><span class="echo-item-text"><sub><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><strong>For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </strong></span></sub><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><sub><strong>The Homework Trap</strong></sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><sub><strong>, or read his book, </strong></sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><sub><strong>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</strong></sub></span></a><span style="font-size: small;"><sub><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></strong></sub><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></o:p><br />
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Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-49598085198895228802013-07-31T19:32:00.001-07:002013-07-31T19:32:15.003-07:00Chilling Research on School Dropout<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I came across an
item that has direct relevance to my homework trap model, even though I’m sure
that most people will miss the point. The article is entitled, “<a href="http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/07/29/37firstgrade.h32.html?tkn=UNWFr10c4vdEW9gFkfO%2BsOIW9aIO9t0qGMIq&cmp=clp-edweek">Dropout Indicators Found for First-Graders</a>.” It suggests that one can actually predict future
school dropouts as early as first grade. In my model, I talk about a life-span
problem that starts in elementary school and progresses through middle school and
high school in predictable steps. I agree. One can see the pattern as early as first
grade.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I’ll quote from
the article:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">“Similarly,
elementary schools very rarely handed out punishments as severe as suspensions,
but more subtle behavior cues, such as <b>report card notations of incomplete
homework</b>, more accurately signaled future problems for elementary children.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I think most
people will read this paragraph and draw the conclusion that we must ratchet up
our efforts to insure that these kids get their homework done, so they can be
successful in the later grades. This pressures parents to oversee
the work, with the parents getting blamed in similarly subtle ways. The problems
with that approach are that it rarely works and it fails to understand why some
children have persistent homework problems.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Children go to
school for the same amounts of time. They take home the same volume of assignments.
We fool ourselves if we think this is equal treatment. The school day is defined
by the clock. The homework session is not. Why do we understand that children who
work slowly do not have to stay for a longer school day, but then demand that
they work longer homework sessions? Homework trapped children can only thrive
if the homework session is a fixed amount of time. Once we expect the slow
working child to get all the work done, we set that child up for likely
failure. It is this misguided expectation that is at the root of the “report
card notations,” to which this article refers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I hope that researchers,
teachers, and readers of this article realize that the most rational step
following this chilling research is to let up on kids. Don’t let them fail
because the homework does not get done. Don’t let them get these negative
notations. Teach them in school. Forget about behaviors that are out of the
teacher’s control. Families are different. Environments are different. Circumstances
are different. Children are different. Don’t try to make parents fit a certain mold. Use the time you have to teach the child in school. And if
homework is really important, please, bound it by the clock.<br />
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<o:p><br /><span class="echo-item-text"><sub><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><strong>For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </strong></span></sub><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><sub><strong>The Homework Trap</strong></sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><sub><strong>, or read his book, </strong></sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><sub><strong>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</strong></sub></span></a><span style="font-size: small;"><sub><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></strong></sub><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></o:p><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
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Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-31508635768857314682013-06-26T07:59:00.001-07:002013-06-26T07:59:09.584-07:00Who is in charge in the home?I came across this article that broaches the issue of who is in charge of the home. It includes a common omission that I comment on. Here's the <a href="http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Uncle-Harry-son-won-t-homework/story-19384396-detail/story.html#axzz2XKksoGGK">link </a>to the article.<br />
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Here's my comment:<br />
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I would like to highlight the comment "Who is in charge
of your house? You or your nine-year-old son?" and rephrase that to
"Who is in charge of your house? You, your nine-year-old son, or your
nine-year-old son's teacher?" The sad part of this common dilemma is that
the authority of the teacher to assign and demand homework goes unquestioned.
In reality, homework is controversial, teachers do not study the research,
theory and practice of giving homework when they are in school, and they
frequently miss the point about why an otherwise bright child does not do his
homework. The key is almost always found in the issue of pace and that has to
do with problems of attention, reading speed and handwriting speed. Children
work with time containers at school, but with the expectation that they will
keep working, without limits, until the work is done at home. This is
unrealistic and unfair, and at the core of what I call The Homework Trap. But
whether you agree with my analysis or not, take stock of the oversight in
discussing whose in charge of the home, omitting the powerful authority
teachers are given over what happens in an individual home.
<a href="http://www.thehomeworktrap.com/">www.thehomeworktrap.com</a>.<br />
<br />
<o:p><br />
<span class="echo-item-text"><sub><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><strong>For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </strong></span></sub><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><sub><strong>The Homework Trap</strong></sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><sub><strong>, or read his book, </strong></sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><sub><strong>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</strong></sub></span></a><span style="font-size: small;"><sub><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></strong></sub><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></o:p></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-86582942386986057742013-06-09T05:36:00.002-07:002013-06-09T05:36:11.503-07:00New York Times Opinion Piece on The Common CoreThere is an opinion piece written on Common Core in the New York Times today. I recommend reading it. Here the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/09/opinion/sunday/the-common-core-whos-minding-the-schools.html?ref=todayspaper">link</a>. I wrote this comment:<br />
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The biggest problem with high-stakes testing is that it weakens the most important building block of education, and that is the relationship between the mentor and the student. Common Core, No Child Left Behind, and the Race to the Top all distract the teacher from that direct relationship and the art of teaching, causing them to look behind their backs rather than at their students. The problem overflows into the home, as the teacher thinks, to shove all the "stuff" in the kid needs to learn, that he or she has to expand the school day into the home, with more and more homework. Homework goes on to distract the parent from his or her primary relationship as a caretaker and as a teacher (one who does not need a curriculum sent home by the school), to one who gets overly worried that the homework assignments get done. The whole system goes awry and the student is the one to suffer. Interestingly, the student who is going to be a great scientist or mathematician may still do well in this system. The student who is going to be an artist or philosophy may not. And the student who needs a basic education to live an average life is the one who is going to suffer the most.<br />
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<span class="echo-item-text"><sub><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><strong>For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </strong></span></sub><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><sub><strong>The Homework Trap</strong></sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><sub><strong>, or read his book, </strong></sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;"><sub><strong>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</strong></sub></span></a><span style="font-size: small;"><sub><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></strong></sub><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></o:p></span></span></span></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
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<span class="echo-item-text"></span><br />Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-45867716274853374722013-06-04T05:03:00.003-07:002013-06-04T05:03:27.269-07:00On CheatingThere is a post in Valerie Strauss' Washington Post Education Blog, "<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/06/04/why-schools-should-relax-about-cheating/">Why Schools Should Relax About Cheating</a>." I wrote the following comment:<br />
<br />
<span class="echo-item-text">I think there is a difference between people collaborating after they have entered a specialized field and are looking to create solutions, and what happens in school where students are taking a range of course subjects and are in the process of learning things that are already known. That comment aside, let's also consider the roots of school cheating and how we actually teach children to cheat from a very early age. Cheating, by definition, involves a behavior that veers from the rules set by an authority. It the teacher puts the students in teams and tells them to work as a team, there is no cheating when they share answers. If the teacher defines calling a friend for help as an acceptable behavior, there is no cheating. From elementary school on, we distort the natural hierarchies by giving teachers excessive authority to make decisions about what should go on in the home. Teachers assign homework and parents are expected to support them. Keep in mind that parents are children's original teachers, starting long before their children went to school. Yet, the teacher can make decisions about what goes on in the home over the judgments of the parents. For children who have difficulty completing their assignments in a reasonable period of time, parents end up helping them, and often end up doing the work for them, not because they value cheating, but because they are at their wit's ends. The hierarchical distortions created by homework cause serious problems for many parents and sow the seeds for "cheating" being okay.</span><br />
<span class="echo-item-text"></span><br />
<span class="echo-item-text"></span><br />
<span class="echo-item-text"><sub><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </strong></span></sub><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub><strong>The Homework Trap</strong></sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub><strong>, or read his book, </strong></sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub><strong>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</strong></sub></span></a><sub><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"> </span></strong></sub><br />
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</span><br />Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-63264388393394798212013-05-18T04:38:00.002-07:002013-05-18T04:38:43.838-07:00Children's Mental Health<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There's a news item going around about the increase in child mental health problems. Here's one reference to this article in a <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/16/3401505/child-mental-health-disorders.html">Miami newspaper</a>. The buzz is that we are not treating the increase in children's mental health problems. I'm a true believer that homework is a source of these problems and that homework reform is a non-costly method to treat children. Here's the response I left to the article:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
This article mentions that problems of mental health affect children in their education among other things. We overlook the fact that our educational policies are, to a great extent, causing mental health problems. Our teachers are trained to teach, but they receive virtually no training in the theory, research and practice of homework. Yet, homework demands keep increasing with disastrous results. Homework undermines parental authority, increases stress in the family, and exacerbates the difficulties children who have trouble with handwriting, reading and auditory processing have. These relatively minor learning problems some children have are non-problematic in the class, since the school day is bound by the clock. They have huge implications for the child at home, as the demands expand and consume the time the child has at home. Place true time boundaries on homework. Give parents full and final authority on matters in the home. Let the home refuel the child for the next day just as it refuels adults for their next day at work. You'll see a significant reduction in children's mental health problems without investing additional resources for mental health treatment. <br />
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<sub><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </strong></span></sub><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub><strong>The Homework Trap</strong></sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub><strong>, or read his book, </strong></sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub><strong>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</strong></sub></span></a><sub><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"> </span></strong></sub><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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<br />Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-20378647272783635272013-05-15T04:49:00.001-07:002013-05-15T04:49:04.728-07:00Examples of success with The Homework Trap<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I have two examples of success using the model of The Homework Trap. I recently shared an interaction between a parent and me over her child's </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5144056948940740395&pli=1#editor/target=post;postID=1052602923710293922;onPublishedMenu=publishedcomments;onClosedMenu=publishedcomments;postNum=4;src=postname"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">homework problems</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">. She has since been sending me periodic updates. She set time limits on homework. Although the school frowned at the idea, they accepted it. Her child proved more cooperative doing his homework. She took the role of observer rather than enforcer and, as often happens, highlighted handwriting problems as the culprit. She has since explored the problem and, in her most recent communication with me, indicates that she is proceeding with occupational therapy to help her child out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Two days ago, I had a conversation with another parent whose child had been homework trapped. She took the same position of limiting her child's homework time. She went on to making sure that the school had ample supplies of the book, The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers. This created a buzz in her child's school district about homework policy. As expected, teachers responded in different ways and many did not directly agree. Yet, the attitude changed and they stopped punishing her child for work that was not done. He is now an honor roll student despite the fact that he fails to do some of his homework. The key is that teachers may grumble and may hold onto their past beliefs, but no one works in a vacuum, and, to some degree, everyone has to bend. The teachers may be used to bending to what their superiors (e.g. the principal) say yet remain resistant to bending to parent demands. But if parent's demands are reasonable and made in authoritative ways, many will bend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I have no doubt that, for both of these parents, the story has not come to an end. Their children will advance one grade at a time, and face new teachers, with new systems, and different attitudes. They may have to refight these battles. But that are winnable battles, and logic and reason are the tools they have on their side.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I welcome all feedback, through public posts on this blog or The Homework Trap Facebook page, or through private communications to me, that can be made through The Homework Trap website and can be conveyed to others in anonymous ways. And I am open to feedback of situations in which my model has not worked. From what I hear, time boundaries is proving to be one of the most powerful and effective steps a parent can take.</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><sub><span style="font-size: large;">For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </span></sub><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap</sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>, or read his book, </sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</sub></span></a><sub><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"> </span></sub><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></o:p></span></span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span><br />
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<br />Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-69791020353308429952013-05-01T19:18:00.002-07:002013-05-01T19:19:10.077-07:00Why Boys Underachieve at School<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here is an interesting article about boys underachieving academically. The author attributes this to a misguided notion of masculinity. I think homework policy plays a role. Here's a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-kimmel/solving-the-boy-crisis-in_b_3126379.html">link </a>to the article. Here is the comment I left to the article.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">I think we miss the point
if we do not come to terms with the fact that, in our frenzy to improve
education, we have pushed kids to work much more than they should. We've
allowed the school to co-op the home with increasingly large amounts of
homework to do. Typically, boys are less mature than girls, they have more
difficulty sitting still and paying attention, and, although they are better at
gross motor functions, they are weaker than girls in their fine motor
coordination. The notion that they will come home, at young ages, to mountains
of homework which strains their patience and hurts their hands, runs counter to
what boys can easily do. I don't think a misguided notion of masculinity
creates a disinterest in school. I think that pressures to work beyond reason as
young children, creates a negative feeling about school. In the past, kids went
to school and then came home to play, or at most, to light amounts of homework.
Today, we are forcing kids (in fact forcing them over their own parents' best
judgments) to work far too much. This is the primary reason why boys get turned
off to school.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><sub><span style="font-size: large;">For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </span></sub><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap</sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>, or read his book, </sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</sub></span></a><sub><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"> </span></sub><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></o:p></span></span></span></span></strong></span></span></span><br />
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<br />Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-57263380135317131802013-04-28T11:49:00.002-07:002013-04-28T11:49:50.674-07:00Follow up on the use of The Homework Trap<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Last week, I reported an <a href="http://homeworktrap.blogspot.com/2013/04/an-example-of-homework-trap.html">example of success </a>using the Homework Trap model. I just received an update that the child continues to do well, and that the parent has now identified the types of difficulties the child was having. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In my model, I advocate for time bound assignments and for parents to transition from acting as enforcers and, instead, becoming observers. Once you cap the time and dispel the belief that all homework must get done, you can stop and step back, and figure out what is happening with your child. As an observer, you can obtain information and share it with the teacher, with the goal of ultimately helping your child. As an enforcer, you get caught in an ongoing and inevitable, unproductive battle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><sub><span style="font-size: large;">For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </span></sub><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap</sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>, or read his book, </sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</sub></span></a><sub><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"> </span></sub><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></o:p></span></span></span></span></strong></span><br />
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</span>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-12136409682002533402013-04-26T04:58:00.001-07:002013-04-26T04:58:11.965-07:00Article on timeouts<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I came across this article about the use of timeouts. It is geared for parents of preschool children and not exactly related to homework problems. But there are some general principles about punishment and reward that apply and are found in my book, The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students, and Teachers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here is a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/25/do-timeouts-really-work_n_3157569.html">link</a> to the article, and here is what I posted as a comment to the article.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
Good article. I'd like to add that the central component of a good consequence is that "it works," and that we know it works because we don't have to use it again (or very often). Consequences that are repeated without success reinforce strategies to get around the consequence, which is usually more "bad behavior." This article points to the need for the expected behavior to be age appropriate, i.e. possible for the child, and that is absolutely true. In my own work, I've focused on older children and homework compliance and have highlighted how repetitive, unrelenting penalties, i.e. low grades, reinforce acting out. They are based on the misguided notion that the child can do the work (at least in a reasonable amount of time). And just as we have to understand what the child is able to do, we also need to understand what the parent is able to do. Some parents are good at using timeouts and some are not, and that's okay -- we're all different. Just keep in mind that if you are repeating a penalty without results, stop and step back before doing it again. <br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><sub><span style="font-size: large;">For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </span></sub><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap</sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>, or read his book, </sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</sub></span></a><sub><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"> </span></sub><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></o:p></span></span></span></span></strong></span><br />
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Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-77844329545136369912013-04-24T04:55:00.001-07:002013-04-24T04:55:35.240-07:00Classroom Management<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I came across an article on classroom management. It may help address the problem of excessive and untimed homework by helping teachers see that homework actually disrupts the classroom. I wrote a comment to the editors of the website that published this article. Here's what I wrote:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I read the
article by Amy Pearson, <a href="http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/reduce-behavior-problems-elementary-school-classroom-8498.html">How to Reduce Behavioral Problems in the ElementarySchool Classroom</a>. I'm a psychologist, not an educator, and I defer to educators
on issues of curricula and classroom management, but I am absolutely sure that
a large number of behavioral problems are actually manufactured by teachers in
their efforts to control environments outside the classroom, i.e. the
home. Everything said in Ms. Pearson's article makes sense, but it makes
sense largely because it involves strategies where the teacher has control. As
soon as the teacher tries to establish requirements and standards outside her
domain, she loses authority, which will ultimately translate into problematic
behavior -- not for all, but for enough students that the class gets disrupted.
Homework reform is the most important step the teacher can take to reduce those
disruptions. And since homework does not garner research support in the elementary
school and since teachers do not take courses in giving homework when they go
to school, it's a complete win-win to modify homework practice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><sub><span style="font-size: large;">For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </span></sub><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap</sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>, or read his book, </sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</sub></span></a><sub><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"> </span></sub><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></o:p></span></span></span></span></strong><br />
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</span><br />Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-10526029237102939222013-04-21T05:54:00.000-07:002013-04-23T09:51:07.056-07:00An example of the homework trap<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A major tenet of The Homework Trap is that parents must be the final decision-makers in the home while teachers can remain the final decision-makers at school. This rational demarcation of authority gets muddied when parents fear that the decisions they make limiting homework will lead to serious consequences for their child at school. A second major tenet is that persistent homework problems have to do with learning and not behavior. A third major tenet is that children need time-bound, rather than assignment based containers within which to work.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The other day, a frustrated parent contacted me about the problem she was having. We had a brief, e-conversation, in which I shared my advice. She gave me permission to publish our conversation (without identifying her by name). Here is what was said.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong>Parent's question:<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p>My eight-year-old son is in the homework trap. He is the youngest of four and
the only one who got trapped. I have begged his teacher to modify homework
assignments for him in a way that he could actually complete them or, in a way
that whatever is more important for his grades, could get done. She's always
said no. Sometimes, I have made the decision to prioritize important assignments
and ignore the rest, but his grades suffer because she gives him zeros for
undone assignments. I have had multiple teacher-parent conferences with no
results. I just keep being told that homework is for a reason and that it
wouldn't be fair to allow my son to do less homework than his peers and that
homework should not take him any longer than 30 minutes to complete (which is
actually impossible).<br /><br />I want to make a formal request that homework be
done at my discretion and request that he be graded for what he knows and not
for the amount of work he does. How can I make my request strong enough that she
listens?</o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong>My response:<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">I would start by setting my own time based standard for
homework. At 8 years of age, I think 20 minutes a night, Monday through
Thursday is fair. If you think 30 is better, that’s okay. If you think a prep
time for the next week Sunday night is good, that’s okay, too. It is your
decision but let your child know your rule (not just you backing up the
teacher) and that he’s fulfilled his obligation when the time is up. He’ll do
more under those conditions. That is the only thing you can do entirely on your
own. Next, I would tell the teacher of your decision, no hostility, just
something that is non-negotiable. I would ask for her input on prioritizing
assignments: which is most important, which should be done first. Once the
teacher sees you are serious and non-combative, she might bend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">If she won’t work with you, I would (again without
hostility) suggest that you bring in a third party, like the principal, to join
the discussion.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">It is very important that you have copies of my book for
everyone who is involved in the discussion (you, the teacher, the principal).
Everything I say in the book is somewhere on my website or blog, but that only
helps you, since you have chosen to read what I say. The book is written to be
a tool, not just a source of information, and intended to be shared with people
who do not readily agree with you. It is a short book, and one you can
reasonably expect professional educators to read. If you insure that they have
copies, then you have a basis to refer back to a particular page or concept in
a book they have in their possession. You can ask them to respond to what I
say, not just what you are saying about your child.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><strong>Parent's response a few days later:<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Just to thank you and to give you an update.<br /><br /><br />After I contacted you, I
let the teacher know my son was going to work on homework for 30 minutes a day
how you explained it to me and asked for her advise in prioritizing
assignments.<br /><br />We started that on Wednesday. It's only been 2 days and my
son is even liking it. The teacher is not liking it yet but since she said
homework shouldn't take more than 30 minutes, she is now realizing my son, for
some reason, is not able to complete full homework in that time. My inquiry got
all the way up to the principal, who, even though she was not familiar with your
concept, she took the time to review my case and to ask me questions. The next
day, she sent me a note telling me not to worry and that they will work with
us.<br /><br />Thank you!</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><sub><span style="font-size: large;">For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </span></sub><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap</sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>, or read his book, </sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</sub></span></a><sub><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"> </span></sub><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></o:p></span></span></span></span></strong><br />
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</strong><br />Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-79638602358115776632013-04-16T04:59:00.002-07:002013-04-16T05:01:58.012-07:00Teacher beliefsHere's an <a href="http://www.swparents.com/article/is-homework-good-or-bad-insight-from-a-teacher/">article</a> by an experienced teacher who has reevaluated her perspective on homework. I left a comment to her article that I'm posting here:<br />
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I think the operative phrase in this post is "I firmly believed in homework every night." Over time and with additional information, you altered that belief just as many teachers have. But let's think about where that belief came from: your training, your life experiences, what other teachers did, your religion? I add religion because I have religious beliefs that I have figured out over the years. They have changed and evolved from the religion I was taught. Most importantly, they are personal beliefs which do not impinge on other people. But homework beliefs do. In your evolution as a teacher and a thinker, you held the power to make decisions in many people's homes based on your beliefs as they had evolved at that time. And those beliefs could render your students' parents helpless in the face of what you required them to do. The difference between and religion and a profession lies in training, and on that score, you and countless teachers have been placed in a position where you were expected to use a method for which you were never adequately trained. Did you have courses in homework in your school of education? Did you have adequate access to continuing education courses on the topic? Did the school where you worked, in presenting its homework policy, offer in-service training on the research, theory and practice of homework? I'm sure the answers are no, and that is why you, and many other teachers, have been in the position of acting on your "beliefs" without the benefit of professional training upon which they could be formed.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><sub><span style="font-size: large;">For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </span></sub><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap</sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>, or read his book, </sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</sub></span></a><sub><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"> </span></sub><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
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Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-80881333896174565162013-04-15T04:51:00.001-07:002013-04-15T04:51:43.972-07:00Parent laments child's dislike for math<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I came across an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal, "<a href="http://stream.wsj.com/story/latest-headlines/SS-2-63399/SS-2-210863/">Our child hates math: Is it our fault?</a>" The article highlights clearly the destructive effects that homework can have on children. I wrote the following comment to the article:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Thank you for
this excellent article. It gives me the chance to make an important point. No,
you should not feel guilty that your child hates math. No, you should not brush
up on your own math skills. The problem here is not that you don’t know or like
math. The problem is that someone outside your family is setting the agenda for
what goes on in your home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">You do not tell
your child’s teacher what lessons she should teach. Why is she telling you and your
child what you have to do at home? It’s the homework, not the math, that is
causing your child’s response. For God’s sake, she is only 7 years old. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Your child was
born to a mommy and daddy who are well versed in the humanities and the arts. She
could have been born to a handyman, who likes to work around the house. She
could have been born to an accountant, who uses numbers every day. She’s your
child and it’s your home, and she does not need her teacher disrupting your milieu,
and interfering with what your family considers fun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I was born to a “math
family.” Math was fun. I majored in math in college. I began graduate studies
in math before switching to psychology and, later, learning to write. My love
for math started in my home. As I grew up, I had a number of teachers who
inspired me to pursue things my parents did not do.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Your child’s
teacher can instill an appreciation for science and math if she teaches her
students with passion. They can learn everything they need to know about first
and second grade math within the 6+ hours they have with her every day. They
can increase their understanding and interest in these topics as they move through
the grades and meet other teachers who teach subjects like science and math, with
knowledge, passion, and delight. But she will not develop interests when teachers
are encouraged and allowed to co-opt a setting, your home, that is outside the
class.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Research does
not even support that idea that homework has value for children your child’s
age. And teachers are not taught in their schools of education the theory, research
and practice of giving homework.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">So, love your
child. Make sure your home is filled with fun. And if humanities and arts are of
interest to you, share those passions unabashedly with your child, without worrying
at all that you should do something else. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">What do you think? Please post a comment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><sub><span style="font-size: large;">For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </span></sub><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap</sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>, or read his book, </sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</sub></span></a><sub><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"> </span></sub><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
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Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-2169807320789459132013-04-07T18:09:00.001-07:002013-04-07T18:09:05.157-07:00Scholastic Teachers<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Scholastic Teachers has a Facebook page. They frequently let teachers pose questions for other teachers to answer. Even though I'm not a teacher, I take the liberty of commenting on those questions. I came across two questions today for which I offered comments.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The first question was from a teacher who was frustrated working for a micromanaging principal. Here's what I said:</span><br />
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It's a very difficult situation and one that is hard to deal
with when you are micromanaged. I've had different bosses over the course of my
career and, in the end, I've found that the most productive solution has been
to secure a job (if I could) elsewhere, with a boss I liked. I do a certain
amount of career counseling, and one of the things I tell people when
interviewing for a job is to always look for who will be your boss, and
consider what that person is like during the interview. That said so far, I
would now like for you to think about what it is like for you, as a teacher, to
micromanage the home. Teachers don't typically realize this, but when you give
homework assignments that override the authority of the parents, you are
actually micromanaging the home. That can be as difficult for the parent as
your situation with your principal is. I'm not saying that you should not give
homework. I'm saying that you should do so understanding that the parent is the
final decision-maker in the home. If the parent feels it is best to reduce the
homework demand, you should always defer (whether or not you agree) to what the
parent decides. You can make your point. Just understand who has the final say.<o:p></o:p></div>
The second question was from a teacher seeking advice about how to deal with a "reluctant reader." Here's my comment to that question:<br />
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I would be very careful using the concept "reluctant
readers." Kids who appear reluctant often have under-the-radar reading
problems. When we fail to understand this, we risk causing them harm. If a
child is a reluctant reader, then that child most likely has homework problems
as well. If we hold on to the notion that he could do his homework if he only
tried, without realizing that he cannot read at a reasonable pace, we set that
kid up for a lifetime of negativity and a distaste for school.</div>
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What do you think? Please post a comment.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><sub><span style="font-size: large;">For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </span></sub><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap</sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>, or read his book, </sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</sub></span></a><sub><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"> </span></sub><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
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Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-645121565354347562013-04-05T04:38:00.001-07:002013-04-05T04:38:09.769-07:00Parenting Style -- Does it Matter with Homework?<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In today's New York Times, there is a debate over whether or not to include children in determining their punishments (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/04/04/should-kids-pick-their-own-punishments-9/?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130405">Should Kids Pick Their Own Punishments?</a>) Frankly, I would rather see kids pick their own punishments than to have teachers pick the punishments for in-the-home behaviors over the judgments of the parents. Here's the comment I submitted to the paper:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">This discussion
is entirely academic when we consider that the primary cause of child,
behavioral problems is homework. As a psychologist of 35 years and a parent of
3 children, I can say, with confidence, that there is no issue that makes
parents feel so helpless or impacts the family, more severely, than our
practice of vesting in 30 or more homework-giving teachers (over 12 years of public
education), the power to exert severe, life-impacting penalties on our
children. Children who have trouble absorbing and retaining verbal instructions
and who read or write slowly cannot do their work in a reasonable period of
time. Yet, unlike the time-bound school day, the homework session is endless. This
basic fact (individual differences between children and the parents’ lack of
say in their own homes) drives behavioral problems to the point that the
differences in parenting styles and beliefs discussed here are irrelevant to
resolving problems. Without the behavioral engine being driven by homework
demands, either of these approaches is equally good. www.thehomeworktrap.com. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><sub><span style="font-size: large;">For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </span></sub><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap</sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>, or read his book, </sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</sub></span></a><sub><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"> </span></sub><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
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<o:p></o:p><br />Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-89732424576821102252013-04-02T14:42:00.001-07:002013-04-02T14:42:48.135-07:00Teaching Children to Cheat<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">It’s big news
that nationally recognized Superintendent Beverly Hall and 34 teachers from Atlanta,
Georgia have been <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/03/30/list-of-charges-against-35-in-atlanta-test-cheating-indictment/">indicted on charges of altering test scores</a> to give the false
impression that the school system is on the rise. Apparently, this is the “<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/04/01/atlanta-test-cheating-tip-of-the-iceberg/">tip of the iceberg</a>” of an ongoing pattern of teachers “cheating” and altering test
scores. As we learn what has happened, let’s consider how it affects our
children. Further, let’s consider the commonalities between what happened in
Georgia and the national homework debate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The news seems
to focus on the financial incentives that came to Superintendent Hall at the expense
of the children. Perhaps, that explains her behavior, but I doubt that it tells
the whole story. In general, people of good virtue, teachers and parents, don’t
generally lie unless they’re boxed into a corner and asked to do something they
cannot do. This is true for teachers who work under the dictates of No Child
Left Behind, The Race to the Top, and the Common Core curriculum. It is also true
for parents who are pressured by teachers, who might fail their children, if they
don’t get their homework done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">The most
fundamental building block of education is the relationship between the student
and the teacher. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even before they go to
school, children have learned a lot from their parents. They learn through
instruction and they learn by modeling: modeling their parents and then modeling
their teachers. If we tell teachers to put their judgments aside and, instead, teach
to the tests, this will elevate those tests to a level of importance that far
exceeds what those tests were meant to do. In the process some teachers will cheat,
and the lesson they teach is that it’s okay to cheat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">If we tell parents
that their children will get zeros if they don’t do their homework, and give
them failing grades (50%) when they get it half done, we essentially strip
those parents of the power to decide, leaving them feeling boxed in. If the child
does half the work, the parent may do the rest. So what does the child learn? That
parents are helpless and that it’s okay to cheat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">What happened in
Atlanta is awful. But what is happening with our systems is also quite bad. We
have abandoned the core of education, the personal relationship between the mentor
and the mentee, by allowing outside influences to determine what must be done.
Teachers need authority in the class. Tests should offer measures that the
teacher can look at and use. They should not be the basis on which one decides how
and what to teach. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Similarly, parents
need recognition as the rightful leaders of their own homes. Teachers can give
assignments. Parents must be the ones who ultimately decide what should be
done, and what can slide.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">If we don’t make
these adjustments, we will continue to see desperate educators altering the
results, and desperate parents doing homework for their children. So why should
we be surprised when children lack values and feels it’s okay to cheat and lie?
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><sub><span style="font-size: large;">For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </span></sub><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap</sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>, or read his book, </sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</sub></span></a><sub><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"> </span></sub><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
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Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-86945376237076631572013-03-29T05:51:00.001-07:002013-03-29T05:51:18.794-07:00More on yesterday's blog<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I received a response from my comment yesterday on a mother's blog </span><a href="http://www.blogher.com/frame.php?url=http://www.callherhappy.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://www.blogher.com/frame.php?url=http://www.callherhappy.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> and decided to add some follow-up thoughts. Here they are:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I understand what you are saying. One of the major points in my model, which differs from what other homework critics are saying, is that homework, by its very nature usurps power from the parents. As you make clear, it is your opinion, as a parent, that, despite the time spent on protests, the overall impact is good for your child. I honor that and think you should have the power and authority to follow your beliefs. One basic truism about being a parent is that we all approach it from our own point of view and do the best we can. We love our children, and it is that love, not just the specific decisions we make, that proves central to them growing up and thriving.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">When I look at my experience with my children (I have three who are all grown up), I can say with certainty that my thinking evolved out of those experiences. Had I only had two children, I would have never directed my practice, as a psychologist, to the study of homework. I would have accepted the fundamental rightness of homework and set a tone in my home that one should respect authority and do what one was told (even if I sometimes doubted a particular assignment).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">With my third child, it was different. The homework battles were unrelenting and the source of the problem was a difference between his being an obviously bright child and his difficulties managing work at home. My wife and I joined the school in its efforts to get him to do his work. Over time, we began to see the situation in a different light, and realized that he needed homework relief, in the form of true by-the-clock time boundaries, if he were to succeed. The school was variable in its willingness to defer to our point of view. In every case, he excelled (not just grade wise but in true learning) when we had authority to make our own decisions at home, did very poorly when the school would not bend on what they insisted he do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It was because of this that I wrote The Homework Trap. It is really the book I wish I had to use as a basis for making my point. As much as I was respected for being "Dr. Goldberg," as a parent, I was seen as an ordinary parent (which is the way it should be). It would have helped to have my own Dr. Goldberg, over my shoulder, supporting what I was saying.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But in the end, the most harmful part was that the school could make homework decisions that superseded my authority as a parent.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So when you say in your response that you feel what you are doing is good for your child, my response is "great, go for it." In the end, I consider the most important change that needs to occur with homework policy is to vest, with parents, full authority over what happens in the home. If you find, as your child grows up, that your position is what he needs; you, as his parent, should have the full right to continue as you see fit. My concern is that you may hit a point where you see things in a different way. Perhaps, your child will incorporate the habits and skills you want him to develop and that is fine. Perhaps, he won't. Then I ask, who will make the decision about what is required of him in your home: you or the school? In my mind, final decision-making should always be yours.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><sub><span style="font-size: large;">For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </span></sub><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap</sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>, or read his book, </sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</sub></span></a><sub><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"> </span></sub><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></o:p></span></span></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
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Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-66493447085412883882013-03-28T04:32:00.003-07:002013-03-28T04:32:55.207-07:00Mother blogs about homework<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here are my thoughts for a mother who recently blogged about homework. </span><a href="http://www.blogher.com/frame.php?url=http://www.callherhappy.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://www.blogher.com/frame.php?url=http://www.callherhappy.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">At the start of this piece, you made a comment about homework being "necessary." This really depends on what you mean by the word necessary -- necessary to learn or necessary to pass. The sad truth is that research gives very little support for the notion that homework helps in learning. The problem for most parents is that homework is factored in the grading system so heavily that it becomes necessary to do it to pass the course.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If we think about it, we realize that homework is given an extremely high weight for the time it is supposed to take. The child can earn a zero for work not handed in, He may score 60 on a test he failed, yet the zero has a 2 1/2 times greater, negative effect on the grade than the failing test had. And the homework score may get factored in 20 or 25 percent even though it should, theoretically take less than 10 percent of the child's total school/home educational day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">When you talk about having your 9 year old child do 30 minute blocks of work, I would say that a 9 year old should not be doing more than 30 minutes work in total. So my recommendation to you is to limit yourself and your child to one such block. Bring the work session to a close, once the 30 minutes are over, and live with the results. Your child will probably do more in that time bound 30 minutes than he will do with the current arrangement.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This obviously puts you in a position of having to deal with the school around the work that has not been done, but you are dealing with them now, while homework dominates your home.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Good luck. For more on this model, check out </span><a href="http://www.thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">www.thehomeworktrap.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><sub><span style="font-size: large;">For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </span></sub><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap</sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>, or read his book, </sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</sub></span></a><sub><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"> </span></sub><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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<br /></span>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-29230857064742637282013-03-27T05:25:00.004-07:002013-03-27T05:25:50.242-07:00Another Good Homework Advice Article and Where it is Flawed<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I came across an
article on Fighting the Homework Battles with Kids, <a href="http://mom.me/parenting/education/6578-fighting-homework-battle-kids/?p=2"><span style="color: blue;">http://mom.me/parenting/education/6578-fighting-homework-battle-kids/?p=2</span></a>,
that gives some common, standard, and good advice. The article quotes two
sources, a book by Neil McNerney, “Homework, a Parental Guide to Helping Out
Without Freaking Out,” and a book by Fran Walfish, “The Self-Aware Parent.” The
article speaks to the value of having a positive dialogue with your child,
recognizing that things change with advancing age, making sure that homework is
about the child, not about you, insuring that the child has access to a
comfortable space in which to do the work and has the necessary supplies
readily at hand. Who could disagree with those recommendations?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">As those who
follow my writings know, I am a psychologist, familiar with principles of
behavior, and I am the father of three grown children, two of whom managed the
homework system well. I can tell you, with confidence, that regardless of how
much I adhered to these principles, they would not have worked with my youngest
child. There is no way in which good, common advice will work for the child who
is homework-trapped. In my estimation, somewhere between ten and twenty-five
percent of all children fit in that category. Here’s the problem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">First, parents
differ in who they are. As it is, I’ve been successful through the course of my
life (a master’s in mathematics, a doctorate in psychology, and four books to
my name), yet, I am fairly disorganized and free-spirited by nature. So is my
wife, and our children have benefitted (and perhaps in some ways suffered) from
being raised by parents like us. The fact that two of our children had no major
difficulties with school (and its homework policies) simply highlights the fact
that parents are different, and being who we are, is not a roadblock to
successfully growing up. The notion that parents can solve homework problems by
simply following the lifestyle advice that others give is not true. There are
all sorts of ways of living and those ways of living apply to how we parent as
well. Solutions to homework noncompliance must take into account who those
parents are.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Second, the fundamental
reason why my homework-trapped child, and why the homework-trapped children I
see through the course of my practice, had difficulties is educational, not
behavioral. The behavioral difficulties evolve as an adaptation to the learning
(or sometimes under-the-radar learning) problems that may not qualify as a
full-blown learning disability, but nevertheless, impact homework completion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Third, teachers
are not trained in the theory, practice, and research of homework. It is absolutely
shocking that we give people, who are well trained to teach but not well
trained to give homework, so much power and authority over what goes on in the
home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Fourth, the
solutions to in-home problems never come from outsiders placing parents in
positions with high degrees of responsibility but low levels of authority. This
is what happens to the parents of homework trapped children and it is certainly
what happened to my wife and me. We were recognized as extremely competent
parents with our older two children because they did well in school, but would
then get challenged constantly for the difficulties we had with our homework
trapped child. The different had nothing do to do with our parenting, but
everything to do with his learning. And his learning problems were not great. They
appeared in his reading and writing speed, and he had some difficulties paying attention.
He learned well in class. Homework took forever if he even knew what he was
supposed to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">This created a
serious case of the “tail wagging the dog,” since the homework (a practice that
is not taught in schools of education) was allowed to interfere with the education
of an otherwise friendly, bright, and reasonably well motivated child.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Good parents are
always open to new ideas so tips like the ones found in today’s featured
article are worth giving consideration. But you won’t find solutions unless you
accurately consider what the problem truly is, and in most cases, kids who <i>can</i>
do their homework <i>will </i>do their homework, even if they have a few bad
days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">To rectify this problem,
it is critical to reconsider the underlying notion of homework, and the shocking
reality that we vest so much authority into people who, despite their skills as
teachers, are dangerously overvaluing a practice that has limited value and for
which their training is slight.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><sub><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </span></sub><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap</sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>, or read his book, </sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</sub></span></a><sub><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"> </span></sub></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></o:p></span></span></span></o:p></span><br />
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Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5144056948940740395.post-20205575338347125922013-03-26T05:10:00.000-07:002013-03-26T05:10:00.092-07:00One school's homework policy<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I came across this <a href="http://www.transylvaniatimes.com/story/2013/03/25/education/know-how-to-manage-homework/12482.html">article</a>, written by a school psychologist from a school district that appears to have a better than average homework policy. It provides options for parents whose children are having difficulties with their homework and those options include creating time-based requirements, a concept I have frequently advocated. I am curious about two concepts in this policy. It talks about accommodations and modifications that parents can ask for. It highlights that these provisions can be enacted for children with special needs. It's not clear if we are talking about kids with formally documented special needs or special needs as they have been identified by the parent. As the readers of this blog know, I have concerns about the under-the-radar learning problems, difficulties with working memory and processing speed, that may not reach the level of a true learning disability but are, nevertheless, significant when it comes to homework completion.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">There is one other line which makes me cringe, and that is where the policy states that "</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">It’s your job as a parent ..." I have some problem with the notion of schools defining for parents their jobs. I think the parents' primary job is to raise their children the best they can. It is certainly their job, and their legal responsibility, to send their children to school. Most parents will accept as their jobs the need to guide and support the child in the various components of their lives. But the notion of an external entity, the school, defining a parents' responsibilities, is riling. I also think that, although the tone of this article gives parents more options, and the right to choose between options, than I've seem elsewhere, I am concerned that the policy has not more forcefully addressed the notion that schools have a way of vesting "authority" over the home in the school and "responsibility" over the child's behavior with the parent. I think schools need to understand and operate on the notion that kids need parents to have high levels of authority in addition to the great responsibilities they take on in having kids.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><sub><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">For more information on Dr. Goldberg's model, read other postings on this blog, visit his website, </span></sub><a href="http://thehomeworktrap.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap</sub></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>, or read his book, </sub></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Homework-Trap-Students-Teachers/dp/061557680X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359548655&sr=8-1&keywords=the+homework+trap"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><sub>The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers</sub></span></a><sub><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"> </span></sub></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></o:p></span></o:p></span></span></span></o:p></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
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Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08168803614073007362noreply@blogger.com0