Personalized Approaches to Homework Reforms

Homework reforms remains a controversial topic in education policies among educators, parents, student and the policymakers. Homework reforms come at a time where a significant number of people questions whether the level of homework practices are beneficial to a student achievement in the school curriculum (Gill and Schlossman, 2). Also, the level of homework system seems to lack the requirement to develop skills and self-direct students in education. Education progressives argue that the current education system fails to embrace individual student capabilities in school work. Critics are in a disagreement as to whether parenting should be involved in student's work as motivators, supervisors and for a student development and independent skills in learning. Thompson and Berret essays explain personalized approaches that can be used to alleviate levels of homework dissatisfactory by giving refined homework tasks that match individual intelligence, scheduled appropriately based on how Kahn Academy has designed ways to change education rules to compliment children capability.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Arguments for and against homework has been on a cyclical chain in education in the 20th century at a time when educators thought that it was a way of creating sharp and disciplined minds. As early as the 1940s, there were growing concerns about homework reforms since it was termed as an interference to other home activities (Marzano & Pickering, 7). Later on, in 1950's, homework was highly recommended in United States government cited lack of rigor in their education system. For quite some time the debate continues to change course each time the word homework is mentioned. The proliferation of homework debate has reached a critical intersection when it comes to the evolution of homework. Despite the arguments for and against the system of homework, research shows the usefulness of homework practice when implemented in the right way (P.7). A good example is the use of online learning models such as ones used at Kahn Academy to track statistics of the learner, motivate learning through developmental levels quizzes that open up upon completion of a junior level.

Homework abolition comes at a time when education specialists call for a proper recreation and resting time for students thus a call for homework reforms. According to a research done by Dunsmoor, excessive homework might harm both the physical and mental health of a learning student, a condition he describes as "Nervous Instability." Homework reforms also come at a time when many students who might be having duties at home that cannot be completed when a student is loaded with heavy loads of homework (p. 4). Personalized approaches to homework are perhaps the most important way to cater for students from low-income families that lack a conducive and right place for a student to complete his or her homework without destruction. A large number of assignments to students are proving a failure where a high number of students are taking the advantage to copy since they lack adequate time to attend to each assigned task (p.4).

Thompson essay attests to the effectiveness of individualized homework as a personalized approach reform on how schools handle matters of education. Traditionally, educators insisted on a uniform and class-wide homework. However, homework reform movement has distanced itself from a subject matter to a learner-centered approach where students are not supposed to master the same content at the same rate. Developmental psychology confirms that for a student to master subject matter in a classroom, individual contribution is essential, bearing in mind that children develop distinctively depending on environment raised, abilities and interests in their life (Gill and Schlossman 3). For example, Thompson approach of individualized homework testing reaffirms that giving same homework to a number of students, at some fixed time and expecting unbiased results is impossible. Children progress academically at own rate thus homework should be tailored to meet every student's need optimally.

Homework abolition has been top on the list among education policymakers in a quest to change education system that calls for an overhaul of the traditional way of learning. However, Thompson's essays support Kahn Academy by way of teaching students, Apart from an individualized homework centered approach that incorporates technological exercises in learning, Thompson only subscribes to the idea of abolishing weekly homework schedule citing it as the best way of doing away with homework evil, a notion where students associate homework as unnecessary punishment. He proposes scheduling of homework as a recommendable way organized by subject matter and according to different departments in the school. In this approach, scheduling of assignment, however, should eliminate weekend assignments. Time scheduling of assignments creates adequate time allocated to each and every subject studied in class and a development of interest among students when carefully adhered to and supervised well by both parents and educators commonly referred to as "Integrated learning approach."

Class size and content is not the most crucial factor when it comes to implementation of proactive and personalized approaches to learning. Engaging students when learning is the most important factor. In fact, sending students to do their homework at home on a new concept makes learning development hard to accomplish. Rather, instructing students, hearing their feedback and correcting them helps the instructor to correct any misunderstandings as they occur (Berret, p.18). For example, a concept in learning basic principles in mathematics articulated in a way a student can easily understand the concept but not mainly on whether the student can run through all the calculations (Berret, p.18). An example of proactive learning outlined in Berret's essay is the use of "peer instruction" by a physician named Eric Mazur of Harvard University but however, he cites that it can fail due to a dwelling so much on spreading of information (p.19)

Time constraint is another significant challenge associated with homework reforms with proponents and opponents of homework reforms in disagreement on the amount of time required to be allocated to homework. Berret (p.17), argues that inversion of the curriculum described as flipping is one of the best ways under personalized approach which can solve the problem of time constraint. Rather than having a homework to take home, educators use just-in-time teaching approach. This approach lets the learners respond to a number of web-based quizzes before a session and later on, the educator uses student's feedback to explain the teachings (p.17). Berret, therefore, subscribes to a homework reform which incorporates proactive learning through. A good example of a personalized working approach using flipping model is at Michigan University (Berret, p.18). In this model, the instructor issues a lecture and gees ahead to ask students about the readings who take turns to present how they understood a task.

Conversely, the personalized approach of learning and homework scheduling solves a number of problems related to homework reforms problem. According to Thompson (7), an effectively scheduled homework and abolishment of weekend homework allow children enough time to develop outside the classroom. As he puts it in his essay "...weekend homework interferes with the pursuit of valuable nonacademic learning." As such, one weekend and an evening left free from homework permits a student to bond and develop an appreciation in other artistic learning activities such as music or sports and also, fully participate in the family and community social life. Besides, Thompson shows how the abolition of homework on weekend has highly received support from a number of scholars when the documents that a research was done by National Education Association came up with findings that based on a survey which disputed weekend assignments since children just like working adults deserve a work-free environment to participate in family social life.

According to Barret, (P.17) flipping the classroom can improve the traditional lecture and as an approach, it improves the learning experience whereby students learn to solve problems on their own. Flipping as the name suggests refers to a mode of learning where the traditional learning practice is conducted in distinct forms such as just-in-time teaching which entails students engaging in outside class learning activities, for instance, responding to web-based questions, and also interactive engagement. Use of flipping approach "enables students' misconceptions to be easily corrected prior to any final exam according to growing research in learning (P.17). In a current world of technology, it makes no sense for teachers delivering lecture materials when students can be able to access the same content engagingly and authoritatively at no cost at their own schedule and pace. The flipping approach, therefore, builds an interactive and appropriately scheduled learning environment which is proactive rather than passive.

Homework reforms towards a personalized model remain top on the priority list when it comes to embracing education reforms in the 21st century. Education specialities are on a journey to tailor education system to compliment every student based on abilities, interest and learning pace. Through an integrated learning approach between parents, teachers and students, homework reform models such as one designed for Kahn Academy remains one personalized approach that proves as an efficient way to instil learning. Despite cases of challenges involved in implementation, schools can also work on reducing workload, engage students in learning sessions, and also come up with learning models that assess and analyze student progress, interests and capabilities.

References Gill B. & Schlossman S (n.d). The Lost Cause of Homework Reform: Taming the homework beast by individualization, time constraint and scheduling.

Marzano Robert J., & Pickering D (n.d). The Case For and Against Homework.

Thompson C. How Kahn Academy is changing the Rules for Education.

Berret D. How Flipping the Classroom Can Improve the Traditional Lecture.

References

Gill B. & Schlossman S (n.d). The Lost Cause of Homework Reform: Taming the homework beast by individualization, time constraint and scheduling.

Marzano Robert J., & Pickering D (n.d). The Case For and Against Homework.

Thompson C. How Kahn Academy is changing the Rules for Education.

Berret D. How Flipping the Classroom Can Improve the Traditional Lecture.