Just yesterday, I was asked to take a survey for my son's Saint Hilda's Primary School education feedback.
The survey was done online via his e-Learning Platform website, maintained by Litespeed. The site where all his school diary of events, tasks and homework assigned, done and and submitted online.
I think it is a great tool for doing and submitting homework... online. From one look at their children's logged-in page, parents are able to know whether the tasks or homework had already been done and submitted. How many more are pending and when they are due.
Wow! Time has changed so much since my primary school days. Pretty savvy.
All that said. This morning, I read an article in The Sunday Times on "The case against homework" with great interest. Passionately debating against homework is Sara Bennett, co-author of 2 books on this recommendation.
Not so much to take sides on having homework or against it, but rather the arguments made from both sides that I wish to trigger my logical sense on it right between the eyes... a revelation on the way the young should learn.I mean, homework should be good. It is an opportunity to practise on especially the weaker subjects, while enhancing further the already strong one. Something no all children can quite pick-up during class.
On the flip side of it, too much homework robs the child off his or her free time. It will make the child hate learning with the enormous stress burdening him or her to complete all the assignments.
The weaker children will tend to affirm they are indeed "stupid" when they cannot finish the assignments in time or done it badly, simply because they need more time... more one-to-one tutoring, more motivation... more practice?
So, I am very interested in the debate that is going on in the US about whether there is common ground on homework or to banish it totally. The benefits should go to the child, not winning the war for the sake of winning, but base on scientific studies and human logical sense.
Am I making sense? I am not clear myself! I think I have to do more homework on this subject...
What a great idea! We're able to check out our son's grades by internet, but not the work. That would be a good way of doing it.
ReplyDelete(Kind of glad that our parents couldn't do that. :) )
Hello Both,
ReplyDeleteThanks for you visits again.
Andrew | The children here submit some of their homework via Internet.
Also a tool the teacher uses to give out homework and assignments when a student had to miss his/her class locally or overseas.
A great tracking tool for today's parents. And yes, THANK GOD it was not available when I was young!
Ellen | Wonderful ideas to assist weaker students.
Here, there are also volunteer teachers and former students who organise after school and weekend tuitions for identified weaker students.
Parents are called-in to attend classroom lessons on subjects their children are weak at to aid parents to assist their children at home.
The only tough thing is that mostly, both parents are out working, leaving little time to assist their children with their homework.
And too much homework burdens the child. Too much of anything is always not so good.
Great website for the students. Very attention-grabbing while indirectly educate the children while they surf their school's website.
My post has 2 links - one is my son's school website and the other is his online-homework and assignments tracking website.
Very interesting development in learning concepts.