The most common issue that parents have is the battle to ensure students complete their weekly homework.
The purpose of homework is to reinforce lessons learned in class. Without practicing skills in between the weekly classes, students would find it difficult to retain and build on their knowledge. Homework practice, along with regular attendance of class, provides the structure to create momentum in knowledge and skills.
Our philosophy is that homework should be designed in a way to practice skills already learned in class, not expose students to new skills. This way, students are well-equipped to do their homework independently.
At our learning centre, we always advise parents to encourage and where appropriate, supervise (for example with younger students), their child to complete their homework independently. However they should not directly help with the homework exercises themselves.
When students receive help or are expected to ask for help with homework from their parents or other adults in their life, this can create a multitude of issues. The helper adult may teach the skill using a different method, which can confuse the student. It can cause frustration between the helper adult and child, which can then discourage them from learning. It also robs the child of the opportunity to test the skills they have learned from class and the chance to apply their own critical thinking skills if they become over-reliant on the help over time.
Our homework is designed so that it should only take about an hour per subject (or two hours for our OC and Selective training classes) per week. This is the equivalent of about 10 to 20 minutes a day. We believe this strikes the right balance between adequate practice and overwhelming workload.
It is important to establish healthy homework habits for academic success. This includes:
Where students struggle to do a question, they should attempt it and then mark it clearly to follow it up with their teacher at the next class.
If your child is struggling with maintaining their focus, we suggest splitting the exercises into small increments of 5-10 minutes before having a break. Gradually you can increase this as their ability to focus improves.
By following a clear weekly routine to complete homework, there is less frustration and more satisfaction from students and parents alike. Together students and parents can contribute to accelerating their learning.
We hope you find this post useful to vanquishing all your homework battles!
