Imlisanen Jamir
Here’s the routine of a 12-year-old girl studying in Dimapur. She gets out of school at 2:45 and gets home at around 4:00. I know that might seem like a huge gap but it is not really, considering she takes the bus, the traffic etc. Then she does her chores, rarely gets a couple of hours to herself, more chores, and settles in by 8:15. By the time she finishes her homework it’s about 10 o’clock.
When students learn in the classroom, they are using their short-term or working memory. This information is continually updated during the class. On leaving the classroom, the information in the working memory is replaced by the topic in the next class.
Adults experience a similar reaction when they walk into a new room and forget why they are there. The new set of sensory information – lighting, odours, temperature – enters their working memory and any pre-existing information is displaced. It’s only when the person returns to the same environment that they remember the key information.
But education is about more than memorising facts. Students need to access the information in ways that are relevant to their world, and to transfer knowledge to new situations.
Think intentionally about the homework given to children, focusing on the purpose and value of each assignment. Many veteran teachers are certainly stuck in their ways when it comes to homework and curriculum in general. Homework is like any other learning tool; it works only when it is intentional, relevant, and engaging.
But even then, consider the important socio-economic and cultural differences that can lead to disparities in homework completion and sense of value. Many are burdened with chores, take care of siblings, and/or participate in after-school activities. While some of these young people are high-achieving students with lots of support, others struggle to complete any homework given the physical, emotional, and mental demands they balance at school, work, and home. Still other students lack the support and “push” they need, choosing video games and YouTube over homework every night. These types of situations need to be addressed if we are to have a productive conversation about homework.
Here, let’s picture the metaphorical “kitchen table”: that quiet, non-distracting place at home where kids can do schoolwork and maybe even get help from an educated adult. However, it also encompasses more than a mere physical space; it is having food on the table every night, access to books and the internet, and the presence of stable, loving adults.
Most of us were lucky enough to have that kitchen table, and it contributed to our success in countless ways. Many students simply do not have this space. Of course, the presence of the kitchen table is undoubtedly tied to class, economic status, homeownership, mental and physical health, communal support, and a variety of other factors. But its presence or absence can forever alter a young person’s life.
Maybe the question is not ‘Does homework work?’ but rather ‘Who does homework work for?’
Comments can be sent to imlisanenjamir@gmail.com
