Thursday, July 5, 2012

Journal 6: 10 Reasons to Get Rid of Homework (NETS-T 2 & 5)

Spencer, J. (2011, 08 19). Education rethink: Ten reasons to get rid of homework (and five alternatives). Retrieved from http://www.educationrethink.com/2011/09/ten-reasons-to-get-rid-of-homework-and.html


In the article, "Ten Reasons to Get Rid of Homework (and Five Alternatives)" the author John T. Spencer discusses the need for more active and outdoor learning and less indoor text-book directed study. He is an advocate for letting children go home after school and explore, learn, and navigate their own lessons within the confines of their neighborhood borders. Spencer believes that children should learn through their experiences involving essentially all of the senses. Specifically, the senses touch and feel. Instead, the authors advocates for his readers to, "emphasize the idea that learning can and will happen naturally at home or elsewhere in a child's world."  I happen to agree with the author here. I know that some of the most meaningful experiences and greatest learning occurred when I was left to discover it on my own. It was when I went exploring in Florence, Italy when I was studying abroad. It was when I went to a museum in Balboa Park just to look around, for my own intrinsic happiness. It was when I taught myself to use Prezi on my front porch, watching Youtube tutorials and accepting that the process would be one of "trial and error". Some of the greatest learning achieved can be done simply by walking outdoors and letting your senses do the observing. We acknowledge what we are seeing, reflect, and try to make sense of it in our own way. Essentially, the author states that if we our left to our own devices, without a book to our head and a pencil to our hand, we will learn (informally) by paying attention to things that interest us, that grab our attention.

5 Alternatives to Homework



1. Have students go outside and explore.  Have students write down what they see.  Don't give any instruction other than to journal what they observe.  

2. Encourage students to have a cultural experience i.e. help your family make an ethnic cuisine for dinner, watch a culturally diverse movie in a different language (subtitles okay), festivals, farmer's markets, etc.

3. Have students plant a garden (flowers or butterfly garden).  Observe. Analyze. Reflect.

4. Have students showcase what they learn by using digital media i.e. students can answer questions or show knowledge of subject matter by taking photographs or film, outside the home.

5. Encourage families to spend the weekend traveling.  Some of the best learning experiences and memories I have are from exploring the world.  Especially the world unfamiliar to me and my comfort zone.

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