There has been some debate in educational circles recently about the importance of homework. Some experts have suggested that homework is unnecessary and it would be much better to take the time that is spent doing homework and concentrate on pursuits such as outdoor activity and family togetherness or that these activities themselves should be considered on the same level as academic homework.
I disagree with this point of view and in my experience as a student and an educator I believe that homework is absolutely essential to a student being successful in their education.
These are many reasons why, for me, the benefits of homework are compelling. For the purposes of this blog today I will only list the top three.
- Homework reinforces skills, concepts and information learned in class.This point does not require much elaboration. This is why studying for a test works better than just hope! It has also been found that when revision occurs the night after the learning in class, concepts are better consolidated. To maximise the benefit the concepts then need to be revisited periodically.
- Homework teaches students to work independently and develop self-discipline.The habit of self-discipline and the ability to delay self-gratification in the pursuit of something greater is the main predictor of a student’s success in later life after school. This virtue is above achievement grades and talent.
- Homework allows parents to have an active role in their child’s education and helps them to evaluate their child’s progress.As mentioned in the second point, self discipline is the main predictor of success after school. However, it is the extent to which parents demonstrate how much they value education that is the main predictor of student success within school.
Children of all ages need to see a clear demonstration that education is highly valued in the home for students to do well. Sending your children to a College like ours is a good start because this is already a powerful demonstration of how much you value education so congratulations for making that decision. Unfortunately, it is not enough. When parents insist on a consistent routine for homework every evening amongst all the busyness of family life it is a powerful demonstrator that education has a high priority in the family. This is particularly true when the TV and music are switched off. You are showing your children that homework is more valuable than TV and music.
Homework is important for all school children of all ages, whether it be home readers, spelling lists and times tables in the younger year levels or essays, assignments and revision tasks in the older years.
It’s not always easy helping your child with homework so next I will be addressing that challenge.
Open Day is here!
I’m really looking forward to this year’s Open Day and hope to see you there. It is a valuable opportunity to see your child’s classroom/s, find out what they have been learning and explore all the prospects open to them at Glasshouse Christian College.
This year we have more performances than ever before and you will be amazed at the quality of the items. It’s going to be a beautiful sunny day so the band and dance performances will be on the lawn outside the library. Inside the library there will be English monologues and story telling and in the OLA N Block you’ll find our primary singing groups and French Club. All the details are in the Official Open Day Program.
Musical – ‘The Little Mermaid’
Hot on the heels of Open Day is our musical, ‘The Little Mermaid’. This will be performed in the
Playhouse Theatre at the Caloundra Events Centre on Friday 8 June at 6pm and Saturday 9 June at 1:30pm and 6pm. If sneak peeks of the performances and sets are anything to go by, it’s going to be fabulous!
Tickets can only be purchased online through the Events Centre here:
https://theeventscentre.com.au/product/glasshouse-christian-college-the-little-mermaid/
I would encourage you to book as soon as possible as there is a good chance that all three performances will be sold out.
Mike Curtis, Principal