How much homework is the right amount?

Many parents worry that their child is doing too much, or too little, school work at home.

While homework volumes vary considerably from school to school and even teacher to teacher; by secondary school, almost all students are expected to do some homework on a daily or weekly basis.

A 2014 OECD report found that Australian 15-year-olds spend an average of six hours a week on homework. This is slightly more than the international average of five hours per week and significantly less than the 13.8 hours Shanghai’s students allocate to homework every week.

The picture is quite different at Australia’s independent schools though, where 15-year-olds devote an average of nine hours a week to homework.

In NSW, the Department of Education offers guidelines but no set minimum homework requirements, leaving it up to schools to determine their own policies in consultation with parents and teachers.

Nonetheless, the department’s policy is that homework is a “valuable part of schooling” that “allows for practising, extending and consolidating work done in class. Additionally, it establishes habits of study, concentration and self-discipline.”

The Scots College in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs supports the department’s view, saying that its philosophy concerning home learning is premised on three principles:

* Home learning consolidates work in class without being new work.
* Home learning is showed off rather than being assessed.
* Home learning is driven by the student’s interests and needs.

As an example, Scots suggests this daily homework schedule for years 7 and 8:

* 20 minutes of Maths
* 10 minutes of language/instrument practice
* 10 minutes of reading
* Respond to the question “What else do I need to do?”

The last point allows students “an opportunity to expand on their studies, finish incomplete work or try to work through a problem in their studies,” Scots says. As well, the school expects students to dedicate home learning time to each of their subjects every week.

Similar guidelines are offered by Danebank Anglican School for Girls in Sydney’s South. The school’s policy states that, homework “should be appropriate to the student’s skill level and age; interesting, challenging, purposeful, and meaningful in helping students develop their knowledge and skills at all times.”

Taking these factors into account, Danebank outlines a daily homework schedule for years K-12:

Kinder and Year 1: No more than 20 mins
Year 2: No more than 30 mins
Year 3 and 4: 30–45 mins
Year 5 and 6: 1 hour
Year 7 and 8: 1½ hours
Year 9 and 10: 2 hours
Year 11: 3 hours
Year 12: 3½ hours

The emphasis on homework at independent schools is well-founded. OECD data shows that extra study at home is rewarded by better test scores, as evidenced by the results of its 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) – a series of standardised tests similar to NAPLAN.

Testing of more than 28 million 15-year-olds in 65 countries showed that among the highest achieving schools in the Maths component, “students saw an increase of 17 score points or more per extra hour of homework.”

International research shows that relevant homework in reasonable doses has positive benefits for students overall, particularly at the high school level.

In terms of how much time students should put into it, Duke University psychology professor and author of The Battle over Homework, Harris Cooper, endorses the “10-Minute Rule” – multiply the year level by 10 to get a rough estimate of how many minutes of homework students should be doing on a daily basis. Academically-focused and senior students should aim to do a bit more.

Most important though for Cooper is balance.

“My feeling is that the effect of homework depends on how well or poorly it is used. Teachers should avoid extremes. All children will benefit from homework but it is a rare child who will benefit from hours and hours of homework,” Cooper cautions.

Read more:

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Education at Glance report, 2014
https://www.oecd.org/edu/Education-at-a-Glance-2014.pdf

NSW Department of Education and Communities Homework Policy document, May 2012
https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/curriculum/schools/homework/Hwk_Pol_guide.pdf

How much home learning should my son be doing? – Ryan Smartt, Coordinator of Studies and Academic Staffing, The Scots College
https://www.tsc.nsw.edu.au/tscnews/how-much-home-learning-should-my-son-be-doing

Danebank Anglican School for Girls Homework Policy K-12
http://www.danebank.nsw.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/Homework-Policy.pdf

Students in these countries spend the most time doing homework – Sonali Kohli, Quartz.com, December 12, 2014
http://qz.com/311360/students-in-these-countries-spend-the-most-time-doing-homework/

Homework’s diminishing returns – Harris Cooper, New York Times, December 12, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2010/12/12/stress-and-the-high-school-student/homeworks-diminishing-returns

Coming soon: The Southern Sydney Schools’ Expo

There are close to 300 independent schools in the Sydney metropolitan area with the greatest numbers found in the South and Southwest regions of the city. With so many schools to choose from, finding the right one for your child can be a complex undertaking.

Fortunately for families in the St George and Sutherland shires, these precincts are well-served by a wide range of excellent schools catering to students of every level of talent and ability.

To help families discover more about academic options in the area, the Southern Sydney Schools’ Expo will be held on Sunday, May 22, at the Novotel Sydney Brighton Beach.

The Expo offers parents and children the opportunity to meet face-to-face with representatives from some of Sydney’s top schools.

Expo participants include day and boarding schools, faith-based, single-sex and co-ed schools from preschool through to year 12, in one convenient location. Instead of hours of research and travelling to different schools, parents can get all the information they need in a single outing.

To get the most out of the Expo, it’s important for families to know what they’re looking for in a school.

Australian parenting website Raising Children suggests that parents take these issues into account when researching schools:

  • What do you want a school to do for your child?
  • Does your child have special language, education or other needs?
  • What’s your child’s preferred or best learning style?
  • Is location a factor in your school choice?
  • Does the school need to be within walking distance?
  • Or does your child have special transportation needs?
  • What costs are involved?
  • Is religion an important factor?
  • What are your child’s views and feelings about the school?

At the Expo, parents are encouraged to engage with school representatives and explore their offerings in detail.

Teachers and administrators are happy to answer all your questions to help you make the best decision for your child.

This is a wonderful opportunity not to be missed.

Where: The Novotel Sydney Brighton Beach, Corner Grand Parade and Princess St, Brighton Le Sands
When: Sunday, May 22, 2016
Time: 10 am to 4pm
Cost: Free
Parking: Free parking is available onsite

For more information contact Dorothy Willoughby on 0412 233 742

Read more:

School selection: practical steps – Raising Children Network with the Centre for Adolescent Health, October 26, 2015
http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/choosing_school_checklist.html

To IB or not to IB: Understanding the International Baccalaureate

Last year, Melbourne’s Preshil Independent School announced that it will no longer offer the VCE, Victoria’s equivalent to the HSC. Instead, the school will teach only the syllabus for the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma from 2018 onward.

Preshil is the first school in Victoria to abandon the VCE in favour of the IB but it may not be the last. Take-up of the IB is growing rapidly throughout Australia and around the world. More than 63,000 students at 4000 schools internationally attained an IB diploma in 2015, representing an increase of almost 50 per cent in the last five years.

In Australia, the numbers are growing even more strongly. Since 2000, participation has tripled with almost 1900 students at 63 schools throughout Australia earning their IB diplomas last year.

So what is the IB and why is its popularity surging?

The IB program was established in 1968 in Geneva, Switzerland, with a pedagogical mission to “develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.”

Its academically rigorous curriculum stresses critical reasoning and breadth of knowledge over specialisation and rote learning. All diploma students must study literature and a second language, as well as an experimental science, mathematics, and a humanities subject. A sixth subject of their choosing – either from the creative arts or a second academic subject – is also required.

The unique aspect of the IB is seen in its three “core” elements: the Theory of Knowledge component, in which students study the nature of knowledge and its acquisition; the Extended Essay, a self-directed 4000-word research paper; and the Creativity, Activity, Service project, a learn-through-experience assignment in which students set themselves a significant personal challenge to surmount under the guidance of a supervisor.

In the IB organisation’s view, self-regulated, lifelong learning is the key to success at university and in the world of work, business and enterprise. As such, it aims to produce students “who can learn in any situation, at any time, in any place, from any person, using any media or technology – without the support of teachers.”

The high level of independence promoted by the IB is not for everyone though. When it comes to choosing between the HSC and the IB diploma, Redlands school, the first in NSW to offer the IB diploma in 1988, advises that parents take into account their child’s natural inclinations. The IB is better suited to students of a generalist bent due to the second language, maths and science requirements, Redlands cautions. As well, students will need to develop excellent time management and organisational skills to succeed to the best of their ability, the school says.

Trinity Grammar offers similar advice, saying that “between the HSC or IB there is no wrong answer. The decision should take into account a student’s interests and which course is better suited to them. Both courses offer rich opportunities for learning.”

In NSW, the IB diploma is only offered at select independent schools. For more information on the International Baccalaureate and participating Australian schools see the organisation’s website: http://www.ibo.org/

Read more:

Melbourne private school scraps VCE in favour of International Baccalaureate – Kellie Lazzaro, the World Today, ABC radio, November 2, 2015
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2015/s4343482.htm?site=melbourne

How to help your son decide between the HSC and IB courses – Trinity Grammar website
http://info.trinity.nsw.edu.au/how-to-help-your-son-decide-between-the-hsc-and-ib-courses?hs_preview=C2DNTd1e-4068134628

International Baccalaureate information page – Redlands school website
http://www.redlands.nsw.edu.au/education/international-baccalaureate/

International Baccalaureate website: http://www.ibo.org/

Association of Australasian IB Schools website: http://www.aaibs.org/