Book Review
The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing by Alfie Kohn

University of Montevallo

EDF561: Evaluations in Education

Susan Scott

Alfie Kohn’s (2006) book, The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing, gave me food for thought. Kohn opposes homework of any kind in any form for any grade level. He explores each commonly given, pro-homework argument in an attempt to persuade his readers, both parents and teachers, of the uselessness and possibly detrimental effects of the long-standing educational tradition. The first claim Kohn (2006) makes is that our children are “missing out on their childhoods” (p. 3). His opinion is that children spend seven hours in school everyday; that should be enough. He argues that kids need more time to be kids. Such time would include family time, friend time, time spent in extracurricular activities such as sports, music and art lessons, and play groups for younger kids. I agree. Kids do need time to enjoy their childhood. It is the most carefree time of their lives, relatively speaking. Does that mean they should have no homework at all? I am not yet ready to agree completely with that attitude. “Does homework improve learning?” Kohn (2006, p. 25) asks. The most significant issue he raises, in an attempt to answer that question, is regarding the kind of homework about which we are talking. Assignments can range from useless, fill-in-the-blank worksheets to extended projects that might take a week or more to complete. Some assignments serve more of a purpose than do others. “Better students simply spend more time on home study” (Kohn, 2006, p. 29), Kohn suggests. That is a statement we have found to be true in our home. We found homework to be more of a necessity for our kids during some school years than it was during others. They have certainly spent hours doing their share of useless worksheets. Since very little re-teaching of material was done in their classrooms, they have also spent hours being tutored by one or both of their parents. Kohn points out the need for parents to comment on and question classroom instruction and assignments given. We have done so only to cause some teachers to become defensive. Although we recognize that defensiveness is sometimes a result of incompetence, that knowledge did not make the situation any easier for our children. If they were not “getting it” in the classroom it was our responsibility to supplement our children at home. Homework assignments have been our source of awareness of material being included in instruction, our “window into the classroom” (p. 50). Without that window, some years our children would have been unprepared for their following year in school. I realize that many children do not have the advantage at home that our kids have had. Kohn (2006) writes of the achievement gap that exists between children in our schools. While I acknowledge such a gap, I believe we, as teachers and as parents, should strive to equalize the situation from the bottom up rather than from the top down. Rather than attempt to take away the advantage some kids have, why not present that same advantage to kids over the full range of the spectrum? I have personally spent many hours tutoring other people’s children who were experiencing difficulties with material. My husband has done the same. As a teacher, I will provide help for struggling students whether I have to provide it myself or get parent volunteers to do so. We should attempt to raise the level for all students rather than lament the gap between the haves and the have-nots. “Does homework provide nonacademic benefits?” (Kohn, 2006, p. 49). Kohn reviewed the research and found proof neither of positive nor of negative connections between homework and benefits such as, the development of responsibility, good work habits, self-discipline, and independence. He therefore concludes, “It would be impossible to use any nonacademic justifications for assigning homework” (p. 54). I agree. The use of classroom assignments and instruction is a better method of developing the above qualities than the use of homework assignments. The first chapters of part II were the least useful parts of the book for me. They served simply to raise more questions than provide answers. Kohn accuses researchers of committing to their agenda and ignoring what their investigations actually turn up. He accuses parents of being almost apathetic as far as their kids’ homework assignments are concerned. Lastly, he accuses teachers of assigning homework simply because that is the way things have always been done. While I realize pragmatic evidence on the usefulness of homework is difficult to find, I had hoped this book would at least offer some sort of proof one way or the other. Kohn presents no evidence of his own. His evidence is, in fact, someone else’s lack of such, subject to his own interpretation, of course. The latter chapters in part II, along with the whole of part III, were both helpful and hopeful. Mr. Kohn finally presents a prospect for compromise. He offers a “changing of the default” as a “less extreme position” (Kohn, 2006, p. 166) than an actual banning of all homework. He suggests that homework possibly be offered on an as needed basis and given only when relevant and worthwhile. He offers suggestions to teachers for making homework assignments more constructive. He also offers suggestions for tailoring assignments for individuality and diverse learners. Mr. Kohn’s compromise I found to be not only more acceptable than an absolute ban on homework, but also to be closer to my own opinion of its usefulness. Even though his suggestion was submitted rather grudgingly, I could adopt it as my own policy. My reading of Kohn’s book gave me pause for reflection on my own opinions, values, and policies on homework, its practicality, and its usefulness. I believe homework, when used correctly, has its time and place. Used for the right reasons, in the right way, at the right times, it can be an instruction reinforcing tool for teachers and parents. Used for the wrong reasons, in the wrong way and when not actually needed, it can defeat the purpose for which it was given in the first place.

References
Kohn, A. (2006). The homework myth: Why our kids get too much of a bad thing. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press.