This document provides a summary and commentary of each chapter in the book "The Homework Myth" by Alfie Kohn. The key points made are that homework has become a common practice despite being a relatively new concept, it places undue burden on families and stress on children, and research casts doubt on its benefits for actual learning improvement. The author argues homework may not effectively teach skills employers want and that alternative approaches deserve consideration over the default assumption that more homework equals better outcomes.

1. “The Homework Myth” by
Alfie Kohn
A Review that summarizes and offers commentary

2. Context and Background
 Author is Alfie Kohn
 Popular Author and Lecturer
 Post on my website last May
 Highly Recommended

3. Chapter 1: Missing out on
their Childhoods
 Points out the relative newness of
homework
 Now commonly accepted
 Creates problems in the home
 Lack of time for children to be
children.
Flickr picture from: http://flickr.com/photos/kellymason/2476877041/sizes/s/

4. Missing Childhood
 burden on parents
 stress for children
 family conflict
 less time for other activities
 less interest in learning

5. Chapter 2: Does homework
improve learning?
 1. At best only an association not a causal relationship
 2. Do we really know how much homework kids do? - depends
who you ask and on the individual student
 3. Homework Studies confuse grades and test scores with
learning
 4. homework matters less the longer you look

6. Improving learning?
 5. positive effects are quite small
 6. In elementary school no benefit
 7. national and international exams cast further doubt
 8. incidental research raises further doubts

7. Chp 3: Other benefits of
homework
 Does it teach work ethic and build character?
 Responsibility?
 Do we want what it could teach?
Picture from: http://flickr.com/photos/21135206@N05/2099577862/

8. Chapter 4: Studies
show…or do they?
 Studies that show support are often misquoted.
 Don’t always take their word for it.
 Sloppy writing perpetuates the myth of homework.
 An example pg. 77 – re: Marzano

9. Chapter 5: The
Questions left unasked.
 We are stuck more on the how to do the homework question than
to the question of why.
 Due to focus on competition and grades etc.

10. Chapter 6:What We
Haven’t Learned about
learning.
 Fascination with time on task or ToT
 Idea that more homework = more time.
 Interesting debate here with the work of Malcolm Galdwell in
“Outliers”
 Push for Quality of Instruction
 An example from my experience

11. Chapter 7: The Tougher
Standards Crowd hits
Home
 1983 Nation at Risk
 Presumption that Rigor = Excellence
 Achievement Gap can be caused by homework perhaps.
 Class and homework strategies

12. Economy and Work
 Concern from employers
 Why do we then send jobs over seas?
 Do Foreign companies in America look for the highest quality of
work.
 Business and education in general – What is the point of an
education.

13. Chapter 8: Better Get
Used to It
 Better get used to it = BGUTI
 As an excuse doesn’t really hold up but we allow it to.
Photo from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kriegs/419249763/

14. Chapter 9: Idle Hands
 Idle Hands the Devil’s playground
 Great quote from Hesiod pg 152
 Ageism continues
 Generation We?
Photo from Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rachelsian/299025575/sizes/l/

15. Chapter 10: Rethinking
Homework
 Changing the Default
 Quantity
 Quality
 Choice

16. Chapter 11: Make the
Change
 Have courage and give it a try
 Or just try for a unit and see if homework makes any difference.
 If in high school how about do one section without homework?