Alfie Kohn
Arguing that it has never been proven that homework improves pupils’ achievement or habits, the author cites research that primary pupils are bearing a substantially heavier homework load than they did a few years ago.
He suggests that homework can be detrimental to pupils’ development, as it robs families of quality evening time together and does not allow pupils sufficient time for themselves. Evidence indicates that too much homework can also put pupils off school and stunt intellectual and creative curiosity.
Kohn outlines six reasons why homework is still so widely accepted despite the evidence against it, including the emphasis on competitiveness and "tougher standards", and a basic distrust of pupils and how they would fill their time if not doing homework.
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