For two hours each "school night," we set aside two hours for study hall and ask students to complete their assigned homework. Workloads vary based on courses, course load, and individual learning needs, but this structure helps make homework manageable for many students. Is this a good idea? What do neuroscientists say about homework? Can brain studies help educators understand whether homework is a positive or a negative factor in learning and in raising healthy children? The Neuroteach faculty study group wrestled with these questions in a recent discussion. We began with the understanding that “homework” takes many forms and must be better defined to help answer these vexing questions.
Lesson #19 - The Neuroscience of Homework
When homework is mind-numbingly dull, it is a negative. When it is overly frustrating, it elevates stress to the detriment of good thinking. When the load is too heavy, it can interfere with sleep, arguably the most important tool we possess to consolidate learning. When students have too many different classes, each with large homework demands, homework can be debilitating.
On the other hand, when homework meets specific criteria that pass the “this is how the brain learns” test, then homework can be an essential learning opportunity to expand student success. Cognitive neuroscientists offer the following for positive study conditions:
- Opportunities to reflect and discuss
- Utilization of the principles of effective effort*
- High intrigue and engagement
- Transference of knowledge through the arts and performance
- A likelihood of success that is balanced with engaging challenges
- Expectations that students will play with their ideas
Examining homework through those lenses, our Neuroteach study group generated a wide range of ideas that we are pursuing prior to making recommendations to the full faculty towards the end of the school year. Is the current homework system at Proctor consistent with the criteria for engaging our students’ brains from 7:30-9:30? Are there better ways to adhere to brain research principles?
Perhaps we should promote collaborative study techniques rather than solitary work. Maybe older students could serve as teaching assistants for faculty who work with younger students, providing evening feedback as 9th and 10th graders learn to make homework valuable. It might make sense to have students focus on one homework pursuit in depth on any given night, rather than multiple homework assignments. Maybe students should be given a choice about how to demonstrate their understanding of the topic being studied. It would make sense to teach students what active learning looks like, what strategic attention to a task is, and how to self-test to determine their own levels of understanding.
Research on student efficacy (who are the most successful students) is clear that the best students work collaboratively, spend more time, ask more questions, learn from feedback, harness resources around them, and can explain exactly how they study (12 Habits of Highly Successful Students). Maybe these are skills that Proctor (or any school) needs to facilitate in students’ approach to homework.
*Effective effort: clear goal setting, focused attention, strategic planning, utilizing feedback, consistent commitment, time management, resourcefulness, adapting strategies as needed, seeking support when necessary, and maintaining a positive mindset
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