Ola Kozak is celebrating. The 11-year-old, who loves music and drawing, expects to have more free time for her hobbies after the Polish government ordered strict limits on the amount of homework for early grades. There is.
“I’m happy,” said the fifth-grader, who lives with her parents and younger brothers on the outskirts of Warsaw. The lilac walls of her bedroom are covered in her art, and above her desk is a framed painting of Kurt Cobain.
“Most people in the morning class were either copying the work of the person who did their homework or copying it from the internet, so there was no point,” she says.
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Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government enacted a ban on mandatory homework this month amid widespread debate about the need to modernize Poland’s education system, which focuses on memorization and homework. They are criticized for being overused and not having enough critical thinking and creativity.
The statute prevented teachers from giving required homework to children in grades one through three. From 4th grade through 8th grade, homework is optional and does not count towards your grade.
Not everyone likes this change, even Ola’s parents are divided.
Ola Kozak, 11, and her brother Julian Kozak, 9, sit at a table doing homework at their parents’ home in Warsaw, Poland, on April 5, 2024. April 5, 2024. Ola is satisfied with the Polish government’s order. Starting in April, strict limits will be placed on the amount of homework teachers can assign to lower grade students. Julian enjoyed doing his homework. (AP Photo/Charek Sokolowski)
“If there’s something that can make the students enjoy school more, it’s probably good for the students and the school,” said her father, Pavel Kozak.
His wife, Magda Kozak, was skeptical. “I’m not satisfied with (homework) because it’s a way to consolidate what I’ve learned,” she said. “This helps you stay on top of what your child has actually learned and what’s happening at school.”
(Ola’s younger brother, Julian, a third-grader, said he sees both sides.)
Debates over the appropriate amount of homework are common around the world. While some studies show that homework has little benefit for young learners, other experts say it helps them learn study habits and how to develop academic concepts. I am.
Poland’s education system has undergone several controversial reviews. Almost every new government is trying to make changes, but many teachers and parents say it’s confusing and discouraging them. For example, after the fall of communism, middle schools were introduced. The previous system was then reinstated under the previous government. In recent years, the imposition of ultra-conservative views in new textbooks has sparked further controversy.
For years, teachers have been fleeing the system due to low pay and political pressure. The current government is seeking to increase teacher pay and has promised other changes that teachers approve of.
However, Polish Teachers’ Union President Sławomir Broniarcs said that while he recognized the need to ease the burden on students, the new homework rules were also an example of changes imposed from above without sufficient consultation with educators. Stated.
“Teachers in general think this happened too quickly and too hastily,” he said.
He argued that eliminating homework could widen the educational gap between children who receive strong support at home and children from poorer families with less support and lower expectations. Instead, he called for broader changes to the entire curriculum.
Homework rules gained momentum in the run-up to last year’s parliamentary elections. That’s because a 14-year-old boy, Maczek Matuszewski, stood up at a campaign rally and told Tusk in front of a national audience that his children “don’t have time to rest.” He said the boy’s rights were being violated because he had a lot of homework on the weekends and a lot of tests on Mondays.
Since then, Tusk has become the face of the sudden change, introducing Matuszewski in videos on social media.
Education Minister Barbara Nowaka said the move was inspired by research into children’s mental health. Of all the stresses that children face, she says, “the one that relieved me the quickest was the burden of homework.”
Pasi Sahlberg, a prominent Finnish educator and author, said the value of homework depends on what it is and how it ties into overall learning. Homework needs vary “very personal and situational.”
“We need to trust teachers to decide what’s best for each child,” Sahlberg said.
In South Korea, homework limits were introduced in elementary schools in 2017 over concerns that children were under too much pressure. But the country’s education-minded teens often cram late into the night and take private tutors to meet the requirements of rigorous school and university entrance exams.
In the United States, teachers and parents decide the amount of homework themselves. Some elementary schools have eliminated homework altogether to give children more time to play, participate in activities, and spend time with their families.
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Guidelines distributed by U.S. teachers’ unions recommend about 10 minutes of homework per grade. In other words, 10 minutes for first graders, 20 minutes for second graders, and so on.
The coronavirus pandemic and the crisis surrounding youth mental health have complicated the debate over homework. In the United States, extended school closures in some regions caused significant learning losses, which were often addressed with tutoring and other interventions funded by federal pandemic relief money. At the same time, growing concerns about student health have led some teachers to consider alternative approaches, such as reduced homework or optional homework.
Finland’s Sahlberg said it’s important for children to learn that mastering something “usually takes a lot of practice.” If children and parents begin to believe that reducing homework will lower expectations for excellence in school, “things will go awry,” she said.
