Product reviews for Unhomework

Whenever I run a parent's session about homework, the results are almost always the same. Some parents believe that schools should be chastised for setting second rate homework such as -˜finish of what you were doing in class' or, just as bad, MOTS (more of the same) and so miss an opportunity to stimulate additional learning in their children. On the other hand, some parents question the value and purpose of homework as a substitute for the many exciting things they could be doing with their family instead; whilst still others believe the school is trying to turn them into teachers at best or at worst dictators who police the quality and quantity of the child's homework . For any child caught in the middle this can be extremely frustrating; but for a highly able child it can be nothing short of torture. Imagine having all those ideas going round in your head and being told to do something far more boring and meaningless! I was therefore delighted when I was asked to read and review Mark's book about -˜Unhomework'! The structure it suggests for challenging children so that they go as far as their potential allows is so interesting that I would recommend it to every teacher and challenge them, whether they are in primary or secondary school, to implement it for just one term and evaluate the results. I will certainly be including reference to his approach in our future workshops on homework!