Product reviews for Unhomework

This is a book which should be read by anybody involved in education, from parents who wish to know how to support their children's learning, to government ministers who desire to solve the country's apparent falling behind in academic league tables in recent years.

I've taught in a number of schools, both state and independent, in this country and overseas, and homework has always been an issue which causes controversy. In many cases, it's a necessary evil for teachers, a source of misery for children and exasperation for parents. But this is not how homework, indeed learning, should be. Mark's philosophy for the way children learn makes total common sense.

The book clearly sets out the reasoning behind Unhomework, as well as the methods by which it can be applied in both the primary and secondary sector. Success stories of how it has been used are an inspiration and I was eager to start using some of Mark's ideas with my class before I even finished the book. As a parent, I also found the section on how parents can get involved very interesting. My daughter is just a toddler, but I'm sure Mark (and many parents and educators for that matter) would agree with me in the belief it's never too early to encourage creativity and develop learning skills.

The chapter on how to convince colleagues is an interesting one based on Mark's experience. We teachers work very long hours and often feel like we're struggling to just keep afloat. I know we can torture ourselves by thinking we've still not done enough and if only we had a few more hours in the day... In adopting Unhomework, once you've taken the time to really get the hang of it and ensure your pupils do too, I can see this burden would be somewhat lifted. And of course the results are children who want to learn, who want to do their best, who want to achieve their goals and who ultimately (Mr Gove) get better results.

I could see Unhomework working in any of the schools I've taught in. I'm currently both a class and MFL teacher and after reading this, wished I was responsible for -˜setting' more homework than I currently do! However, it's not just about homework, it's about a learning philosophy that can be applied in our teaching really quite simply and without a great deal of onerous work that can often be the case.