Is Homework The Key Issue Of Concern?

[Lite Beer]

EDITORIAL

Is homework the key issue of concern?

The Nation February 3, 2013 1:00 am

BANGKOK: -- Quality of teachers and class sizes should also be considered by ministry

Homework is a burning issue for Thai educators these days. Traditionally, Thai teachers would assign quite a substantial amount of homework for students, hoping that they would spend time constructively after school.

But such a belief may not be the case anymore because the Education Ministry has recently signalled that teachers should reduce the amount of homework they give students.

newsjsThe signal sparks a debate over the benefits of homework. What level of homework is considered too much and how should teachers design homework to suit their curriculum?

The Education Ministry wants schools to lessen homework and explains that there are various subjects that students have to study every day. So, if every teacher assigns homework for every subject that students do, the time spent doing homework would certainly be longer than a couple of hours. In addition, students these days have to spend more hours commuting to school due to traffic. Therefore, they may have less time to relax and play if they have to spend a couple of hours working on homework after school.

Educators, meanwhile, reasoned that doing homework forces students to spend time constructively and helps prepare them for the next lesson. There are also many distractions for students. If they don't have to spend time on homework, they can simply spend more time watching TV or playing computer games.

Homework is not at all bad, for it also provides an opportunity for parents and children to discuss homework together after school. It can also teach students to be disciplined and responsible.

Arguments from both sides are reasonable. But a more serious question is whether the amount of homework is really the issue here. The fundamental concern about Thai education is not the amount of homework that students have to do but the quality of teaching and overall schooling.

Thai students' ranking in academic achievement is declining compared to other countries in Asia. But the Education Ministry has so far tended to focus on peripheral issues such as tablet PCs and homework - ignoring the fundamental quality of teachers. There are more serious issues that affect students' learning, such as the size of the classroom (number of pupils).

In addition, as learning does not end in school, there are questions whether the schools and communities provided a favourable environment to inspire students to excel in what they are passionate about.

The amount of homework may not be an issue as much as whether the homework has been effective in encouraging students to learn. The Education Ministry should instead help educators design activities to make homework supplement the school curriculum and make students more enthusiastic to learn.

For instance, homework can also apply pedagogy learning experience because these activities can be easier to do outside school. For instance, an assignment can encourage students to be observant of nature, by checking the changing of cloud patterns or the background of their communities.

In addition, instead of blaming homework loads for taking up many hours of students' time, the Education Ministry or people in power should consider the other options to provide quality time for students. If the ministry wants students to spend less time on homework, they should also consider other alternatives that students can spend time on. For instance, they should set up a community library or a playground where children can spend time constructively.

As things stand now, many communities lack facilities to support children's learning. Aside from a community library, many communities do not have playgrounds for their children. With less homework, many Thai students may end up spending more time on unproductive activities.

At any rate, the Education Ministry's idea to integrate homework could also start the process of integrating the curriculum and different courses that students have to learn each day. The process should encourage teamwork experience from educators to students.

As learning is based on individual experience, the amount of homework may depend on the educators, the students and each school's environment. The Education Ministry may not have to issue a uniform instruction on the amount of homework - but areas that matter more, such as the size limit of each class to ensure that students maintain proper attention on their lessons.

-- The Nation 2013-02-03

[Thai at Heart]

What is " hoping" they will do homework?

I think class sizes of 50 are the overwhelming problem, followed by everyone must pass, then the curriculum needs a massive overhaul.

[Bluespunk]

Class sizes, curriculum content, quality of teaching, teaching style and access to learning resources are all a lot more important towards effective learning. Homework has a place but it has to be purposeful. As in school the quality of learning based on homework depends on the students access to resources to complete their assignments and the quality of these assignments. If they are dull and repetitive with no real purpose the students will switch off and no learning will take place. The assignments may not be done or done so poorly they fail to enhance the students understanding of the subject. Students need to be inspired and motivated. If they are not then homework serves no useful purpose.

Edited February 3, 2013 by Bluespunk

[backtonormal]

Start with abolishing the 'no fail' policy. Kids as young as 6 have already got a grip on this and if they choose they will do bugger all in class, knowing they will get minimum pass grade.

[noitom]

This article is Thai tripe about their failed educational system. Thai students and children get no guidance on "prioritizing" tasks and work. They have no work ethic or sense of reward for "achievement. They are not driven by achievement success. They are driven by "compatibility" and fraternity with their sakdi na network and pecking order. When it comes to schoolwork they have no discipline, the work has little meaning or application. They waste time and dilly dally about chit chatting and playing games and uploading pictures.

They have never been taught "order" and priority of work tasks. It doesn't mean anything in Thai culture. Homework in Thailand is merely busy work , it is not designed to teach or for students to learn and take interest. Thailand education is a sham and everyone knows it. They are not prepared for adult life. Everyone who knows and understands Thailand knows that the system is broken long before homework is assigned. Assigning homework at any level of volume in Thailand is an exercise in futility.

[culicine]

Start with abolishing the 'no fail' policy. Kids as young as 6 have already got a grip on this and if they choose they will do bugger all in class, knowing they will get minimum pass grade.

Right. Students should be just given the grade they earned. Some students would be getting zero. They might also not tend to sleep for the remaining 80 mins of their 90 minute final exam.

Most kids in western countries have a short school days - mine was 9pm to 3pm. Even with that, I didn't get much homework when I was in primary school. What the MoE could do is reduce the school day, so as to allow more time for independent study. At the moment, most kids might get home at 6pm or later, leaving little time for homework. If I give homework it's usually due after one week. So if they plan well then can finish it.

Another problem is that there are simply too many subjects that students must learn, right up to M6....up to 17 individual courses. Even the M6 boys have to study guidance, dance, art.....and don't have the opportunity to focus on subjects they are interested in (unlike in the UK/US, etc).

Class sizes are ridiculous as well, and as the article pointed out, this is one of the main issues. There are good reasons why schools elsewhere limit class sizes to 25/30.

[timber]

To many students in Thailand their education in English is meaningless because they don't review what they learn

and repetition isn't enough to instill the basics for the younger students. They often pass the grade whether they do

homework or not. Making the parents happy is an important role for young children. Working with their children when

they do their homework is both an educational and bonding opportunity. With large class size it is the only opportunity

for the teachers to have any idea at all whether many of the students are learning as the over achievers(20%) have 80% of her

attention.

[tominbkk]

This article is Thai tripe about their failed educational system. Thai students and children get no guidance on "prioritizing" tasks and work. .....

You simply copied your post from a few days ago. Your generalisations were already discredited.

[noitom]

This article is Thai tripe about their failed educational system. Thai students and children get no guidance on "prioritizing" tasks and work. .....

You simply copied your post from a few days ago. Your generalisations were already discredited.

It's flattering to know that you follow and track my posts so closely. The article didn't merit any new comments, but the previous comments were very appropriate.

[hmj]

tominbkk #8

It is seems that you have never been in the outlying provinces.

[gosompoi]

My school the students have eight 50 min lessons a day, which homework is required for each lesson, with about 1 hour commute to and from school. My student are exhausted. Put this with they know no grade lower than 80% will be given, if they can not achieve an 80% they just quit. Curriculum is a joke, it is guidelines nothing else, ignored at the whim of teachers and directors. What is needed less lessons a day so the children can absorb the information and quality lessons. Standardized lesson plans with quality textbooks and workbooks. A curriculum without proper tools like textbooks and lesson plans, leaves everything it up to every teacher to develop their own, by experimenting as time goes on at the expense of the children's education. Every classroom lesson at every class is a different lesson all missing something. People like to blame the teachers but for the most part they do their job well with what they are given. A curriculum is just a start without textbooks, standardized lessons improved on yearly by experts in children's education everyone is left to reinvent the wheel again and again. You never know that the teacher before has taught the students and what the students real progress was for any subject. Old teachers are left teaching the same as they always had without new information or progress forward because it is all up to them. Another huge issue is non learning activities, which include directors trying to win prizes, contests, impress committees and extra school activities that keep the students and teachers busy for weeks at a time. These activities disrupt the students learning to the point they have forgotten their lessons and have lost their progress. Skip the curriculum instead develop quality standardized textbooks, standardized qualified lesson plans, kill the extra non learning activities and reduce quantity of learning hours to 5 or 6 day to allow to homework and rest. But all is loss, look at the ONET tests with math errors, questions impossible to answer and just wrong. ONET is standardized testing system made in Thailand that is full of errors and of the lowest quality, that is what you get and can not be questioned.

[ginjag]

Apart from all the posts blaming various factions, why not try Geography---world knowledge mainly comes from this subject, via climate, location, animals, flora, awareness of other countries, it's people. each countries geographic location.

maths, basics--- English language-everyday spoken words for starters, NOT what is a verb or a noun, that comes later, most persons in the world are not interested in pro nouns and doing words etc.

after school sports, NOT during the school hours in general.

a bit of woodwork-a bit of cooking-a bit of metalwork.

NO teachers meetings during school hours. There is plenty of time in the school day to fit all subjects in, a bit of homework is a help prior to exams

[gosompoi]

Apart from all the posts blaming various factions, why not try Geography---world knowledge mainly comes from this subject, via climate, location, animals, flora, awareness of other countries, it's people. each countries geographic location.

maths, basics--- English language-everyday spoken words for starters, NOT what is a verb or a noun, that comes later, most persons in the world are not interested in pro nouns and doing words etc.

after school sports, NOT during the school hours in general.

a bit of woodwork-a bit of cooking-a bit of metalwork.

NO teachers meetings during school hours. There is plenty of time in the school day to fit all subjects in, a bit of homework is a help prior to exams

Lets not forget 100 hrs a year spent standing 30 mins in the sun repeating the same student oath, flag salute, prayer and all like robots. That is 1400 hrs over 14 years of education which exceeds 1 years total learning time by the time the students finish their first 14 years of education. Oh only 9 years of education required far below most nations.

[Thaddeus]

BANGKOK: -- Quality of teachers and class sizes should also be considered by ministry

They should be the prime consideration, if that wheel on the cart is broken any discussion about homework is completely pointless.

[tomross46]

I have two sons in school. My oldest did little or no homework, and passed with a GPA of 2.7. My youngest son is in the Kings Class, and has a large amount of homework, but is in the top 5% of students, he has a 3.95 GPA. He has competed in Math and Science events all over.

[Thaddeus]

I have two sons in school. My oldest did little or no homework, and passed with a GPA of 2.7. My youngest son is in the Kings Class, and has a large amount of homework, but is in the top 5% of students, he has a 3.95 GPA. He has competed in Math and Science events all over.

Do you give him any guidance in these subjects outside of school hours?

[Kilgore Trout]

Homework must be appropriate and reflect conceptts covered in class. Most students should be able to do it by themselves.

This is not the case w/ regard to what i've seen in thai schools

Sent from my GT-S5660 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[MaxLee]

The problem is that Thailand is mass producing millions and trillions of kids and youngsters called "students" who are put under so hard pressure to live up to the expectations of parents, teachers professors and feudal relative circles to live up to the STATUS FACE QUO, and if families are poor, f****k off...

Education has become a mass product of idiocratic Propaganda...

[gosompoi]

I have two sons in school. My oldest did little or no homework, and passed with a GPA of 2.7. My youngest son is in the Kings Class, and has a large amount of homework, but is in the top 5% of students, he has a 3.95 GPA. He has competed in Math and Science events all over.

That is a good result for your son but I can tell you that is not the norm. I too have studenst that score in to top 5% in every class but the other 95% are allowed to fail but all given passing scores. 10% of my students are A+ students and work hard but the other 90% drop quickly toward the bottom of the educational system that fails them. The school relies on this 5% of students to show they are succeeding as an education system and excelling as a school. They use your son, that is why your son is winning at math and science events to prove the school is valid. But the other 90% know they are doing great because when they gauge themselves by their grades which are never lower than 80% as per school policy. Their parents think the kids are doing great by their grades except they never listen in class, do class work, homework or even bother to take tests or learn or progress forward. The schools just keep sending the same one or two students to competitions and training extra just to win. Just save face no matter the reality.

Edited February 3, 2013 by gosompoi

[chooka]

Schools and teachers give children homework for a variety of reasons and purposes. Most teachers would say the major focus for homework is reinforcing and revising concepts learnt in class time.

Leading Australian academics and psychologists say homework has little benifit for primary school children.

HOMEWORK should be banned until high school, a literacy expert says.

Flinders University lecturer in education Dr Barbara Nielsen said homework had no educational benefit for primary school-aged children.

Instead, younger children should spend their after-school hours socialising, playing and spending quality time with their parents, she said.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/primary-students-too-young-to-be-doing-homework/story-e6frea83-1225857618020

Child and adolescent psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg believes that rather than building child-family relationships positively, homework often creates an arena for argument and conflict. He says that time taken to do homework is time taken away from valuable positive family time – particularly in families where both parents work and time with children is limited.

http://www.australianfamily.com.au/articles/homework

Personally I agree with the above people and think it would be more benificial to primary level students if parents spent time reading to them, read with them and talk to them about issues such as the enviroment, health and what is happening outside thier borders. Include them in social/physical activities. I believe school projects are benificial in primary level as they encourage family participation.

[MaxLee]

Schools and teachers give children homework for a variety of reasons and purposes. Most teachers would say the major focus for homework is reinforcing and revising concepts learnt in class time.

Leading Australian academics and psychologists say homework has little benifit for primary school children.

HOMEWORK should be banned until high school, a literacy expert says.

Flinders University lecturer in education Dr Barbara Nielsen said homework had no educational benefit for primary school-aged children.

Instead, younger children should spend their after-school hours socialising, playing and spending quality time with their parents, she said.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/primary-students-too-young-to-be-doing-homework/story-e6frea83-1225857618020

Child and adolescent psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg believes that rather than building child-family relationships positively, homework often creates an arena for argument and conflict. He says that time taken to do homework is time taken away from valuable positive family time – particularly in families where both parents work and time with children is limited.

http://www.australianfamily.com.au/articles/homework

Personally I agree with the above people and think it would be more benificial to primary level students if parents spent time reading to them, read with them and talk to them about issues such as the enviroment, health and what is happening outside thier borders. Include them in social/physical activities. I believe school projects are benificial in primary level as they encourage family participation.

Excellent insight, but you know this is Thailand, where children are getting brainwashed-abused by their authorities until their ability to THINK has been worn out to the point of NO COMMON SENSE RETURN...

[culicine]

My school the students have eight 50 min lessons a day, which homework is required for each lesson, with about 1 hour commute to and from school. My student are exhausted. Put this with they know no grade lower than 80% will be given, if they can not achieve an 80% they just quit. Curriculum is a joke, it is guidelines nothing else, ignored at the whim of teachers and directors. What is needed less lessons a day so the children can absorb the information and quality lessons. Standardized lesson plans with quality textbooks and workbooks. A curriculum without proper tools like textbooks and lesson plans, leaves everything it up to every teacher to develop their own, by experimenting as time goes on at the expense of the children's education. Every classroom lesson at every class is a different lesson all missing something. People like to blame the teachers but for the most part they do their job well with what they are given. A curriculum is just a start without textbooks, standardized lessons improved on yearly by experts in children's education everyone is left to reinvent the wheel again and again. You never know that the teacher before has taught the students and what the students real progress was for any subject. Old teachers are left teaching the same as they always had without new information or progress forward because it is all up to them. Another huge issue is non learning activities, which include directors trying to win prizes, contests, impress committees and extra school activities that keep the students and teachers busy for weeks at a time. These activities disrupt the students learning to the point they have forgotten their lessons and have lost their progress. Skip the curriculum instead develop quality standardized textbooks, standardized qualified lesson plans, kill the extra non learning activities and reduce quantity of learning hours to 5 or 6 day to allow to homework and rest. But all is loss, look at the ONET tests with math errors, questions impossible to answer and just wrong. ONET is standardized testing system made in Thailand that is full of errors and of the lowest quality, that is what you get and can not be questioned.

Are you saying ALL students automatically get GPA of 4? I give a few 4's in my class, but not that many. I give homework, but I get them to check their own solutions, or we discuss them in class. If they don't want to do the homework that's their problem, and they end up doing badly on the quiz, that is directly related to the homework. I refuse to mark/accept copied work. I gave up on that farce many moons ago. Personally, apart from having to give the regulatory 50% passing grade, I'd refuse to work for a school that fudges grades.

[culicine]

Schools and teachers give children homework for a variety of reasons and purposes. Most teachers would say the major focus for homework is reinforcing and revising concepts learnt in class time.

Leading Australian academics and psychologists say homework has little benifit for primary school children.

HOMEWORK should be banned until high school, a literacy expert says.

Flinders University lecturer in education Dr Barbara Nielsen said homework had no educational benefit for primary school-aged children.

Instead, younger children should spend their after-school hours socialising, playing and spending quality time with their parents, she said.

http://www.adelaiden...3-1225857618020

Child and adolescent psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg believes that rather than building child-family relationships positively, homework often creates an arena for argument and conflict. He says that time taken to do homework is time taken away from valuable positive family time – particularly in families where both parents work and time with children is limited.

http://www.australia...ticles/homework

Personally I agree with the above people and think it would be more benificial to primary level students if parents spent time reading to them, read with them and talk to them about issues such as the enviroment, health and what is happening outside thier borders. Include them in social/physical activities. I believe school projects are benificial in primary level as they encourage family participation.

I totally agree with these comments. Most kids here, especially boys, are not so obedient when it comes to homework. Getting my son (he's 9) to do homework is like getting blood from a stone. He's far from stupid, but is totally bored by it. Who wouldn't be, after having teachers drone on about the same stuff for 8 hours.

The problem lies with the MoE. They can do no wrong. They will panic about O-net scores being so low. So what do they do? Make the tests harder! Somehow this will magically encourage kids to work harder...hello! They just switch off and give up. It's the same as restaurants jacking up prices when they don't get customers

[gosompoi]

My school the students have eight 50 min lessons a day, which homework is required for each lesson, with about 1 hour commute to and from school. My student are exhausted. Put this with they know no grade lower than 80% will be given, if they can not achieve an 80% they just quit. Curriculum is a joke, it is guidelines nothing else, ignored at the whim of teachers and directors. What is needed less lessons a day so the children can absorb the information and quality lessons. Standardized lesson plans with quality textbooks and workbooks. A curriculum without proper tools like textbooks and lesson plans, leaves everything it up to every teacher to develop their own, by experimenting as time goes on at the expense of the children's education. Every classroom lesson at every class is a different lesson all missing something. People like to blame the teachers but for the most part they do their job well with what they are given. A curriculum is just a start without textbooks, standardized lessons improved on yearly by experts in children's education everyone is left to reinvent the wheel again and again. You never know that the teacher before has taught the students and what the students real progress was for any subject. Old teachers are left teaching the same as they always had without new information or progress forward because it is all up to them. Another huge issue is non learning activities, which include directors trying to win prizes, contests, impress committees and extra school activities that keep the students and teachers busy for weeks at a time. These activities disrupt the students learning to the point they have forgotten their lessons and have lost their progress. Skip the curriculum instead develop quality standardized textbooks, standardized qualified lesson plans, kill the extra non learning activities and reduce quantity of learning hours to 5 or 6 day to allow to homework and rest. But all is loss, look at the ONET tests with math errors, questions impossible to answer and just wrong. ONET is standardized testing system made in Thailand that is full of errors and of the lowest quality, that is what you get and can not be questioned.

Are you saying ALL students automatically get GPA of 4? I give a few 4's in my class, but not that many. I give homework, but I get them to check their own solutions, or we discuss them in class. If they don't want to do the homework that's their problem, and they end up doing badly on the quiz, that is directly related to the homework. I refuse to mark/accept copied work. I gave up on that farce many moons ago. Personally, apart from having to give the regulatory 50% passing grade, I'd refuse to work for a school that fudges grades.

Not all the students in my classes get 4's but about 5% to 10% get 4s and the rest get something less which is their real scores for a subject. Then the school administration changes anyone not getting a 4 to 3.5. So the posted grades read as 4 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 across the board. So to be clear if I score a students grade is 0 out of 4 or 0%, F or 0 score the students report card and permanent record shows 3.5 out of 4 for my grade given.

Edited February 3, 2013 by gosompoi

[gosompoi]

Schools and teachers give children homework for a variety of reasons and purposes. Most teachers would say the major focus for homework is reinforcing and revising concepts learnt in class time.

Leading Australian academics and psychologists say homework has little benifit for primary school children.

HOMEWORK should be banned until high school, a literacy expert says.

Flinders University lecturer in education Dr Barbara Nielsen said homework had no educational benefit for primary school-aged children.

Instead, younger children should spend their after-school hours socialising, playing and spending quality time with their parents, she said.

http://www.adelaiden...3-1225857618020

Child and adolescent psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg believes that rather than building child-family relationships positively, homework often creates an arena for argument and conflict. He says that time taken to do homework is time taken away from valuable positive family time – particularly in families where both parents work and time with children is limited.

http://www.australia...ticles/homework

Personally I agree with the above people and think it would be more benificial to primary level students if parents spent time reading to them, read with them and talk to them about issues such as the enviroment, health and what is happening outside thier borders. Include them in social/physical activities. I believe school projects are benificial in primary level as they encourage family participation.

I totally agree with these comments. Most kids here, especially boys, are not so obedient when it comes to homework. Getting my son (he's 9) to do homework is like getting blood from a stone. He's far from stupid, but is totally bored by it. Who wouldn't be, after having teachers drone on about the same stuff for 8 hours.

The problem lies with the MoE. They can do no wrong. They will panic about O-net scores being so low. So what do they do? Make the tests harder! Somehow this will magically encourage kids to work harder...hello! They just switch off and give up. It's the same as restaurants jacking up prices when they don't get customers

The ONET is a whole different subject like a pimple on broken infected arm of the Thai educational system.

Edited February 3, 2013 by gosompoi

[Locationthailand]

I think all the arguments have been covered. As a thought and from my own experience, my 6 year old spends 3-4 hours a week on homework and all is done on the weekend. I spend the time with her and whilst her hours consumed are okay at present - 4 subjects and about an hour on each - she only has to contend with 12 in a class which means the one on one is far more valuable than mass education. Her level of comprehension is fine and her reading skills that of someone double her age. But the cost of her's and her little sisters education is prohibitive.

I would think the size of classes and hours spent at schools could be far more effective than actual homework as I believe recreation is as much a part of education and ability to absorb rather than complete bombardment. My school days included military after school for 2 hours each week, mixed with two sports days for 3 hours and all day saturday were sports. The sports became the relief from the monotony of academia, which I certainly was not interested in. I note with many Thai kids, they simply do not have little if any physical development in legs and arms indicating unless they do track and field or Muay Thai etc., they are spending too much time in front of computers.

Technology has created a problem and there has to be a balance and 50 kids in a class is ludicrous, ditto masses of homework.

Edited February 3, 2013 by Locationthailand

[15Peter20]

My school the students have eight 50 min lessons a day, which homework is required for each lesson, with about 1 hour commute to and from school. My student are exhausted. Put this with they know no grade lower than 80% will be given, if they can not achieve an 80% they just quit. Curriculum is a joke, it is guidelines nothing else, ignored at the whim of teachers and directors. What is needed less lessons a day so the children can absorb the information and quality lessons. Standardized lesson plans with quality textbooks and workbooks. A curriculum without proper tools like textbooks and lesson plans, leaves everything it up to every teacher to develop their own, by experimenting as time goes on at the expense of the children's education. Every classroom lesson at every class is a different lesson all missing something. People like to blame the teachers but for the most part they do their job well with what they are given. A curriculum is just a start without textbooks, standardized lessons improved on yearly by experts in children's education everyone is left to reinvent the wheel again and again. You never know that the teacher before has taught the students and what the students real progress was for any subject. Old teachers are left teaching the same as they always had without new information or progress forward because it is all up to them. Another huge issue is non learning activities, which include directors trying to win prizes, contests, impress committees and extra school activities that keep the students and teachers busy for weeks at a time. These activities disrupt the students learning to the point they have forgotten their lessons and have lost their progress. Skip the curriculum instead develop quality standardized textbooks, standardized qualified lesson plans, kill the extra non learning activities and reduce quantity of learning hours to 5 or 6 day to allow to homework and rest. But all is loss, look at the ONET tests with math errors, questions impossible to answer and just wrong. ONET is standardized testing system made in Thailand that is full of errors and of the lowest quality, that is what you get and can not be questioned.

I can confirm about ONET. I've seen questions in ONET English language tests that are themselves incomprehensible to an English native speaker - full of mistakes making any serious attempt at answering them an exercise in futility. The Thai education system is an embarrassment.

[saroq]

I think all the arguments have been covered. As a thought and from my own experience, my 6 year old spends 3-4 hours a week on homework and all is done on the weekend. I spend the time with her and whilst her hours consumed are okay at present - 4 subjects and about an hour on each - she only has to contend with 12 in a class which means the one on one is far more valuable than mass education. Her level of comprehension is fine and her reading skills that of someone double her age. But the cost of her's and her little sisters education is prohibitive.

I would think the size of classes and hours spent at schools could be far more effective than actual homework as I believe recreation is as much a part of education and ability to absorb rather than complete bombardment. My school days included military after school for 2 hours each week, mixed with two sports days for 3 hours and all day saturday were sports. The sports became the relief from the monotony of academia, which I certainly was not interested in. I note with many Thai kids, they simply do not have little if any physical development in legs and arms indicating unless they do track and field or Muay Thai etc., they are spending too much time in front of computers.

Technology has created a problem and there has to be a balance and 50 kids in a class is ludicrous, ditto masses of homework.

Yes. If you turn school / education / learning into an unpleasant horrible experience you're not likely to get a positive outcome for the kids. The value of homework is over rated. One hour per subject is too much. A shorter time per subject is sufficient to reinforce what was taught in class.

[Lingba]

My school the students have eight 50 min lessons a day, which homework is required for each lesson, with about 1 hour commute to and from school. My student are exhausted. Put this with they know no grade lower than 80% will be given, if they can not achieve an 80% they just quit. Curriculum is a joke, it is guidelines nothing else, ignored at the whim of teachers and directors. What is needed less lessons a day so the children can absorb the information and quality lessons. Standardized lesson plans with quality textbooks and workbooks. A curriculum without proper tools like textbooks and lesson plans, leaves everything it up to every teacher to develop their own, by experimenting as time goes on at the expense of the children's education. Every classroom lesson at every class is a different lesson all missing something. People like to blame the teachers but for the most part they do their job well with what they are given. A curriculum is just a start without textbooks, standardized lessons improved on yearly by experts in children's education everyone is left to reinvent the wheel again and again. You never know that the teacher before has taught the students and what the students real progress was for any subject. Old teachers are left teaching the same as they always had without new information or progress forward because it is all up to them. Another huge issue is non learning activities, which include directors trying to win prizes, contests, impress committees and extra school activities that keep the students and teachers busy for weeks at a time. These activities disrupt the students learning to the point they have forgotten their lessons and have lost their progress. Skip the curriculum instead develop quality standardized textbooks, standardized qualified lesson plans, kill the extra non learning activities and reduce quantity of learning hours to 5 or 6 day to allow to homework and rest. But all is loss, look at the ONET tests with math errors, questions impossible to answer and just wrong. ONET is standardized testing system made in Thailand that is full of errors and of the lowest quality, that is what you get and can not be questioned.

Good points.....Most people fail to realize that the brain can absorb only so much learning in a day...As a teacher here, I have noticed that the "Thai" way is baed on quantity not quality...They are under this misguided illusion that students should be in school 8 hours a day, have as many subjects as possible crammed into their heads and then assign them homework that takes up who knows how many more hours...It's way too much and its the epitome of burnout...As a result, the kids lose interest quickly..they are bored and it all leads to having little or no desire to want to learn..and they take this attitude with them in later years,...and you can now see the results of this...just look around.....But of course for whatever reasons, those incharge will refuse to recognize all of this out of fear of losing face and just let the system contiunue to fail....Afterall, its not important what you know and how to constructively apply it, its how much money you have and who you can buy out...and thats all that matters....Most Thais in my opinion don't have a chance of surviving outside of their country.

[seminomadic]

Strange after a full page nobody's mentioned that most students copy their homework from friends.

The act of copying, though, is in itself a manifestation of what was said in an earlier post about kids learning to get socially as close to the feeding trough as possible.