ABOLISHING HOMEWORK

Taranaki Daily News, 6 May 1930, Page 7

ABOLISHING HOMEWORK

.■EXPERIMENT OVER THREE YEARS “HAPPIEST- RESULTS ACHIEVED.” “Compulsory home lessons have been abandoned for tho past three years with* the happiest results,” stated the report of the Fitzroy School Committee presented at the annual meeting last night.' "The school has in no way decreased in efficiency; it has improved.” As’the subject had been discussed by several school committees in various parts of the Dominion, the report continued, the result of the three years' experiment at Fitzroy might be of interest. When the experiment the children wore tbld that the imposition of home lessons depended entirely on themselves. If they concentrated on their work during school hours there would be no 'home lessons, but if they were inattentive and lax they would again have home work. Their well maintained progress since showed, their appreciation of the position. The staff, freed from the monotonous work of correcting home lessons, were able to devote the time saved to a thorough organisation of the following day’s work. The benefit to the health of the children was so obvious that it needed no comment. The children were free to take part in home activities during the evening such as music, thus cementing home ties. To sum up, the result achieved <at the Fitzroy school with the experiment was striking testimony to the good organisation, the high efficiency of the staff, and the attention given to their work by the children during school hours. Referring later to the homework problem the headmaster, Mr. G. A. Lyall, said that no written work was required, though preparation of such subjects as spelling was required. The great argument in favour of written homework was the increase in home life.