By Claire Demerse
It’s been about three years now since Mike Harris’s government developed a tough new curriculum for Ontario students.
That means it’s probably still too early to tell if the new learning guidelines are doing what they’re supposed to, which is to correct Ontario’s poor performance on national tests.
But some results are already in: the new system means more homework and more stress for students.
Unfortunately, that’s not what they need.
Sure, students should work hard and learn discipline at school.
But if they get too much homework, all they really pick up is a distaste for learning. Instead of going to bed feeling smart after a few minutes of review, kids who bring home hours of work can get tired, intimidated and resentful. Some feel like failures because they can’t keep up.
The media have reported an increase in homework all over Ontario since the new curriculum hit. The use of private tutors is also on the rise.
The new rules definitely mean more homework here in Ottawa, according to Dave Wildman, president of the Ottawa-Carleton elementary teachers’ union. He says young students don’t benefit from the change.
“It’s not good for learning. When kids have been in school all day long, they should be involved in other activities when they get home,” says Wildman. “A few minutes to establish a routine is all I’d like to see.”
According to Wildman, that’s not possible anymore because the new curriculum packs in so much so fast.
Of course, schools have to teach math, science, English, history and so on. But they should also help students be curious and enjoy learning. Kids who like their classes and have fun at school will do fine, whether or not they’re spending all their spare time studying. But hand out enough homework and anyone will stop liking school.
A recent Globe and Mail article says elementary school students are doing more homework all over North America, and one Canadian study found a 30-per-cent increase in homework for students in the past three years.
Luckily, some local schools are bucking the trend. St. Anthony elementary school on Booth Street tries to give no more than 10 minutes of homework per grade per night, so that a Grade 3 student shouldn’t do more than 30 minutes. School newsletters encourage parents to give their kids plenty of time away from their books.
That’s the way it should be. It’s increasingly acceptable for adults to cut back on work hours so they can spend more time with their families. Students can’t choose their workload, so it’s up to the adults — teachers, government, and parents — to make sure it’s manageable.
Unfortunately, they seem to be doing the opposite.
Even worse, there’s no evidence that stress helps students perform better. In a 1999 Health Canada study, one in four Canadian high school students reported feeling “a lot of pressure” to excel at school. Among Scandinavian and German teens, the number was closer to one in 10.
The study found that “there’s little evidence that the amount of school-related pressure felt by students contributes to higher achievement on international tests.”
But it was poor test scores that got Ontario students the new curriculum in the first place.
And now those students — not to mention the parents and teachers who help them — are working a lot harder. Let’s hope it’s not all wasted effort.