Home Learning

In 2018, a research project was conducted which focused on Home Learning. We were curious about the effect that home learning was having on the school community – our children, our parents and our teachers. As part of this action research, in August last year a survey was conducted which was made available to all of the stakeholders. The results of this survey clearly indicated that although there were still some valid aspects of home learning, such as reading and skill consolidation through programs such as Mathletics, the overwhelming response was that home learning caused unnecessary stress in many households.

In light of these results, we continued to research the place of home learning in a primary school setting and discovered that home learning provided little to no positive impact on overall student achievement. One of the education professionals who was consulted through this research was Alfie Kohn, an author who writes specifically about behaviour, education and parenting. The following clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npZ4dkt4e4U will provide you with an insight into why home learning was considered for this action research project.

At the beginning of Term 2 2019, Holy Family will trial ‘Optional Home Learning’. Our school website will consist of a range of educational links that can be accessed by parents and students. These will be updated and some tasks may be tailored within these sites to cater for the different needs of our students within each grade level. Reading is considered an essential skill and will therefore form the compulsory element of home learning. Your child’s teacher will indicate how they would like daily reading recorded.

While home learning will not be formally marked, teachers will set aside time for students to share and celebrate their home learning with their class on a weekly basis.

We are hopeful that this change to home learning at Holy Family Primary School will suit the needs of our students, parents and teachers.