Reviewing Cathy Vatterott’s “Rethinking Homework” | Ecology of Education

August 5, 2009 | 42 Comments

Reviewing Cathy Vatterott’s “Rethinking Homework”

We teachers don’t really like homework.  It’s not really that fun to plan.  Its not really that interesting to grade.  And, despite what many students may believe, it’s not really that pleasurable getting them to turn it in.

So why do we give it, day after day after day, year after year? Why do we weave it into the very fabric of how students are graded and judged? And why do we give so damn much of it?  Are we sadists? Do we hate students, parents, and ourselves?  Or is it our way of retaliating from the abuse we’ve received at the condemned end of the “Everything-That-Is-Wrong-With-Public-Education” finger-pointing firing squad?

rethinking-homeworkAll fair questions. But in Cathy Vatterott’s eminently readable new book, Rethinking Homework (ASCD, 2009), we find that there are no clear or simple answers to these or many other (much more compelling) questions. However, that does not stop her from exploring and explaining the myriad issues surrounding homework “cult(ure)” and offering compelling reasons and accessible strategies for upgrading to Homework 2.0.

The book is split into 5 main chapters that essentially cover history, dynamics, research, practices, and strategies.  The effect is that the reader gains knowledge of homework’s history as well as the philosophical underpinnings that maintain the traditional paradigm and frame the current debate.  However, Ms. Vatterott was not given the moniker The Homework Lady because she knows the history of homework.

Her suggested methods for thinking about, planning, and giving homework have relevance for a wide audience that includes teachers, administrators, professors, and parties interested in reforming education for the sake of all students.  Because while this is a methods book for practitioners, it is, at its heart, a book about equality in education. She aims no lower than reforming (or rethinking) homework for the sake of all students.

The Cult(ure) of Homework

Citing numerous research articles, Ms. Vatterott begins by taking the reader on a historical tour of homework, highlighting the attitudes and catalysts surrounding the practice.  While the journey feels like a swing, with public attitude making regular arcs between two main camps (Pro-homework vs. Pro-No-homework), she handles the ride with a steady and engaging hand.

In seeking to lay “bare the culture of homework,” she offers “5 largely unexamined beliefs about children and learning”.

  1. Belief #1: The role of the school is to extend learning beyond the classroom.
  2. Belief #2: Intellectual activity is intrinsically more valuable than nonintellectual activity.
  3. Belief #3: Homework teaches responsibility.
  4. Belief #4: Lots of homework is a sign of a rigorous curriculum.
  5. Belief #5: Good teachers give homework; good students do their homework.

It is from these flawed beliefs that she goes on to frame the culture of homework as a dogma.  “Homework culture is a complex mix of moralistic views, puritanism, and behaviorism.” (p. 13) Her examination of these three components leads to a brief exploration of the “forces driving the current pro-homework/anti-homework debate.” (p. 16).

  1. No Child Left Behind
  2. Media and Technology
  3. The New Mass Hysteria.
  4. The Balance Movement

These histories, beliefs, and forces combine to form the foundation from which Ms. Vatterott frames the execution of her central goal: “to create a new paradigm for homework that focuses on academic success for all students.” (p. 96)

Homework in the Context of the New Family

The second chapter effectively unpacks the shifting dynamics of the “standard” family structure and the role new parenting styles play in disrupting the traditional relationships between schools and families.  It is a fascinating chapter that highlights a range of  factors affecting the interactions between teachers, schools, and parents. “A diversity in family values makes it even more likely that those values will clash with the values of individual teachers.” (p. 27)

This makes perfect sense and only becomes more complex as Ms. Vatterott exposes the layers and layers of diversity operating in today’s demographics of parenthood.  Depending on who you are and what your values are, the problem with homework might be any number of things.  By aiming to fix any one of the problems, we only create or exacerbate issues elsewhere. We begin to see that homework is in great need of a comprehensive overhaul.

Some of the diversities that influence perspective on homework include:

  • Parenting styles
  • Beliefs about the place of academic work in life
  • Parent involvement in homework
  • Economic realities
  • Power structures at home

While any one of these topics could create enough fodder for a Malcolm Gladwell book, the brief exposure to them has the cumulative effect of making the homework dilemma seem downright impossible to solve.  I imagine that that is precisely the emotion Ms. Vatterott is aiming for in her readers at this point in the text, because the remaining structure of her book seeks to offer knowledge and strategies for implementing a new paradigm.

She begins the rebuilding process with 7 steps for “Renegotiating the Parent-School Relationship” (p. 46):

  1. Get real.
  2. Resist the temptation to judge.
  3. Revise expectation of parental support.
  4. Suggest (do not mandate) guidelines for the parent’s role in homework.
  5. Establish formal methods of parent-teacher communication.
  6. Set parents’ minds at ease about homework.
  7. Endorse a set of inalienable homework rights.

Though it is not expounding on in this book, these step have value far beyond homework. There is a renegotiation going on right now between the public and our education system.  However, the idea of resisting “the temptation to judge” does not seem to be one of the core strategies being utilized in reform efforts by any party.

Homework Research and Common Sense

While much of the chapter explores a range of research topics related to homework (as the title suggests), she spends equal time dissecting the methods, problems, and biases of research in this field.  In many ways it feels like Ms. Vatterott is tilling the soil by unearthing assumptions and preparing minds for the planting of new seeds.

It is an effective approach, as it readies the reader for her final two chapters in which she lays out strategies for providing homework that works for all students.

To begin with, she offers 4 general findings related to homework research:

  1. The amount of time spent doing homework is positively correlated with achievement.
  2. Homework appears to be more effective for older students than younger students.
  3. As more variables are controlled for, the correlation between homework and achievement diminishes.
  4. At each grade level, there appears to be an optimum amount of homework.

After spending the middle portion of the chapter highlighting the limitations of the research, she provides “Ten Things Teachers Know About Learning”:

  1. Quality Teaching Matters
  2. Skills Require Practice
  3. Time on Task Matters
  4. Task Is as Important as Time
  5. Learning Is Individual
  6. Children Differ in Readiness and Developmental Level
  7. Children Differ in Learning Style
  8. Children Differ in motivation, Persistence, and Organizational Skills
  9. Frustration Is Detrimental to Motivation and Desire to Learn
  10. Homework That Is Not Completed Doesn’t Help Learning

This section is a curious addition to me.  I wonder who it is intended for.  The teachers who know this? The teachers who don’t? The parents who question what teachers know? Or is it included to remind all readers of the building blocks that form the foundation for constructing knowledge and creating homework routines that cultivate understanding?

Practices and Strategies

The second half of the book focuses entirely on developing homework practices and strategies that work.  “The ENTIRE second half?!” you ask?  Yes.  No one said it would be easy and simple to create a new paradigm for homework. In fact, as with creating any lesson or unit, Ms. Vatterott makes it clear that giving homework should be a very intentional act built on sound pedagogical practices, clear objectives, and nuanced approaches.

It is here that Ms. Vatterott distinguishes herself from the rest of the pack in the Great Homework Debate.

As a pragmatist she understands that homework, love it or hate it, is, and will be, a part of our educational landscape for a long time to come (though I suspect she aligns herself closer to the no-homework camp than with the pro-homework camp).  Utilizing skills she’s developed as a teacher, principal, and professor, Ms. Vatterott showcases her skill at facilitating professional development, with grounded practices balancing theory with the reality of application.

Her strategies for helping teachers create and assign homework are firmly rooted in practicality, backed by clearly stated rationale and research, and held together by her keystone commitment to helping all students experience success.  This commitment drives her to create myriad materials to enable any teacher of any age create a game plan that works for them.

It is in these chapters that the value of the book as a resource for teachers, administrators, and professors training pre-service teachers  is undeniable.

Conclusion

Cathy Vatterott has crafted a timely and useful guide for understanding and transcending the recurring debate related to traditional homework.  She makes clear that if we truly aim to utilize homework as an integral curricular component that enhances instruction and learning, we must be ever vigilant to examine what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and how we can do it better.

Additionally, I think it is a necessary, though dangerous, book for parents.  After reading many parents may find that Ms. Vatterott’s recommendations have not been assimilated into their child’s classroom and this could be frustrating.  Such frustration may well lead to conflict before understanding.  However, if that frustration can lead toward increased collaboration with schools or to more informed conversations with policymakers, it may serve to hasten meaningful reform in education.

For now, it is a worthwhile read for teachers and principals seeking to elevate homework from a blindly accepted practice to a tool that contributes to cultivating lifelong learners.  For preservice teachers, it is a text that will help him/her question norms they see in action, and to daydream of practices more aligned with equality and excellence for all.

Image: Ignacioleo

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42 Responses to “Reviewing Cathy Vatterott’s “Rethinking Homework””

  1. Reply
    leesawatego
    August 5, 2009 at 4:59 am #

    Great post. I'm going to order this book now.

  2. Reply
    Matt T.
    August 5, 2009 at 5:03 am #

    Great review, Jason. You've inspired me to read it! Is Vattterott's book an ASCD select or premium book? Or is it published by ASCD and not included in the membership? Thanks in advance!

  3. Reply
    Mark Oehlert
    August 5, 2009 at 11:24 am #

    RT @JasonFlom: "Rethinking Homework", a review of Cathy Vatterott’s new book on Eco of Ed http://bit.ly/SDaRN #ASCD #edreform

  4. Reply
    JosieHolford
    August 5, 2009 at 12:15 pm #

    Great review of Cathy Vatterot’s "Rethinking Homework" at http://tinyurl.com/mfo7er

  5. Reply
    ASCD
    August 5, 2009 at 1:23 pm #

    Thanks, Jason! RT @jasonflom "Rethinking Homework", a review of Cathy Vatterott’s new book on Eco of Ed http://bit.ly/SDaRN #ASCD #edreform

  6. Reply
    JackieGerstein Ed.D.
    August 5, 2009 at 1:27 pm #

    Nice review! @jasonflom "Rethinking Homework", a review of Cathy Vatterott’s new book on Eco of Ed http://bit.ly/SDaRN #ASCD #edreform

  7. Reply
    Family Homework Answers
    August 5, 2009 at 12:44 pm #

    WOW! Great review. I cannot wait to read this book, even if I don't necessarily agree that homework will be around forever.

  8. Reply
    Larry Ferlazzo
    August 5, 2009 at 2:53 pm #

    RT @prestwickhouse: RT @csratliff @JasonFlom: "Rethinking Homework",review of Cathy Vatterott’s new book on Eco of Ed http://bit.ly/2oLj9H

  9. Reply
    jasonflom
    August 6, 2009 at 7:04 am #

    Hey Matt,
    Rethinking homework is a ASCD Premium, Select, and Institutional Plus Member book. The website says this:
    (Note: A copy of this book will be mailed automatically to all Premium, Select, and Institutional Plus Members whose accounts are in good standing as of June 15th, when mailing lists are compiled.)

    I hope that helps.

    Jason

  10. Reply
    jasonflom
    August 6, 2009 at 7:05 am #

    I hope you're right. (As do my students!)

  11. Reply
    LP
    August 6, 2009 at 3:03 pm #

    Hi everyone. I just ordered this book. Even though I am a member of ASCD, it was cheaper to purchase it on Amazon. Happy reading.

  12. Reply
    ASCD
    August 6, 2009 at 4:38 pm #

    #homework What’s “Rethinking Homework” book about? Read @jasonflom’s review at http://bit.ly/SDaRN

  13. Reply
    Jason Flom
    August 7, 2009 at 1:03 am #

    RT @ASCD: #homework What’s “Rethinking Homework” book about? Read @jasonflom’s review at http://bit.ly/SDaRN

  14. Reply
    Jason Flom
    August 7, 2009 at 1:03 am #

    RT @ASCD: #homework What’s “Rethinking Homework” book about? Read @jasonflom’s review at http://bit.ly/SDaRN

  15. Reply
    Liz Ditz
    August 7, 2009 at 1:14 am #

    RT @JasonFlom: RT @ASCD: #homework What’s “Rethinking Homework” book about? Read @jasonflom’s review at http://bit.ly/SDaRN #teaching

  16. Reply
    Liz Ditz
    August 7, 2009 at 1:14 am #

    RT @JasonFlom: RT @ASCD: #homework What’s “Rethinking Homework” book about? Read @jasonflom’s review at http://bit.ly/SDaRN #teaching

  17. Reply
    Matt T.
    August 28, 2009 at 6:35 pm #

    Excellent. I have a copy of the book on the way now, too.

  18. Reply
    Liz Dorland=Chimera
    September 27, 2009 at 8:26 pm #

    “Homework culture is a complex mix of moralistic views, puritanism, and behaviorism.” Review of "Rethinking Homework": http://ow.ly/riQ2

  19. Reply
    Liz Dorland=Chimera
    September 27, 2009 at 8:26 pm #

    “Homework culture is a complex mix of moralistic views, puritanism, and behaviorism.” Review of "Rethinking Homework": http://ow.ly/riQ2

  20. Reply
    Katherine Mancuso
    September 27, 2009 at 8:33 pm #

    RT @LDinSTL_Chimera “Homework culture is complex mix of moralistic views, puritanism, & behaviorism.” -Rethinking Homework http://ow.ly/riQ2

  21. Reply
    Katherine Mancuso
    September 27, 2009 at 8:33 pm #

    RT @LDinSTL_Chimera “Homework culture is complex mix of moralistic views, puritanism, & behaviorism.” -Rethinking Homework http://ow.ly/riQ2

  22. Reply
    Gina Minks
    September 27, 2009 at 8:55 pm #

    RT @LDinSTL_Chimera: “HW culture is a mix of moralistic views, puritanism & behaviorism.” Review of "Rethinking Homework": http://ow.ly/riQ2

  23. Reply
    Gina Minks
    September 27, 2009 at 8:55 pm #

    RT @LDinSTL_Chimera: “HW culture is a mix of moralistic views, puritanism & behaviorism.” Review of "Rethinking Homework": http://ow.ly/riQ2

  24. Reply
    rivenhomewood
    September 28, 2009 at 1:50 am #

    RT @LDinSTL_Chimera “Homework culture is a complex mix of moralistic views, puritanism, and behaviorism.” http://ow.ly/riQ2

  25. Reply
    rivenhomewood
    September 28, 2009 at 1:50 am #

    RT @LDinSTL_Chimera “Homework culture is a complex mix of moralistic views, puritanism, and behaviorism.” http://ow.ly/riQ2

  26. Reply
    Mary Sullivan
    November 18, 2009 at 8:41 am #

    Wow, this looks promising. Thanks for the review! Vatterott's approach sounds like a balanced one, based on critical thinking, which I love. Too often it's one extreme or the other on this hot-button subject.

  27. Reply
    Mary Sullivan
    November 18, 2009 at 4:41 pm #

    Wow, this looks promising. Thanks for the review! Vatterott's approach sounds like a balanced one, based on critical thinking, which I love. Too often it's one extreme or the other on this hot-button subject.

  28. Reply
    Jason Flom
    December 11, 2009 at 6:14 pm #

    @riverheadbooks How do we sign up for review copies? (Example of my book review style: http://bit.ly/SDaRN)

  29. Reply
    Jason Flom
    December 11, 2009 at 6:14 pm #

    @riverheadbooks How do we sign up for review copies? (Example of my book review style: http://bit.ly/SDaRN)

  30. Reply
    Jason Flom
    January 20, 2010 at 4:49 pm #

    @Bvoight66 Cathy Vatterott offers some compelling ideas. Here is a review of her ASCD book "Rethinking Homework" http://bit.ly/SDaRN

  31. Reply
    Jason Flom
    January 20, 2010 at 4:49 pm #

    @Bvoight66 Cathy Vatterott offers some compelling ideas. Here is a review of her ASCD book "Rethinking Homework" http://bit.ly/SDaRN

  32. Reply
    Jason Flom
    March 6, 2010 at 6:53 pm #

    @stevejmoore Here's my review of Cathy Vatterott's book, Rethinking Homework http://bit.ly/SDaRN #ascd10

  33. Reply
    Jason Flom
    March 6, 2010 at 6:53 pm #

    @stevejmoore Here's my review of Cathy Vatterott's book, Rethinking Homework http://bit.ly/SDaRN #ascd10

  34. Reply
    Steve J. Moore
    July 24, 2010 at 2:54 pm #

    [reading] Reviewing "Rethinking Homework" by Cathy Vatterott by @jasomflom on Ecology of Ed http://bit.ly/cvysA5

  35. Reply
    RRC87
    February 12, 2011 at 1:36 am #

    I’m a Secondary Social Studies Education Major who just got done reading this book for an assignment in an education class (ironic I know). This is by far the worst book I ever read. The author never make a point or has an opinion that is backed up. She cites many sources but none of them are in places where she makes a point, they are all in the background information. Instead of using academic studies to make her points, the author relies on creating her own hypothetical situations where the schools are the worst imaginable and every parent is a saint who is doing the best they can, but homework is the evil school’s way of trespassing on their time and tell them how to raise their child.

  36. Reply
    kdwashburn
    November 16, 2012 at 7:22 pm #

    RT @JasonFlom: My review of Cathy Vatterott's "Rethinking Homework" book via @ASCD http://t.co/4XkI3x7o #LB33

  37. Reply
    kdwashburn
    November 16, 2012 at 7:22 pm #

    RT @JasonFlom: My review of Cathy Vatterott's "Rethinking Homework" book via @ASCD http://t.co/4XkI3x7o #LB33

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

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