Close X
Sunday, November 24, 2024
ADVT 
National

Less work, more play: Quebec elementary school bans homework for the year

Benjamin Shingler, Canadian Press, 02 Sep, 2014 11:29 AM
    MONTREAL - Students at a Quebec elementary school may be some of the happiest in the country as they prepare for another year in the classroom.
     
    College de Saint-Ambroise, a school of 339 students in the province's Saguenay region, has introduced a near-complete ban on homework.
     
    Every class from Grade 1 to 6 will take part in the one-year pilot project.
     
    Marie-Eve Desrosiers, a spokeswoman with the Jonquiere School Board, said the goal is to ease pressure on parents and even improve student performance.
     
    She explained that teachers will still be allowed to assign studying and reading work, but there won't be, for example, "four pages of math problems."
     
    "It's based on research that homework time is becoming more and more difficult," Desrosiers said in an interview.
     
    "Often children are away at daycare from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at night, and a lot of families are finding it increasingly difficult, and so we've decided to try this out at a school."
     
    College de Saint-Ambroise won't be the first school to try such an experiment.
     
    An elementary school in Barrie, Ont. tried something similar in 2008 and found that student grades went up as a result.
     
    In Europe, French President Francois Hollande floated the idea of a countrywide ban in 2012, while schools in Germany have also done away with homework.
     
    Etta Kralovec, a professor at the University of Arizona and the author of The End of Homework, said elementary school students are often so busy with homework they don't have enough time to pursue extra-curricular activities, or simply play.
     
    "The research is very clear that there's no benefit at the elementary school level," Kralovec said.
     
    "At the middle school and high school level, it's more complicated."
     
    Some Canadian parents appear skeptical of the benefits as well.
     
    A 2008 University of Toronto study, which surveyed families in Ontario and the rest of Canada, found that many parents were "unsure about the positive effect of homework on achievement."
     
    At the Jonquiere School Board, Desrosiers said the decision to ban homework has been greeted positively by parents, though some are concerned they won't be as involved in their child's learning process.
     
    Desrosiers said that's not the case.
     
    "There will also be an exercise book so that parents can still keep track of what the students are doing," she said.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Culture Shock For Some Aboriginals Who Join The Canadian Armed Forces

    OTTAWA - The move from small and isolated communities to larger urban centres can be quite jarring for aboriginals who join the Canadian Armed Forces, says a newly released document.

    Culture Shock For Some Aboriginals Who Join The Canadian Armed Forces

    Canadian laboratory team evacuated from Ebola zone back in Canada

    Canadian laboratory team evacuated from Ebola zone back in Canada
    TORONTO - Three Canadian scientists evacuated from Sierra Leone over Ebola concerns are back in Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada said Friday night.

    Canadian laboratory team evacuated from Ebola zone back in Canada

    Man convicted in shooting deaths of four Alberta Mounties in 2005 arrested

    Man convicted in shooting deaths of four Alberta Mounties in 2005 arrested
    WHITECOURT, Alta. - One of two men convicted in the shooting deaths of four Alberta Mounties in 2005 has been arrested and charged with a drug crime.

    Man convicted in shooting deaths of four Alberta Mounties in 2005 arrested

    Quebec: Patient In Isolation Gatineau Hospital Is Being Tested For Ebola

    Quebec: Patient In Isolation Gatineau Hospital Is Being Tested For Ebola
    GATINEAU, Que. - A girl has been put in isolation at a hospital in Gatineau, Que., as a precautionary measure and is being tested for Ebola after coming down with a fever following a recent trip to West Africa.

    Quebec: Patient In Isolation Gatineau Hospital Is Being Tested For Ebola

    Toronto: Operating Room Black Box Could Provide Valuable Feedback For Surgeons

    Toronto: Operating Room Black Box Could Provide Valuable Feedback For Surgeons
    TORONTO - A Toronto surgeon who is working to adapt black box aviation technology to track surgeries and improve patient outcomes says preliminary results are promising.

    Toronto: Operating Room Black Box Could Provide Valuable Feedback For Surgeons

    No Winning Ticket Sold For Friday's $50-million Lotto Max Jackpot

    No Winning Ticket Sold For Friday's $50-million Lotto Max Jackpot
    TORONTO - No one has the winning ticket for the $50-million jackpot in Friday night’s Lotto Max draw.

    No Winning Ticket Sold For Friday's $50-million Lotto Max Jackpot