Interview with RTÉ on the Topic of Homework
Liam Nolan, RTÉ’s Eastern Europe reporter, based in Warsaw, contacted Mathscify Founder, Dr Lorraine Harbison to share insights as an Irish expert from her study dealing with the effectiveness of homework for young children in Ireland, published in the Irish Teachers Journal, available here. This was in response to the Polish government’s decision to get rid of compulsory homework for primary school children.
For context, primary school in Poland covers the ages of 7 to 15. A new rule on homework came into force which will mean that teachers will be unable to issue homework to 7 to 9-year-olds. For ages 10 to 15, homework will now be optional. The current government has said it thinks children will benefit from having more free time and there was a debate in Poland over the effectiveness of homework for young children.
Dr Harbison concluded that it is not the giving of homework per se that is of value but that the type of homework that is administered is more important. Neither should homework be used as a reward or punishment.
The article was published for RTÉ News online available here.