Help me to do it myself

Back then, in my first year as a teacher, I taught children in a mixed-age first and second class. I endeavoured to offer my pupils as much variety as possible in the classroom, and I also took this idea to heart for their homework: I didn't want the children to get bored. And so I gave them two or three different little things to do at home - until one day the mum of Lara, a pupil, invited me for a coffee. She appreciated my commitment, the mum told me in conversation, but in her appreciative manner she also told me that her daughter loved going to school, but that there were often tears at home: Lara finds it difficult to keep the homework in her head. When she got home, the girl often no longer knew what the teacher had assigned.

Questions about questions

For me as a young teacher with little professional experience and no children of my own at the time, this mum's feedback was very helpful: in my overzealousness, I had probably overwhelmed some of the children. I simply hadn't realised that first-graders are not yet able to keep so many different things in their heads.

Sometimes homework can be a nail-biter for some parents: I hope there won't be any more tears today!

A lot has changed at school since I started my career. What has remained is the fact that homework raises questions or causes controversy in many families. Whether it's because the offspring once again claim to have nothing to do on their afternoon off and then quickly disappear - only to remember late in the evening that they still have homework to do. Or because the child rolls their eyes at the first attempt at the desk and loudly demands support from their parents, who in turn worry that independence will never work out. For some mums and dads, homework can be a real nail-biter: I hope there won't be any more tears today!

The topic also causes difficult situations for teachers, the solution to which is not immediately obvious. Fifth-grader Mina has done something else instead of her homework. She obviously didn't understand what to do. Third-grader Tim regularly forgets his homework, even though the teacher has pointed this out to his parents several times. The father of sixth-grader Noah complains because he thinks his son has too much work to do with his homework.

Answers from research

Homework has almost become a political issue and is therefore a much-discussed topic: Is it even necessary? Don't children already have enough to do with their schoolwork? Can it be abolished? Some schools have done just that - but quite a few have reintroduced homework, often under pressure from parents. Many mums and dads, it seems, value homework as a bridge to school, as an opportunity to gain an insight into their child's learning. Others, on the other hand, would prefer to use the limited time they have with their family in other ways or are simply unable to support their children with their schoolwork. They see the teacher as being responsible for school content or even consider homework to be useless.

What is homework good for? And how much should it be? New Zealand education researcher John Hattie, who led one of the largest and most important studies on learning in schools, has the answers. According to Hattie, homework ideally serves to consolidate school material and encourage independent work. His conclusion: homework is helpful for learning, but more so for older children. Overall, the researcher emphasises that age-appropriate time limits are crucial.

Curriculum 21 takes this requirement into account - it provides for significantly less homework than was customary before its introduction. This is partly due to the fact that the number of lessons in the subject areas of German, maths, media and IT has been increased, which means that children and young people spend more time at school. In addition to lessons, the credo is that pupils should have enough time to relax and pursue leisure activities.

Curriculum 21 therefore makes the following recommendations regarding the duration of homework:

How to support your child

Help me to do it myself: The maxim of the doctor and reform pedagogue Maria Montessori is recommended to you, dear parents, if you want to support your child with their homework. Encourage your child that they can already do so much - «I think you can do it» could be a magic phrase. You can do a lot to ensure that this really works.

Meet your child after school, have a snack with them and talk to them. It is always helpful if you take an interest in your child and school, as they spend a lot of time there, learning and experiencing many things. Let your child arrive home in peace and quiet, unload their worries, big and small, or simply tell you about their day. Giving your child a little snack will set them up well for doing their homework afterwards.

It is also important that your child has a quiet place to work. They should be able to concentrate on their homework and not spend their energy resisting distractions. «Work first, then pleasure» - you don't necessarily have to tell your child this. But you can act accordingly: be consistent in prioritising tasks and not just doing them in the evening when your child is tired. However, there can be exceptions. And, as I said, homework can be a bridge to school. Therefore, ask your child to explain what they have done and learnt as homework from time to time - but not every day, please.

As a rule, teachers give homework to an appropriate extent and in such a way that the child can complete it independently. If your child has questions, they may simply want to be close to you. Don't turn them away, but don't do their homework either - this is the child's responsibility. The best way to respond to questions is with a counter-question: What exactly don't you understand? Which part of the task is easy for you? Could you perhaps start the task at this point?

«Everything is difficult before it becomes easy»

Please be aware that teachers are aware that they have limited time resources and that not all parents can support their children as much as they need to. This makes it all the more important that most schools now offer free homework supervision.

And if things are increasingly not going smoothly, talk to the teacher. Teachers often don't know about the difficulties with homework. Your feedback can be helpful. In addition, always recognise what your child has already learned and remember that learning can be really exhausting. I once read in large letters on a schoolroom door: «Everything is difficult before it becomes easy.» That's true! What's more, mums and dads do a lot. The fact that not everything goes perfectly every day is part of life.