7th Graders' Homework Habits Do Parents Help

¶ … 7th graders' homework habits Do parents help with homework? Homework trends have varied widely throughout the years. When analyzing current trends on who helps with the student's homework, one finds some surprising answers. The following information was taken from recent polls conducted by the Angus Reid Group concerning trends and attitudes in K-12 education.

Although it was agreed all around that parents are the ones to help most often, followed by friends, teachers, and brothers and sisters, a survey of 12-year-olds found that mothers are involved with their children's homework nearly twice as often as the fathers. Researchers speculate that this could be due to some mothers being home after school while their children are younger, but returning to work as their children get older.

The difference in time between mothers and fathers and the homework help they give their 7th grades, disappears as the children reach high school (Dateline, 1999). How do 7th graders organize their homework? What tools are used to complete homework? The computer, but not necessarily the Internet, is now by far the most important homework tool used. Fifty-six percent of the students polled said it was the most important tool they used, followed by the calculator at a distant 28%. Way behind that were the dictionary and the encyclopedia at 7% each.

Seventh graders most often organize their homework in homework planners. Many schools who have adopted the middle-school concept are now purchasing them for their students. Other ways that students organize are with homework organizers bought in stores, and other manufactured organizers (Dateline, 1999). Students most often do math on the computer, which is quite surprising. Despite plentiful information on art and history, those are the subjects that students are least likely to use the computer for. One of students' favorite online tools for math online is the online calculator.

For common factors, students can enter two integers, then click the button. Students are then given a list of common integer factors of the two numbers! (Russell, 2000). What is the amount of homework given? More than 50% of seventh-graders who responded to the survey, said that they feel swamped with homework. Parents too responded that too much homework is a factor in their child's studies. Additionally, parents reported that it adds stress to their life as well as their child's (Dateline, 1999).

The type of homework that is assigned at the seventh-grade level The type of homework that seventh-graders are assigned encourages the student to perform critical thinking skills and bridge the gap between pure recall, to analysis. If one wishes to be sure that the information one receives is accurate, one has to be able to judge the quality of information. While students are using the computer more often to complete assignments, it is critical that students are able to perform these higher-level thinking tasks.

This is especially true in the areas of English and history (Holder, 2001). For instance, statements found in tabloid newspapers are frequently exaggerations, misleading remarks, and rumor (unverified gossip) -- this is some of the poorest quality of information, bordering on outright lies. The "popular press" includes books, magazines, newspapers, CD-ROMs, radio and tv shows written for non-specialist audiences. The quality of information found in the popular press ranges from almost as bad as tabloids to very accurate and reliable.

Working professionals in all fields have publications for their fields, written, edited, and often peer-reviewed by experts (e.g., scientists, engineers, doctors, lawyers, etc.). Students are asked to become familiar with various types of writing, and to judge what is credible and accurate and what is not. They are then asked to determine what type of source is needed for a particular task. In situations that require a student to perform newly acquired skills, it is nearly always acceptable for parents to assist with homework (Holder, 2001).

At the seventh-grade level, students are also introduced to writing that is more scientific and/or professional in nature. Additionally, students must learn to discriminate between accurate and non-accurate information on the Internet. Internet publications (including books and CD-ROMS that mirror.