Recently, the Ministry of Education issued the "Notice on Strengthening the Management of School Work in Compulsory Education", emphasizing the need to strictly control the total amount of written work, and making specific time requirements for different school stages and grades.

Schools must ensure that there are no written homework assignments in the first and second grades of elementary school, and appropriate consolidation exercises can be arranged in the school; the average time to complete written homework in other grades of primary school per day does not exceed 60 minutes; the average time to complete written homework per day in junior high school does not exceed 90 minutes.

("Beijing Daily" April 26)

　　As many teachers and parents have been accustomed to the heavier schoolwork burden for many years, many teachers and parents are a little confused about the latest announcement.

However, in the face of the widespread school-weariness of primary and middle school students and all kinds of complaints about the burden of schoolwork, it is actually necessary for everyone to reflect, is the daily homework suitable for every student?

　　We should note that the monotony of school and study life is not only reflected in the burden of schoolwork, but also in the way teachers assign various homework.

Some teachers are simple and rude in assigning homework and always use the same method to deal with all students.

A large number of repetitive tasks are for everyone, and those who have learned to continue to "practice makes perfect", and those who have not figured it out should "deepen memory".

No matter how outstanding your learning ability is, you can't write one less word. Instead, you may be encouraged to "do a few more questions."

As for those students who are struggling to study the courses, they have to "compared to good grades", "dedicate" a lot of time to homework, and finally drink a sip of "chicken soup" that "efforts will pay off".

　　However, through these "one size fits all" repetitive homework, can students' academic learning ability be significantly improved?

As far as my teaching experience is concerned, I am afraid that it will often be counterproductive and will only make students feel more annoyed.

The repeated practice of rote memorization ignores the differences in students' personalities and learning abilities, and in many cases it will only cause a waste of time.

　　Every student must have his own learning method and learning content. The heavy workload of "one size fits all" obviously does not pay enough attention to the differences between students, which is not conducive to individualized development.

When it comes to homework, the educational principle of teaching students in accordance with their aptitude is often ignored. Some primary and middle school students have strong academic learning ability, but under the misguided guidance of the above-mentioned "chicken soup" education, they are afraid of "regressing", so they are always in a state of tension, even some students So on the verge of collapse.

　　Many families and schools have fallen into the misunderstanding of "undifferentiated education" and "undifferentiated teaching" that seem to be equal but ignore differences, and excessively pursue "prosperity" while neglecting growth. This is a kind of harm to the majority of primary and middle school students.

Many students do not need too many repetitive schoolwork burdens. How can their precious time of youth and full and energetic energy be wasted in this way?

Under this circumstance, it is not surprising that some elementary and middle school students are resistant to the heavy burden of schoolwork.

　　I think that for students who can complete their homework independently at school, asking them to write homework is a repetitive and ineffective labor. It is better to let them leave their desks and do something else: go to the library, go to the cinema, go to the stadium, and talk to their partners. Have fun and exchange, and you can even visit the factory.

Walking into life and understanding the society can help them broaden their horizons, improve their physical fitness, and make them face the future with more sunshine, health and confidence.

In this way, they are more likely to discover the value of learning, and curriculum learning will be more active.

　　Some students cannot complete their homework in time at school, and it is enough to go home to make up their homework. If they are given more tasks, it will be difficult to guarantee the quality and the effect will be compromised.

For students who are difficult to complete the homework independently, what is needed is targeted guidance, not blind repetition.

　　Furthermore, some teachers assign a lot of homework to students, nominally to help them improve their learning ability, in fact, they don’t believe in their learning ability in essence, and they are always worried that the students’ knowledge has not been consolidated, the content cannot be remembered, and mastered. It is not comprehensive enough, so that students have no time to think and digest the knowledge they have learned, and they cannot learn to draw inferences from one another.

Moreover, the heavy schoolwork burden of replacing efficiency with quantity not only wastes children's "brain cells", but also wastes children's teenage time and depletes their interest in exploring the world.

Each student's personality is not given sufficient opportunities for development, so how can we talk about the cultivation of innovative spirit?

(The author is a teacher in a primary school in Henan)

　　Ma Changjun Source: China Youth Daily

　　Version 08 on April 28, 2021