Podcast: Building Better Homework

Educators have long gone to battle over homework. Mostly, their debate revolves around the amount of homework schools assign to kids and whether or not they gain anything from completing it. But what if we could actually boost the effectiveness of homework without making it any longer, harder or more tedious for kids?

Author and journalist Annie Murphy Paul has been researching homework for a forthcoming book on the science of learning. Paul found evidence from cognitive development research that by tweaking something as simple as the order in which a set of questions is asked, kids can better absorb the work they’re assigned to take home each night without changing the length or rigor of the assignment.

This type of thinking intrigues us at Early Ed Watch, where we spend a lot of time thinking about how science can better inform instruction and education policy. In this podcast, I spoke with Paul about her research on the science of learning, and what takeaways she has found for the parents and teachers of young children.

Early Ed Watch podcast – October 3, 2011

Podcast: Building Better Homework

With our guest, Annie Murphy Paul, author of “Origins: How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of our Lives”.