Homework – A Montessori viewpoint
Montessori fosters lifelong learning through hands-on exploration, responsibility, and intrinsic motivation—without needing homework. Many of us grew up with some form of homework, so it can feel strange when our Montessori children come home without it. We may wonder what our children are missing by not having homework.
Perhaps some worries have crossed your mind: Don’t my children need additional practice to help improve their retention? Doesn’t homework help reinforce concepts learned in school? Doesn’t homework serve as a tool for teaching responsibility, self-discipline, and time management?
Let’s examine these questions to explore what happens in Montessori classrooms and whether homework meets children’s developmental needs.
Do our children need additional practice to help improve their retention?
Unlike our youngest children, who love endless repetition (read that favorite book one more time!), children crave variety once they reach the elementary years. Thus, the key is to provide a wealth of various kinds of opportunities for practice. For example, in Montessori classrooms, we have SO MANY ways for students to practice their multiplication facts: the large bead frame, bead bars, bead chains, multiplication board, checkerboard, the bank game, and more.
We find that children love to practice and challenge themselves. So, should we assign practice for them to take home? Author and researcher Alfie Kohn spent years reviewing the available research and interviewing parents, teachers, and students. He summarizes his findings by stating, “Homework is all pain and no gain.” In fact, in studying the research, Kohn found that having and doing homework during the elementary years does not improve learning. In high school, there is a slight correlation between homework and test scores, although there is no clarity about whether doing homework leads to higher test scores.
Requiring children to continue practicing at home can backfire when they are engaged and loving their varied practice at school. For example, when children are made to do academic work at home, they are less likely to engage in similar learning activities at school. However, when children are excited about their learning and initiate continuing at home, we encourage and celebrate this extension of their work!
Does homework help reinforce concepts learned in school?
Our hope is for children to see themselves as life-long learners. One way we support this is to avoid the dichotomy of home versus school. Learning doesn’t stop or start at the classroom door. Perhaps at school, a child is suddenly passionate about sea turtles. We explore how this learning can extend into the community: visiting a local aquarium for a real-life encounter, finding sea turtle books from the local library, watching a sea turtle documentary, etc. Some of this could happen through going-out trips from school and just as easily could also be something the child’s family embraces to support the learning experience.
Home learning is meaningful and relevant rather than preassigned homework each night. Just as an adult might be motivated or excited about a project at work and want to continue some of the process at home at night or over the weekend, we want our students to realize that their learning has no bounds of time or space. This could work in the other direction, too. Maybe a child asks a question at home one night about how stars are formed, which leads to a deep dive at school into types of stars, galaxies, and even chemistry.
This understanding that learning happens throughout all aspects of life is a hallmark of Montessori education. We emphasize deep, hands-on engagement with varied learning materials. Our curriculum is designed to support an explosion of imagination and curiosity. Children can ask questions, explore, and work through big concepts at their own pace.
Does homework serve as a tool for teaching responsibility, self-discipline, and time management?
Montessori education is grounded in a deep respect for young people. Our unique approach cultivates responsibility, self-discipline, and time management skills. Montessori classrooms provide children with the freedom to choose their work but within a structured environment and framework. This freedom is tied with responsibility and teaches students to make well-informed choices about how they spend their time and what tasks they prioritize. Through one-on-one conferencing and daily adjustments, classroom teachers provide guidance and reflection that empowers students to think about their learning process, including what parts could use more attention.
Instead of relying on external rewards or punishments, Montessori emphasizes intrinsic motivation. Students engage in activities because they are interested and find satisfaction in completing them, which nurtures self-discipline. Plus, children work at their own pace without direct competition. This allows them to focus deeply on their tasks, developing concentration and persistence, which are core aspects of self-discipline.
Ultimately, there is work to be done and sometimes even deadlines to meet. As we experience in the adult world, if we have procrastinated, lost focus, or just had to tend to other things, the work doesn’t go away, and sometimes we have to bring it home to ensure we get it done. The same applies to Montessori students. Sometimes, they must bring some work home to meet a deadline or work through a challenge that needs more attention.
Guides may also work with older students to create individual learning plans so that they can more consciously plan their days or weeks to meet their goals. We scaffold this skill so that our young people can learn to incorporate goal setting, planning, and time management into their lives.
We support students by integrating choice, autonomy, and responsibility into their daily routines. The result? Montessori students feel empowered, take ownership of their learning, and have the gift of devoting afternoons and evenings to rest, family bonding, and exploring personal interests.