Will MEN withdraw the revolutionary change? Nowacka reacts. "It has practically no significance"
The Polish Ministry of Education has abolished mandatory homework in primary schools, arguing that it is unreliable due to possible external assistance from parents or technology.
The Polish Ministry of Education recently announced the abolition of mandatory homework assignments in primary schools, reasoning that evaluating tasks completed without teacher supervision is unreliable. Officials pointed out that students could receive assistance from parents or utilize technology, such as artificial intelligence, which could skew the authenticity of independent learning assessments. This significant change has sparked discussions regarding the effectiveness of traditional homework in the modern educational environment.
Barbara Nowacka, the head of the Ministry of Education, addressed concerns in a podcast titled "School Anew," noting that traditional homework assignments no longer hold substantive educational value. She emphasized that teachers have alternatives at their disposal to gauge student learning, including more frequent quizzes. This has raised questions about whether the replacement of homework with regular quizzes is a beneficial method for consolidating knowledge, despite some resistance from students.
Critics of the new policy claim that in certain schools, quizzes are being administered almost daily, potentially leading to student fatigue. Nevertheless, Nowacka defended this approach, asserting that it reinforces learning much more effectively than the previous practice of students copying homework from peers or solving tasks without adequate understanding. This ongoing debate highlights a broader reevaluation of educational practices as schools adapt to the demands and realities of contemporary learning environments.