Summer homework: yes or no?

SabadellAfter San Juan, the journey through the desert begins: more than two and a half months without school. One of the questions that arises in many families is: is it necessary for our children to take tutoring classes or homework during this long summer period? Coordinator of the Mediation Research Group of the Official College of Pedagogy of Catalonia (COPEC) and pedagogical director of the L'Oreig de Pallejà school (Baix Llobregat), Joan Gamero, is cautious and, at the same time, categorical: "DIt depends on each child's reality, but the habit of perseverance and persistence cannot be abandoned no matter how many vacations we have."

Are they recommended for all students or is it better for them to rest?

"Going to school isn't a job like working in an office or a company," the expert emphasizes. The problem with having more than two months of vacation, he adds, is that the habit of consistency is lost. In this sense, he asserts that in terms of pedagogy, there should be a month-long break during which children should be completely free. If they attend a summer camp, the social aspect is already covered: "It's as educational as school," he asserts. However, regarding the academic aspect, decisions should be made based on results: "There are students who have truly made a great effort and want a reward, and some need ongoing monitoring."

What kind of review?

Regarding languages, it would be good for everyone to continue reading during the summer months: "We shouldn't look for many magic solutions; simply accompanying reading. A little bit each day would be very good." And, regarding mathematics, Gamero prioritizes reasoning activities adapted to the student's level, and also suggests that if multiplication tables have been left pending in second grade, they should take advantage of the summer to work on them: "This can also be done as a game in which the family participates." In any case, it's important that children don't see it as a punishment, and it's also necessary for parents to be there: "If we leave them alone to do activities, we run the risk of them starting to do them without thinking, in any way, just as if to say, 'I'm done.' And then this doesn't make sense because it's not beneficial."

And are the famous summer notebooks worth it?

They can be a good tool, but with nuances: "I would be more in favor," Gamero points out, "for the very young, in preschool or in the first cycle of primary school, since they are notebooks with lots of color, drawings, and games, so they have a consistent daily activity, for half an hour, ten minutes, and it's not necessary during the holidays: for two weeks, before starting, everything comes back again." As for older children, he clarifies, each school has its own autonomy and is its own world, and perhaps there are topics that come up in the notebook that haven't been covered at the center or have been covered differently.

Is it better for them to work at home or outside?

Summer reinforcement isn't for everyone. "There are kids who have worked really hard and gotten very good grades, and you see that you need to give them a break. There are others who, if they want to succeed academically, a posteriori, they must be consistent and continuous in addressing the shortcomings that they have not overcome during the course," he explains. as It also depends: if the child understands their parents, go ahead: "It creates a stronger bond," the educator emphasizes, but warns that it's important that adults don't do the work for them. "If they don't understand the activities, it's better to seek professional help, but tailored, not a summer camp: "That's not their role." Revision should never be done during the entire summer break, but only at the beginning or end, with a break between courses, and it should always be by mutual agreement and with sincerity: "They know exactly where they are. Let's not hide anything."

What role does the tutor play?

There are two sides to the coin: "We often focus only on the knowledge and subject matter, and forget the other side, the social aspect," the educator laments. Throughout the course, beyond the final report, the tutor will inform the family of the child's progress on both sides and will offer personalized advice: "Within the same classroom, depending on the student's level, I can tell one group of students to do a certain book; another group, another, and other students, another. Then, math becomes even more personalized." To decide what a child should do in the summer, it is a good idea to listen to the teacher who has been with them: "LObligation is saying: "Look: we're at this point. Next year we'll start at this point, and to get there, maybe it would be good if I did this, this, this, and this." That's what educating is."