By admin Eliminating homework is a generous idea that is already quite old, but it is struggling to gain acceptance despite the many ministerial restrictions, and despite the fact that it is known and shown that homework does not facilitate learning as it should, and increases educational inequalities. For many parents and teachers, homework remains essential because it constitutes the privileged link between school and families. Also, it would be futile to eliminate homework without thinking about this necessary link . In this respect, the learning notebook can present many advantages as a tool for weaving a new link between school and extra-curricular times .
One of the strongest expectations of families is indeed to know what is happening in class, which is often a black box for them. However, consulting the (digital) textbook and the homework to be done only gives an overview and does not necessarily specify what the learning issues are.
The learning notebook is not the same as the teaching notebook.
In primary and secondary school, it concerns all disciplines, and relates to the student’s work. The student must verbalize alone or in a group the learning carried out during the day, during school time, in class or not. It thus replaces the text notebook. This learning notebook also makes it possible to respond to the fragmentation of disciplines in secondary school. The writing work is itself an essential step in the acquisition of skills and knowledge , because it is a meta-cognition exercise for students. Also, it is necessary that this activity be prepared and accompanied by the teacher so that gradually the students act with a certain autonomy . Similarly, the level of requirement increases according to the age and progress of the students. This autonomy will develop through the students’ ability to make connections between the different learnings. This coherence must itself be facilitated by the work of the teachers.
What form can this learning notebook take? What activities and productions should be asked of students?
A daily learning journal , where the child writes in the first person, in the plural to tell what was done in class, in the singular to tell what he learned, understood or not. This journal can be opened to extracurricular and extracurricular activities and become a liaison tool within the framework of a Territorial Educational Project.
A practical activity book that includes both squared pages for writing and blank pages for drawing mind maps. These mind maps allow you to synthesize a learning sequence in order to memorize it, to understand it, by relating its structure, the links between its elements.
a summary completed at the end, or even indexes (mind maps), which allow you to put the journal in order, the progress of which is chronological.
An initial part can also be devoted to the assessment of the student, with the list of skills that are worked on during the year . This ordered list is used to define the horizon of progression expected by the student. The student completes his successes like so many trophies or small diplomas that certify the acquisition of a level of learning.
What should this learning notebook not contain?
exercises: no application exercises in mathematics, no lists of words to copy, no texts with gaps… The learning notebook is neither a rough notebook nor a notebook dedicated to a discipline
photocopies of course documents, ready-made summaries. It is a personal notebook for the student, composed by himself, even if this work requires support from adults, including teachers.
words from parents or teachers. Let’s consider this notebook as the child’s “work”. Let’s even admit its personalization.
When and how does the student complete this learning notebook?
On school time . This is the requirement and the interest of this matter, since replacing the notebook of texts (where the homework is noted), the students complete this notebook of learning which makes the link with the families. These times are diverse:
In class, the teacher sets aside time for students to complete the notebook. The lesson organization must include this phase, which is essential to learning. Guided by the teacher, students develop their autonomy in this task. They can ask the teacher to reread the text to check if they have understood correctly. The teacher can also have students work in groups. The essential work must be done in class.
Outside of class, the student has various times: attendance at college, individual work time, various support, tutoring, etc.
What does this mean for parents and teachers?
It is a new object of connection between the family and the school. It replaces the notebook.
The student is no longer required to produce written work in the evening . But he can become truly independent in organizing his work. He can improve his notebook, make an additional mind map, get ahead or catch up, take stock of his assessments… without it being compulsory school work. As a result, the form of parental support changes, becoming real support, and not educational work replacing the teacher .
The new feature for middle school teachers is to use a common student tool, which includes all the disciplines. The use of the learning notebook can lead to the harmonization of teaching practices that facilitate and stimulate learning, just as it should encourage a common programming of teaching themes during the year, when possible.
A digital version
The use of computers is relevant to collectively create a digital version accessible to all, under the responsibility of the teacher . This digital version of the learning notebook can be distributed via the Digital Work Environments which are gradually becoming the main liaison tool between school and families, or otherwise via a blog. It is not a question of offering a text in real time that prevents the individual work of the student. But to offer at the time deemed appropriate by the teacher some collective benchmarks that allow students and families to situate the students’ work with a reference constructed and validated by the teacher. Families thus benefit from a richer document covering learning and cognitive objectives. As with current text notebooks, the teacher can list digital resources to consult (those that will be consulted in the course, others in addition) to enrich the course.
Conclusion
The student’s learning notebook is used by parents and teachers to monitor the work of the student and the class. It is at the heart of the family-school relationship. The content can be used by parents to support children, simply by rereading the notebook together, by starting a discussion on the learning objects. Planning learning and themes taught over time (for example over the term) can also allow families to anticipate and support their children. Finally, this learning notebook is an effective tool for individualized monitoring of students.