During the 2024 winter vacation, Taihe No. 3 Primary School (Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China) completely canceled the traditional writing assignment and replaced it with a personalized and customized "winter vacation life enjoyment guide" for students.

According to the principal, the school's reform of homework during this winter break aims to help children not have to do homework, truly enjoy the winter break and achieve better development.

Instead, the school offers three aspects of "winter vacation life enjoyment guide" for students to choose from.

First, adhere to health maintenance, do exercises that are beneficial to physical and mental health, and create a good physical foundation for the next semester. In addition to running, playing football, and climbing, you can also try more difficult and experience-rich sports, such as skiing.

Second, travel thousands of miles, read about China and the world, and broaden your horizons and minds. The school encourages students to “cherish the wonders of nature, feel the pulse of thousands of years of history, cherish the greatness of ordinary working people, care about people and things around them, care about society, and love life.”

Third, read books, meditate, enjoy the artistic feasts from cinema, television, and drama, enrich your spiritual world, and cultivate your abilities and aesthetic taste.

At the end of the Spring Festival, students will share their experiences and reflections on their winter vacation with their teachers and classmates. They can write a narrative, share a photo album, or draw a picture. News of students not having to do their Spring Festival homework has sparked widespread discussion on Chinese social media with the hashtag #PrimarySchoolsShouldShrinkWinterBreakHomework.

Soon after, a poll conducted by Sanlian Life Weekly on social media Weibo showed that, out of 9,564 responses, nearly 72% (6,883 netizens) voted in favor of canceling homework during winter vacation while the rest believed it was unnecessary.

Decades of experience help keep learning outcomes from declining

During the discussion on homework reform during winter break, some teachers of Thai Hoa No. 3 School commented: “ Can the school change from 'no homework' to 'less homework'? ”.

"Teachers don't need to worry about not assigning writing assignments during the three-week winter break. Students' academic performance will not decline," said the principal.

In fact, the school has made certain efforts and accumulated experience in the past 10 years. In 2009, Thai Hoa Primary School No. 3 reformed the curriculum, reducing one Chinese class and one Math class per week for each grade, and allocating time for special courses.

Accordingly, the school conducts field classes at museums, historical and cultural relics in Hangzhou City.

Practice has proven that these courses help students gain confidence, stimulate interest, enthusiasm and improve learning efficiency.

The principal said that not assigning homework is not because the school or teachers are irresponsible, but because they hope that through hard work and effort, children can lay a solid foundation for the future and develop more sustainably.

During the upcoming winter and summer holidays, schools will continue to reform homework and find out what types of homework are more beneficial to children's development.

On January 23, 2024, a representative of the Shangcheng District Education Bureau said that Taihe School has implemented initiatives to improve students' comprehensive abilities. Because the winter vacation is short and includes the Spring Festival, this gives students more time to experience traditional festivals.

Previously, the District Education Department also issued a directive, requiring schools to reduce the burden on students by assigning little or no homework so that they can have a full winter break.

(Source: Vietnamnet)