I've also written about what attitude should mean, while Alfie Kohn addresses the issue of homework and attitude in his book The Homework Myth:
Homework's emotional effects are obvious, but its adverse impact on intellectual curiosity is no less real. Kids' negative reactions may generalize to school itself and even the very idea of learnning. This is a consideration of overriding importance for all of us who want our children not only to know things but to continue wanting to know things. "The most important attitude that can be formed is that of desire to go on learning," said John Dewey. (Then again, perhaps "formed" isn't the most appropriate verb. As the educator Deborah Meier reminds us, a passion for learning "isn't something you have to inspire [kids to have]; it's something you have to keep from extinguishing.")
Anyone who cares about this passion will want to be sure that all decisions about what and how kids are taught, every school-related activity and policy, is informed by the question, "How will this affect children's interest in learning, their desire to keep reading and thinking and exploring?"
If we are to walk the talk of life-long learning, we must care how kids feel about thier learning. If ever there was a consensus among people, it could be found among kids and their hatred for homework.
So if we truly care about students' attitudes towards learning, and we are doing something that is sabatoging that attitude to go on learning, then we have a professional obligation to stop.
If you want to talk about authentic accountability, then we have to start asking the kids if they like school. Then we have to care about their answer. And then we have to stop blaming them and reflecting on our own practices.
A good place to start is to stop assigning homework.
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