Looking back on my public school education, I recall traipsing home from school with elation. Finally, I was free from sitting, thinking, and working! Then, my mother would inquire about homework and my evening would go up in proverbial flames. Today, homework continues to be a topic of heated debate. Some believe that homework reinforces what students learn at school while others protest that the amount of work drags students down. So, what action are schools and teachers taking for or against homework? Before everyone rushes off to condemn homework altogether, they should realize the many benefits provided when students take work home. Many times, repetition has been proven as “the law of learning.” When students do work outside of school, it helps reinforce what they learn inside school. According to Wendy J. Ponte, a freelance writer with three school-aged children, there are “no studies to back up the claim” that repetition improves academic performance. While some repetition might be helpful, Ponte points out that “When kids come home with 100 multiplication problems to solve, it becomes simple drudgery.” Can a love of learning be fostered in children who are overcome with hordes of homework? Teaching responsibility and proper time management is another valid argument for homework. After all, the ability to budget one’s time plays an essential role in higher education and throughout life. Yet, who is truly doing the time budgeting? Especially in elementary school,
Homework allows parents to become involved in their child’s education, and communicate more with their children regarding school (Plato). It is the link which allows parents to know what their child is learning at school. Homework is also a great method for reinforcing concepts learned in class. Sharon Stallings, principal of Signal High School in NJ says that “Homework is important because it’s an opportunity for students to review materials that are covered in the classroom. You need to practice in order to become proficient” (Akman). There is only so much time that teachers have in the classroom. Homework offers more practice that can’t be completed in class time so students can master the subject content. This practice at home is essential, because American students already spend much less time studying academic content when compared to students of other countries. A study by the National Education Commission on Time and Learning found that “students abroad are required to work on demanding subject matter at least twice as long as US students” (Marzano & Pickering, 2007). With that said, the fact that students in countries like Japan, Germany, and France outperform students in the US is not that surprising. Proponents of homework believe homework is one of the ways we can raise the quality and standard of American
Imagine having a full time job where you did not get paid, could not quit, and have at least a few hours of paperwork to complete each night. This is what students go through everyday with homework. Homework is assignments sent home from school for students of all ages to finish by a certain due date, for a grade. In the past decade, controversies over the amount of work kids and teens are given has lead many to study the benefits of homework to see if the work teachers assign is actually helping students academically and improving test scores. It has grown to an extreme amount, prevents kids and teens from getting the things they need in life, gets in the way of a good childhood, damages relationships, and has not proven to actually aid
“Homework is arguably the worst punishment inflicted upon the student body.” One would think this extreme statement would come from the 10-year boys and girls who complain to their parents about the homework they have to complete. However, Rodney Jones starts of his argument against homework using this statement. He argues that homework does not help children taking up all their time. Continuing, he explains how parents should extend child’s knowledge out of school instead of homework and in the end these assignments do not help students grade. However, in contrast of Jones’ beliefs homework indeed benefits children’s learning through the small amounts of extra practice it gives to help the students excel.
To start off, I strongly believe that the school district shouldn't continue assigning homework to us students, and here's why. In source 2, 'List of 10 Big Pros and Cons of Homework", it states that homework is stressing to those who are young because it's a lot to take in, after being tired of learning multiple lessons in one day. This could lead to kids being less motivated about school and possibly become down about themselves.
Homework is a very vital aspect of our education system that has been used for centuries. Homework is, “work or study done in preparation for a certain event or situation” (Webster). There is no better way to teach a student discipline, studiousness and diligence than through assigning homework. Homework was first assigned by an Italian schoolteacher by the name of Roberto Nevilis in the year 1095. Formal education was making its first appearance in the world at this time and it was essential to the well being of the students to learn and study the curriculum being taught. In modern day formal education, homework is used by teachers all across the
In The Battle 0ver Homework, Harris Cooper defines homework as, “tasks assigned to students by school teachers that are intended to be carried out during non-school hours” (27) Common homework assignments might include reading, writing, problems to solve, a school project, or other skills to be practiced. The purpose of homework is to assist in reinforcing what was taught in class. Sometimes the purpose is to gather extra information beyond what was taught that day. There are many teachers who don’t understand the meaning of homework and just give it as something to keep students busy. Homework should be given to students on a regular basis but only in reasonable amounts.
The debate that is currently happening throughout America is whether children should or should not be forced to have homework, a standard part of education that has been in existence since at least early 1900’s. Homework began generations ago, and “has generally been viewed as a positive practice and accepted without question as part of the student routine;” however, “over the years, homework in U.S. schools has evolved from the once simple tasks of memorizing math facts or writing spelling words to complex projects” (Vatterott). Not only recently but even at the end of the 19th century was homework getting in the way of family life. Children normally always have house roles that they are expected to complete and around the 19th century “many families could not afford to have their children continue schooling, given the requisite two to three hours of homework each night” (Vatterott). Not just in current situations, but also the 19th and 20th centuries, the children play as helpers and workers in the
Throughout their school years,children say that they hate homework and that it’s pointless. Others will say, that this is definitely not the case. Students who actually spend time doing homework will better understand and execute class work more efficiently. Source C had mentioned that children who do not achieve much do more homework because they’re struggling. But, that struggling never goes away. Instead, children still struggle, but at this point, they don’t believe that homework is important. Source D had actually shown that high schoolers had higher grades when they spent more time doing work. They take the time to study and learn how to work through problems on their own, which helps them when taking tests. Multiple sources have stated
Homework has been at the front of school reform since the early 1900’s. Debates over the benefits of homework include “immediate impact on the retention and understanding of the material it covers” (Cooper, 1989, p.86) and downsides of homework include “satiation, denial of access to leisure time and community activities; parental interference; cheating; and increased differences between high and low achievers” (Cooper, 2006, p.7) have led to a see-saw of support and objection regarding homework. There is support from several studies (Maltese, Tai, Fan, 2012; Cooper, Robinson, Patall, 2006; Falkenberg & Barbetta, 2013) that cite homework as a source of increasing students’ achievement level. None of the
In many American households, homework is the main cause of stress. Some people think that America is not so well and adding more homework will fix that problem. A study by Indiana University found that students who do more homework tend to get higher scores on standardized tests” (“Do Kids Need Homework?”). “Plus, part of growing up is learning to balance outside activities and the demands of schoolwork” (“Should Parents Help Kids With Homework?). Teachers have their reasons as well. “Teachers say homework is important in the learning process and can help kids develop study and organizational skills. They say kids need to practice what they've learned in school so that the material sticks in their brain” (Strauss). “Having too much homework
It is a well known fact that students of various ages and schools are assigned homework, although the motive for giving said homework may vary depending on the teacher. However, the debate about whether homework is helping or hindering education is at a stalemate. Stated simply, homework is work assigned by teachers that students should complete at home or any other non-school setting. Just how effective is homework in the long run? Is it just adding unnecessary stress to students without truly adding enough positivity to make the homework worth it? Although homework can seem burdensome, it undoubtedly solidifies concepts learned in class and aids in the development of timeless skills such as time management and accountability.
In summation, homework provides students with the capacity to allow them to succeed on their day to day lives when it is not on excess. There is, of course, some questioning on whether homework directly helps student have a better academic performance. However, it is clear that homework guides children to the necessary developmental growth needed to succeed. Additionally, it contributes to a healthier parent-teacher and student-parent relationships in order to provide students with the necessary atmosphere to grow full
The lack of parent support plus a confusing homework assignment may lead to a discouraged student. As someone who hopes to teach in an inner city school system, I believe it is very crucial to understand the students’ background and adjust the classroom accordingly. I am interested in learning if the benefits of having assigned homework outweigh the negatives. This research can help determine student success in my classroom. I want all my students to be successful and would feel discouraged if homework was the reason student grades began to slip. I am curious if classroom work alone is enough to keep grades and understanding of material
“Why has it been accepted as gospel for so long that homework is necessary? The answer, I think, lies not in the perceive virtues of homework but rather in the clear deficiencies of what happens in the classroom. Homework becomes necessary because not enough learning happens during the school day... The broadcast, one-pace-fits-all lecture... turns out to be a highly inefficient way to teach and learn.”
While the primary reason for assigning homework is to aid and reinforce instruction, there is growing evidence that the practice of homework can have additional benefits including managing distraction, self-efficacy, and perceived responsibility for learning (Bembenutty, 2009). While these self-regulation tasks, such as time management, setting goals, effort and persistence in completing difficult tasks, and self-monitoring one's performance, are important to academic success, they are also vitally important life skills, especially for successful professional writers, athletes, artists, and scientists. (Ramdass and Zimmerman, 2011). Other benefits include long-term academic benefits such as better study skills, as well as nonacademic benefits such as greater self -direction and more independent problem-solving. In addition, parents tend to have a great appreciation of and involvement in