Research has shown that some schools are eradicating giving of homework to students on the basis that there has been no solid proof that it is improving student’s performance or perhaps, the type of assignment applied has been ineffective. They have also researched the factors that drive academic success.
While some schools are scrapping homework, others have chosen to stick with it. They claim that although homework may not improve student’s performance, there are other advantages that they are not willing to put at stake, such as parents having an idea of what their kids learn in school.
Although the above viewpoint has a valid argument, the latter has a strong backing as well. Practice makes perfect. One of the significant purposes of homework is to lay emphasis on and help students recall what they learn in class; hence, mastery of the subject. For any learning in life, practice is essential. Psychologists have discovered methods that improve students’ learning experience, one of which is related to homework.
But, this has failed mostly because most teachers have little or no training on the real reasons why homework is necessary. Some teachers who assign homework effectively may not meet the performance standards.
Those who disprove of homework have based their opposition on the ineffectiveness of homework from grades 7 to 12, but this is not so in most elementary schools. Other factors contribute to the efficiency of homework; how wealthy students’ parents are influences performance.
Students who come from affluent homes have access to adequate resources, to foster learning, while those from average and poor homes tend to perform poorly in their homework. Schools should provide reading space and other essential facilities for disadvantaged students.
Also, research has shown that most students from wealthy homes do not see homework as a burden. In contrast, many from poor homes consider homework to be stressful, which has a ripple effect on their performance when they eventually get to college.
Children need to start learning the basics of education early to lay a strong foundation for future complex work. Kids indeed require a lot of time to play after school, but a brief and precise assignment would help to make homework efficiently productive.
Teachers should take into account the endpoint of every homework and ensure the homework they give to students is clear cut to achieve that aim, which is for the students to acquire the knowledge of the topic given. When this is applied, the effectiveness of homework is guaranteed.
In conclusion, homework does not make a kid smarter by default. It’s the content and method of the assignment given that matters. However, even if students learnt a lot in class, they might also need help on homework if there is too much of it.