As disagreeable as homework seems to be, we are always out looking for a balance between its benefits and demerits. In the process of establishing this critical equilibrium, many questions constantly pop up.
Despite this, mainly revolving around the right amount of homework a student should get each day, we tend to believe that this discussion needs to be refocused and concentrated on its quality.
Does it boost learning?
Homework has repeatedly demonstrated to boost learning in general. Think of it as an exercise to jog your mind. With regular practice, it is evident that homework assignments not only reinforces learning experience but also facilitates concept retention. This also fosters basic reasoning among kids enabling them to be excellent problem solvers in the future. Moreover, these assignments open a window that allows parents to monitor their children’s academic progress closely. Apart from its ability to boost academic excellence, homework assignments create the unique opportunity to nurture development of critical life skills as well as the perfect avenue for continuous practice.
Is it a challenge for teachers?
Out of class assignments are always meant to be useful but they sadly end up causing more harm. Particularly when implemented wrongly. Just like students, teachers too face a fair share of challenges when preparing these assignments. I know you are shocked to hear that teachers don’t enjoy the homework concept. It just sounds ironic, right? Well consider this, when educators issue students with simple assignments to tackle at home, it prompts disdain and quickly sums up as a waste of time whereas more challenging ones frustrates them more. Given the rising student – teacher ratio in our institutions, teachers rarely give one-on-one attention as well as feedback leading to the reinforcement of wrong insights.
Too much or too little?
I know of parents who are constantly worried that their kids are getting either less homework or too much homework. To be honest, there are no existing rules and regulations for homework assignments. This means that there are no specific standards for homework quality assurance. Even though this is the actual case on the ground, we strongly believe that homework needs to be intentional and deliberate. This way, teachers will be motivated to provide timely feedback and kids will work on assignments that add value to their lives.
What about child play?
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” is a very old adage that still insists on the importance of child play. In a world driven by innovation after the other, our focus now is on how best we can use the available time. No wonder our children are said to be getting too much homework these days. While there is no specific guideline to govern the homework issue, researchers advise that we should consider including unstructured child plays during their free time at home. This has proven to increase children’s engagement while learning.
In summary, homework is greatly beneficial but it is evident that we strike a balance to avoid things going out of hand. While at it, teachers need to pay special attention to its quality.
