SCHOOL HOMEWORKS ARE INEFFECTIVE IF TOO MUCH

Excessive homework is one of the problems that confront students. A lot of students claim they are overburdened with homework. Why do teachers give homework? Is it beneficial to students? Does it motivate them to learn and enable them to be better? Or is it a form of control that the teachers try to extend to students outside the classroom?

The educational system operates under the assumption that homework is a necessary component in the children’s education. Homework is beneficial that it is assigned at every school level. Proponents of homework argue that it is supposed to reinforce the lesson they just learned that day. Reinforcement is necessary for retention. The more a lesson is enforced, the better the student will understand the concept. Homework, therefore, is the best way to remember a certain concept.

I do not argue against the value of homework, but it should be assigned in moderation. Many students have extracurricular activities. Some get home late. Many, teachers do not seem to understand that their class is not the only subject that a student is attending. Teachers have to consider that many students have several school works and the last thing they want is to go home and do all of it. For the children, some do not enjoy playing with their playmates because they have to do their home works. How can a child learn to socialize when all he or she has to do is the academic activities that are given by the teachers? All teachers of one class should make an agreement if who will give an assignment for that day to give just enough homework for the retention of their lesson that day.

When homework is given in excess, the student begins to dislike the teacher and they as well dislike going to school. When this happens, it will be difficult to regain their excitement of going to school. Homework can also be a negative learning tool since oftentimes; parents are the ones completing the child’s homework. This is why homework should never be used as a form of assessment to student’s knowledge, but merely as a way of reviewing and reinforcing. In addition, inequities between struggling students who have no one to help them with their homework and students of families who perform better because they get help from parents or tutors need to be addressed.

In many schools, teachers have cut back on the amount of homework in the effort to consider children’s social development. It has been decided that homework should not be given on weekends, as weekends should be a time for the students to pursue their interests.

Homework should not also be a filler material or something given for the sake of giving activities. It must also be related to the lessons in class and encourage critical and abstract thinking. When giving homework, teachers should consider this question: What is the purpose of the assignment?

Likewise, homework should always be checked and reviewed so that students know their mistakes and their capabilities. Checking home works will also be a way of a teacher to appreciate every student, at the same time, students will feel that their time of doing it is not waste. What is the use of exerting effort to something, which will not be checked anyway?

To sum it up, homework as essential and beneficial as it is can also be ineffective if the purpose is not being considered. We need to be careful in giving home works, as to not get students dislike going to school. Teachers need to find ways to foster the love of learning.