When this topic arises, we may harbor mixed feelings: as teachers we
do know that doing homework is beneficial: as parents, we may not want to add
another item to our kids’ or our own long daily to-do list.
There is not a single answer to this
question. Children, teenagers and adults all have different routines and
different schedules as we well know.
Let’s start by children: nowadays
children stay long hours at school and most of them take part in different
extracurricular activities.
Besides, we all know that when arriving home
from school , children do need a break. On the other hand, research shows that
it is best to create study habits since childhood. Most children do homework
before dinner, after dinner or before going to bed.
When parents arrive home, probably the
last thing they want to know about is the loads of work their children have pending
for the next day. However, they want their children to be considered compliers
and responsible students. So, some of them actually do the homework for them.
This is not good at all. At any rate, what parents should do is supervise, lead,
advise, but not carry out the assignments themselves. When exam time comes,
this kind of parents is more stressed than ever, since they feel as if it were
their own exam time! And the real students don’t get any benefit from the
homework done!
What about adults? Most
probably they have a fulltime job. If they take daily courses, it is
unrealistic to expect them to do homework; if they take classes twice or three
times a week, things do not look much brighter. They prefer to come to class
some minutes earlier to take a quick look at what was done the previous class
or to catch up if they were absent.
Now, let’s analyze some reasons why it
is convenient that homework
SHOULD be done:
SHOULD be done:
1. It allows teachers and students to
stay tuned with the topics viewed in class.
2. It can bring the family together
since support is given when needed not only by parents but also by siblings or
other members of the family. There will always be a helping hand when needed.
3. Practice makes
perfect. The more we practice, the more we learn
and master.
4. It helps learners develop and assume
responsibilities. It also helps them to work on their punctuality by handing on
assignments on time.
5. It is an excellent way to perceive
how our kids learn and what the teaching style is.
Let’s take a look at some reasons why
homework SHOULD NOT be assigned:
1. We all need time to relax and to
refresh mind
2. It restricts the family time both
parents and children can spend together.
3. It can be a
source of strain for the members of the family.
4. It can end up in
cheating as a shortcut to finish all the assignments
on due time.
on due time.
5. Teachers may be
too busy to grade homework promptly, so
feedback may be delayed and the work turn useless.
feedback may be delayed and the work turn useless.
Nowadays there is a
strong controversy about this topic. You may have seen letters on the social
media asking parents to get more involved in their children’s education as well
as parents demanding teachers not to add more stress to their lives. For the
time being it all depends on the school, institute or university our children
or we ourselves are attending.
And now your turn:
Is doing homework necessary to
learn?
Are we overloading children with assignments?
How much homework do you assign
to your students?
References:
Retrieved from:
Biodata
Zarela Cruz graduated
from Ricardo Palma University as a translator. She also finished
her master’s studies in Linguistics and took some
specialization diplomas in the Teaching of English and Spanish. She has also
completed some online certificates: Teaching the Working
Adult, Online, Hybrid and Blended Education, among other self-study
courses. She has taught different courses, programs and levels and has
been a teacher trainer, a lecturer and online instructor for more than 25
years. She is currently studying a master’s degree in Translation.
This article aims to reflect on the convenience of doing homework to optimize
the student’s learning process.
