Homework Myth Why Our Kids Get Too Much Of A Bad Thing

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 the idea of extending the school day, by assigning students work to be done at home. There are many different opinions of homework and its effectiveness, overall homework has been proven to have a positive effect on student achievement. John Hattie explores a study done by Cooper in 1989. “Cooper’s results suggest that more task-oriented homework had higher effects than did deep learning and problem solving homework… Homework involving high level conceptual thinking and project based was the least effective (Hattie 235)”. Assigning students’ homework that requires teacher support can have a negative effect on student achievement. Cooper “found that a lot of homework and a lack of monitoring seem to indicate an

The purpose for assigning homework in my classroom is to reinforce material learned in class, for further practice, and to develop self-management skills. Homework also serves a purpose in connecting the classroom to the student’s parents. Homework will allow students to share with their parents what they are learning in class and allow the parents to be involved.

As a kid you were given homework, usually everyday.This was to help you understand the material better or in many cases prepare you for the future.In reality homework adds more stress to the students and the amount that is given should be minimised.

In 2008 the MetLife American Teacher series polled students, teachers, and parents on their feelings and thoughts about homework and the results were as follows; one-third of parents rated the quality of homework given as fair or poor, one-quarter of students say that they as if their homework is busywork and unrelated to what they were learning in class (MetLife). But, one of the leading reasons that people support homework in elementary levels is because they believe it can kick-start healthy and even necessary habits. These habits include; time-management, study skills, independent working, etc. It is unrealistic to expect students to gain important life skills from poorly created and unrealistic homework.

The term “homework” has several different connotations and definitions associated with its meaning. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, homework is “work done at home, eps. as distinguished from work done in a factory” or “schoolwork assigned to a pupil to be done outside lesson time (typically at home).” Homework is commonly associated with those enrolled in both public and private institutions, primarily elementary school, middle school, high school and college. The history of homework in the United States began in the twentieth century where the “mind was viewed as a muscle that could be strengthened through exercise” (Cooper). Then in the 1940s,

Homework has dated back to the beginning of the American education system, and so has the debate of whether students should do homework or not. Over the years, there have been many different arguments as to why homework should or should not be assigned. Most of those arguments have almost always resulted in two main arguments, it takes too much time or it is a necessary supplement. Opinions on this subject has changed drastically over the years. This can be seen in the argument from Issues and Controversies, “The crusade against homework was so effective that, in 1901, California banned homework for students under the age of 15, though the state allowed a limited amount of homework in high school.” This was later repealed and during the Cold War era, homework was important to better understand our country and what it stood for as a way to combat communism in the US.

Homework can be an important factor in helping students achieves and in helping them develop effective work habits. Other researchers state that homework helps students develop responsibility and life skills and the ability to manage tasks and that it provides experiential learning, increased motivation, opportunities to learn to cope with difficulties and distractions, and academic benefits (Corno and Xu 2004; Coutts 2004; Xu and Corno 1998). Responsibility and accountability are essential in everyone’s life. I believe that students need to have the responsibility of completing homework outside of class time.

“Some experts think that the homework problem is deeply woven into the very fabric of our system of educating children” (Ponte), a system that does not foster a love of learning, but turns learning into a competition between students. In modern education, this is a result of a massive push towards better test grades and higher standardized test scores. In an effort to relieve some of the pressures this creates at school, educators extend the school day by assigning homework. It is a common belief among educators that homework helps create a student with a disciplined mind that can learn easier (Marzano and Pickering). However, according to Alfie Kohn, “In an attempt to create more learning by doing homework, students may actually be learning less than they are capable of” (qtd. in Ponte). The assignment of homework in education is not beneficial since it does not increase scores, not all kids have adequate support, and students need time to learn outside of academics.

Homework is learning assignments practiced or completed outside of school hours. The majority of schools in the United States homework is assigned to students as work to be completed at home, outside of the classroom, and returned to the teacher for credit.

Homework has historically been given to students to reinforce what they learn at school, and ultimately to help them learn the material better. However, too much homework is not helpful, and can be counterproductive. Excessive amounts of time spent on completing homework can take away from a student 's social life, family time, and limits participation in sports or other activities. The amount of homework a teacher can give to a student should be restricted, and only assigned due to necessity.

Kids spend a large majority of their week in the classroom. The time they get to spend with their family is very short because of the long days in school. Homework only further cuts into this important bonding time for families.

Homework is defined as “tasks assigned to students by school teachers that are intended to be carried out during nonschool hours” (Voorhees). Throughout the United States’ history, people’s opinions have varied on the topic of homework. Historically, variation in the opinions of homework have shifted over time due to educational trends and world events. Today, the topic of homework continues to cause debate among various organizations and schools of thought. Although homework has demonstrated positive effects on students, homework should not be given to students because it is not assigned appropriately, stressful for everyone, and does not benefit all students.

Harris Cooper defines homework as “any task assigned by schoolteachers intended for students to carry out during non-school hours” (Cooper, Robinson, & Patall, 2006). Xu & Yuan found that students,

Homework is work that a student is given to complete at home. It can be research, reading, writing or typing. According to Vatterott (2009), homework is extremely rare to be questioned as it is a long-standing education tradition. The culture of homework has began generations ago. Initially, homework started with simple tasks. For example, simple memorization, writing, reading and arithmetic. These simple tasks are accepted as positive practice and it can discipline the mind too. Teachers assign their students with homework is because they have the thought of