Homework is the lessons given by teachers to their students in educational institutions that make them go through the study topic once again and lets them solve problems related to them. Homework is a wonderful way to consolidate material learned in class and it can also be used to prepare for tests.
However, some may find homework boring which may make them think homework is worthless! If you also have the same thinking, then knowing the reasons why homework is bad will help you clear your doubt.
For you, here are numbers of reasons why students should not have homework. Let’s have a look.
Contents
Is homework beneficial or harmful:
The word homework dates back to ancient Rome where state scholars’ used to ask their followers to practice their speeches at home. Memorisation was the sort of homework that was in effect back then.
This trend continued through the middle ages and nowadays we can see homework as long essays, assignments, complicated maths problems, and corresponding kinds of stuff.
By the way, below are some points that show both the beneficial and harmful sides of homework.
Good aspects
Homework improves student achievement
Homework is a sort of practice for the lessons taught in class. This way students are able to judge themselves and their abilities in any particular subject or topic.
As homework is deemed as a sort of practice, they are able to go through the lessons once again which in turn helps them to do well on tests. Improved grades, commendable scores, and the tendency to attend school are some of the benefits that come with homework.
Homework helps to strengthen the learning process while developing skills and habits
Homework and assignments help students learn the materials taught in class. Students require practice to understand new concepts and homework is the solution to it.
Homework helps students develop skills like accountability, discipline, time management, critical thinking, and independent problem-solving. It is also a way for teachers to ensure that their students are studying at home.
Homework connects parents with their children’s learning
Due to the assignments and homework given to students, the parents are capable of learning, connecting, and knowing what their offspring are learning in school. Sometimes, parents might also help them to complete their work. So homework connects the parents and the schools as well.
Down Sides:
Excessive homework is harmful
Homework can be depressing and students can get stressed out due to the excessive amount of schoolwork given to them. A poll in the state of California showed that 71% of the students feel that they feel overburdened with the amount of homework given to them.
Pulling off all-nighters and the desperation to finish the given work only proves harmful for young students.
Homework highlights and increases the digital imbalance
Nowadays due to the rapid digitalization of the world, schoolwork has become computer-based and a huge part of it relies on the use of IT.
Research for assignments is an example of it. But this simple thing gets complicated and tough for underprivileged students who don’t have access to the internet or any sort of device.
This increases the division among the students which can affect them emotionally.
Homework hardly helps students
A study showed that students below grade 5 roughly get an identical score with homework as opposed to those without homework. In fact, the students who did worse were the students who did their homework daily.
Teachers that don’t give any homework boost the morale of the class, uplift their moods, and students develop a liking for that teacher and that subject. Thus they perform better.
20 Reasons Why Homework Is Bad
- Homework can be a challenge
Tough and complicated topics and problems are often asked to solve as homework.
- Homework shouldn’t be considered for assessing grades
Schools often consider homework for grading in the term exams. This poses extra pressure for the students who have to complete the given work and it’s also an unnecessary job for the teachers who have to grade them.
- Excessive homework can cause breakdowns
Heap loads of homework can demotivate a student to a great extent. When they see the amount of homework given to them, they may struggle to meet the deadline and the complications faced in between can have them breaking down.
- Source of stress
Homework can be stressful. Putting hours of research just to complete a 10/20 page long essay is unnecessary and unproductive.
- Homework leads to procrastination
When given homework, students might keep the work for a later time presumably until the eleventh hour.
- Eat into the amount of rest kids get at night
Homework can be really lengthy and students often have to pull an all-nighter to complete the task given to them. This impacts the health of the students negatively who are not getting 8 hours of rest every night.
- Too much homework encourages cheating
A lot of homework can lead to students copying directly from their classmates or from the web so that they can meet the deadline.
- Affect creativity and productivity
The topics given as homework and assignments hardly require any creative talent as they are just a copy of the lessons taught in class.
- Interfere with family and recreation time
Due to the excessive workload and the pressure to meet the deadline, students find less and less time to spend with their family and friends.
- Consumes too much time
It’s no secret that homework can consume a lot of time due to the amount of studying and research required.
- Burnout
The workload and the constant use of the brain can leave students mentally tired and they get burnt out.
- Full-time job for students
Students sometimes have to take their homework with them on vacations which impedes their enjoyment and recreation.
- Homework teaches nothing, in reality,
Homework is nothing but pending classwork which with a little more time could have been finished in the class, thus teaching nothing new.
- Impedes the time for rest
Pulling off all-nighters to meet the deadline for homework leaves less and less time for students to relax.
- Teachers escape from their responsibilities by giving homework
Teachers are often unable to complete the lessons in the classroom and thus hand them over to the students to complete at their homes.
- Students hate school
Due to excessive homework, students might start hating schools.
Read More: Why Do Students Hate School: 7 Reasons That You Must Know As A Parent!
- Homework until a certain age is meaningless
Giving homework to children and elementary schoolers is meaningless as it impedes their mental growth.
- Homework can be a time waste
Homework can hamper the students by consuming their valuable time that they could have used in other productive and philanthropic activities.
- Homework is not mandatory
Instead of homework, teachers can assign extracurricular activities for extra credit.
- Grading Homeworks
It’s clear that homework serves no clear benefit and as students learn little to nothing, grading them is meaningless.
Verdict:
Homework is a way of ensuring that students are studying at home. But at the same time, studies have to be made fun and entertaining, or else students will lose interest to attend classes. Homework should be practical so that it can help them in the future.
With that being said, children shouldn’t be assigned homework as it might impede their mental and physical growth. Assigning homework is fine, but it should be kept in mind that homework should only be for learning purposes only.
