Homework – Like It or Not

The basic purpose of assigning homework to students is the same as schooling in general. Homework is assigned in order to increase the knowledge and improve the abilities and skills of the students. Homework should be designed to reinforce what students have already learned, prepare them for upcoming lessons and improving learning skills.

Teachers have traditionally assigned homework as a way to expand their instructional time, but if it is not matched to the student’s ability and the teacher does not have the time to give the proper feedback, then the opportunity to provide effective homework activities are significantly limited. Homework should also provide the opportunity for parents to participate in their children’s education. This can create a major aspect for role modeling as well as positive reinforcement. Students with a positive attitude toward homework, who enjoy it and work on it enthusiastically, generally complete their homework faster and achieve better grades in school

Teachers need to know what their students understand and can do independently, therefore they often advise parents not to do the child’s homework assignments for them, nor correct their child’s homework assignments and have them copy the corrections. Another way teachers can be more effective is by alerting parents to their students’ homework, giving parents a chance to become familiar with the material and their child’s progress.

Most kids don’t like homework and some parents dislike the task even more. Typically, there are a growing number of teachers, parents and students that advocate to eliminate, or at least limit the amount of homework a child is assigned. The main reason for this belief is that students also learn from activities in life other than textbooks and workbooks found in the classroom. The amount of time a child spends in the classroom, then working at home completing assignments can leave the child out of touch, without free time, and unable to get exercise or pursue extracurricular activities. Talents and other interests cannot be nurtured in a classroom setting with teachers focused on a specific subject.

In the meantime, the following are some suggestions which may help in the homework dilemma:

It is imperative to make homework as painless as possible.

  • Try to have kids relate homework to something positive such as time with mom or dad maybe sharing a piece of pie or cake.
  • Make homework the ultimate of importance.
  • Use homework completion as a chance to praise a child.
  • Make the penalty for non compliance of completion logical and clearly understood.
  • The most important aspect for homework completion is not to be critical.
  • Take breaks based on the child’s ability to focus.
  • Setup a schedule for homework times.
  • Set up a location in your home for doing homework.
  • Regulate the noise level based on the child’s comfort level.
  • Make a game out of assisting your child to study for a test.
  • Encourage your child to participate in study groups.

Don’t forget that your child’s teacher is a good source of academic information.

Best Regards!

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