Is homework hamrful towards learning in K-12?

[great_bay]

Very often, students go to school with having homework assigned. Homework is thought of a burden, the fact is that most people don't actually want homework. Homework is harmful towards a student's success to high-school and learning. Students who always do their homework will just see school as a chore and there are those who will never do their homework at all. Homework overall is harmful towards a student and here's why.

Homework causes people to hate learning which causes students to resent school. Homework damages a student's attitude towards school. Why should students be forced to take home assignments? Why don't people actually think on why they ever assignment homework in the first place? Most jobs don't actually have people to take homework for their jobs. Most people would hate that. Why not just make the students do their work at school?

Homework is instructive,bothersome and unwanted. Think of how many people will end up passing their classes if homework were just assigned at school.

 

[/DG/]

Below a certain age, I'd agree. But homework for certain subjects is basically a necessity. For something like math, the only way to effectively learn how to use a method is practice.

 

[great_bay]

Below a certain age, I'd agree. But homework for certain subjects is basically a necessity. For something like math, the only way to effectively learn how to use a method is practice.

I'd actually argue most homework is useless. Homework in school is just memorizing facts. I mean, what's the point of memorizing facts if people are just gonna forget about them?

Math is useful. However, I'd would just argue that math class should be two hours long. The extra hour is for students to finish their homework.

 

[Coriolis]

I'd actually argue most homework is useless. Homework in school is just memorizing facts. I mean, what's the point of memorizing facts if people are just gonna forget about them?

Math is useful. However, I'd would just argue that math class should be two hours long. The extra hour is for students to finish their homework.

No subject should be taught as "just memorizing facts". That is lazy teaching.

Yes, many subjects do require practice, or in the later grades, more extensive reading than can be accomplished in the school day. Students in earlier grades probably don't need much homework. For the older students, it should be carefully chosen to be productive, and not just busy work.

 

[great_bay]

No subject should be taught as "just memorizing facts". That is lazy teaching.

Yes, many subjects do require practice, or in the later grades, more extensive reading than can be accomplished in the school day. Students in earlier grades probably don't need much homework. For the older students, it should be carefully chosen to be productive, and not just busy work.

Homework requires a tremendous amount of self-discipline to do. I'm against any kind of homework even if they are older kids. I'd equate the discipline to do homework on par with exercising everyday. There are people who just far problem doing that. Is it far more convenient to do homework at school then at home. I myself feel pretty disappointed by myself how I didn't do well in high-school simply because I never did my homework. I just could not have the self-discipline to do so. If I were given an hour and 20 minutes at school, a day to do my homework, I would had excelled on my work.

I myself don't have any problem doing my homework at college now. I only missed like two minor assignments that was worth very little points.

 

[Red Memories]

I am going to disagree.
In college I had a class or two with no homework, and I struggled with them far more than the ones with extensive amounts of homework. Homework requires you to use the materials you learn in a real sense and truly learn it. My opinion at least.

 

[ceecee]

I am going to disagree.
In college I had a class or two with no homework, and I struggled with them far more than the ones with extensive amounts of homework. Homework requires you to use the materials you learn in a real sense and truly learn it. My opinion at least.

You should have homework in college. Kindergärtners and 1st graders should not.

 

[Tellenbach]

There are some things like the multiplication table that kind of have to be learned as a homework assignment, but I agree that most homework is probably worthless to most students. Ideally, you have a curriculum and teacher that caters to each student's individual learning style. If the homework assignment is something hands-on or something that lights the fire of imagination in a kid, that would be much more valuable than rote memorization assignments.

 

[prplchknz]

depends on the learning style, for me homework is a necessity i love study guides it just drills home what i need to know, but if i don't go to class and just do the homework i'll still fail so i need both in person and at home. but for little kids like kindergarten and 1st grade i don't think it's neccery i didn't have homework til 3rd grade which is probably around the time it started to be necerry. but not dire like it was in highschool and college for me.

 

[Bush]

There's a time and a place for that, and that's in the middle grades. In kindergarten, you're hopefully still under the delusion that school is just awesome and homework doesn't need to shatter that reality just yet. At some point, it can be used as a tool to sorta help teach time management.

It ought to taper off at higher levels (e.g. senior year, undergrad, grad school..), really. At that point, you know how you learn. You're an adult. And you shouldn't need to be babysat so much with homework -- or, worse, with participation or attendance grades. Though one good thing about homework is that it helps account for, say, a day where you happen to feel like shit and have to take a test worth 75% of your grade. (But in-class tests personally piss me off anyway.)

 

[Lord Lavender]

Homework I have found is very good and handy for certain people and it should be a choice as some people like myself love to work quietly at home away from distractions and some people work better in general with homework style assignments. I dont think it should be mandatory though as again some wont benefit from homework and it should never be done as the teacher was too lazy to deal with the work in class but more of a thing to do to get extra understanding of the topic.

It shouldn't be done in the early years though (Unless they need to at that level everything should be covered in class) but in the more advanced courses (especially for those who plan to go to colleges) it should be encouraged to get people in the habit of doing study outside of the classroom as that is more or less needed in college to do work outside the classroom.

 

[SurrealisticSlumbers]

I disagree fundamentally; I submit that - provided it's not "busywork" - making students conduct research, present that research in the form of a paper, and read a lot of relevant material really hones their cognitive abilities and critical thinking skills. Writing lengthy papers with a well-organized into/body/conclusion (for the humanities), and assembling journals/abstacts (for the lab sciences) forces a student to present their findings and knowledge of a particular area in an objective, professional format, which dovetails with many fields of employment out there today. Whether we like it or not, the occupational reality is that most employers don't want you to do things your way; they want tangible results and for the standards of the project at hand to be met appropriately.

I am in my last semester of my college education (don't think I'll do grad school), and I feel that, particularly for studio art, what is assigned to me is essential for assimilating knowledge about the subjects that I am being taught. I need to practice my sketching, my singing/piano, and my lines/blocking (for the production I'm involved in this semester), in order to become a well-honed and versatile artist in multiple disciplines. I am a bit of an "outside the box" thinker (okay, more than a little lol) and have indeed resented in the past having to do things in a systematic, highly structured way that leaves little room for experimentation or individuality on my part. However, once I get out of school, I can pretty much choose what I want to do with my acting, music, and visual art with no professors breathing down my neck. For the here and now, I just have to plaster a smile on my face and complete the projects "they" want me to do, in the manner in which "they" want me to do them.

While I am NOT a fan of this sort of useless reading that doesn't really give me the information I'm looking for, and also, group projects - YUCK... Homework is a necessary evil in our world.

 

[great_bay]

I actually change my mind. I think homework shouldn't be given out until the last year of high-school. I also think students should taken one semester of class that which teaches people how to do their homework and mange their time on their junior year of high-school.

 

[citizen cane]

I'm not sure of where the threshold of harm begins. I imagine that studies exist showing effects of varying homework amounts at varying ages, but I think that we should certainly take a closer look at the threshold of helpfulness; that is, how much homework is too much in the sense that it no longer does anything to further learning and acquisition of skills?

 

[Hiraeth]

My views on this issue are mixed. On one end, I am torn because certain education systems like Finland's comprise of little to no homework, no tests except for a one time senior year exam, no ranking systems, shorter school days on average, and longer summer vacations.

Why do Finnish pupils succeed with less homework?

Why Are Finland’s Schools Successful?

How it works? Finnish schools place higher value on their schools and teachers. Teaching is considered a prestigious profession there, and they also take a long term planning approach to education where students are given enough time to focus on their studies. They do not teach students on a basis of test taking, but rather on how to learn, which I think is fundamental in order to succeed academically. Pointless rote memorization and constant test taking, which is the standard in U.S. schools, is not a good method in order to really understand a topic in depth, imo. There is a reason why the U.S. school system is average at best.

However, the higher ranked countries above Finland in regards to the math and sciences are all East Asian countries. They emphasize on more homework, longer school days, and rigorous test testing. In other words, pretty much the direct opposite of the Finnish education system. Additionally, another thing to take note of are the high stress levels and suicide rates among sudents in those countries too.

Overall though, I don't think one size fits all when it comes to each student's approach to learning. I suppose the necessary component would be to understand the needs of each student and to work with a certain style of learning that would best facilitate them. I think in order to improve on anything though, practice is necessary. It's just how it is done to fit the individual's needs is what matters.

 

[ceecee]

How it works? Finnish schools place higher value on their schools and teachers.

My brother in law left the US to live in Finland (family is Finnish). He's been a teacher for many years and felt there was no dignity or respect left in the US for educators. Think about it for a bit - those who can't, teach. People who can't hack it end up with education degrees. Teachers are overpaid for little work and so on. He said this is the best decision he's ever made. Until the profession itself is respected again, American isn't going anywhere and will continue on it's current path of stupidity and ignorance.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Any K-12 schoolwork whether done at school or home should be far more than rote memorization. It should teach critical thinking and some basic skills like math, writing, etc.

I have a gifted child and he gets bored with his homework and school because he usually picks stuff up very fast and a lot of it is rote practice and memorization designed for "average" students. He was doing multiplication by kindergarten and he was already reading chapter books before the first grade, so it's just a matter of us trying to augment his regular schoolwork with material and activities that are stimulating and on his level.

 

[Poki]

My brother in law left the US to live in Finland (family is Finnish). He's been a teacher for many years and felt there was no dignity or respect left in the US for educators. Think about it for a bit - those who can't, teach. People who can't hack it end up with education degrees. Teachers are overpaid for little work and so on. He said this is the best decision he's ever made. Until the profession itself is respected again, American isn't going anywhere and will continue on it's current path of stupidity and ignorance.

I have never got that impression that is how teachers are viewed. The most repeated phrase i have heard was "i dont know how you deal with that many kids" and for so little money. Its the same disrespect i get from people...as in..."why do you work so hard". I believe in those who cant do teach...but not for any teachers in K-12. To me thats in reference to higher education and only certain fields. Older teachers have more respect in that regard because "experience" and well...they just wanna slow down from actual doing and keep making an impact.

Teachers here actually get alot of discounts at places just for being a K-12 teacher.

 

[Smilephantomhive]

I have never got that impression that is how teachers are viewed. The most repeated phrase i have heard was "i dont know how you deal with that many kids" and for so little money. Its the same disrespect i get from people...as in..."why do you work so hard". I believe in those who cant do teach...but not for any teachers in K-12. To me thats in reference to higher education and only certain fields. Older teachers have more respect in that regard because "experience" and well...they just wanna slow down from actual doing and keep making an impact.

Teachers here actually get alot of discounts at places just for being a K-12 teacher.

That might depend on where in the US you live.

 

[Showbread]

It's a lot more complicated than just homework = bad vs. homework = good. At an early elementary level, most homework just really isn't developmentally appropriate (or helpful). We make young kids spend too much time sitting and reading, when they really should be out playing and using their brains in other ways. Full day Kindergarten is one of the worst things for a 5 year old. That said, for older kids, a reasonable amount of homework that helps to solidify their learning from the day/week is not a bad thing at all. The key words here being "reasonable" and "solidify learning". Our brains don't hear new concepts once and then instantly understand/remember them. Repetition is actually very important for strengthening new neuropathways, hence seemingly repetitive and boring homework at times. All that said, there is definitely a threshold for when homework stops helping. More homework does not always equal more learning.