Is Homework Necessary for Kids to Learn?
Homework has been a long-standing tradition in America's classrooms. It has been an important part of the educational process, and has been used by teachers to help determine the rate of a student's academic progress. Homework is also the subject of debate among educators who question its effectiveness as a means of helping kids learn.
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Not Necessary
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According to research conducted by The Center for Public Education, homework was not found to be necessary for children to learn; the main conclusion was that homework could be beneficial for reviewing and practice. This can increase proficiency in many areas, but homework does not teach. Homework does have positive aspects like promoting involvement by parents and increasing student interest; these factors can help improve test scores, but they are not the sole indicators of learning.
Subjective Nature
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Homework is not regulated in most school districts. Teachers use their own guidelines about how to grade homework. There are varying consequences for failure to turn in assignments, and there is really no way to enforce something that is done outside the walls of the classroom. Homework has customarily had a negative connotation with many students, who view it as an intrusion into leisure time. Many parents share this negative view because of the conflicts that arise at home over being sure that homework gets done, and the difficulty many face in helping their child if their own knowledge of the subject is limited.
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What The Research Says
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Research on the connection between academic achievement and homework is not conclusive. While some results showed that homework did help children in higher socioeconomic areas and children in certain ethnic groups, there was not enough conclusive evidence to prove that homework and learning are linked. Research cites the following reasons for this result: homework assigned is not always completed, parental involvement is not verifiable, and homework is usually based on skills already learned; it is not used to learn new concepts.
Educational Tradition
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The use of homework as a learning tool is rooted in traditional education. Adherents of traditional teaching methods assign homework as a way to enhance and reinforce instruction, but usually revert to using it as an assessment instrument. Schools typically embrace tradition and are reluctant to abandon long-held practices. Therefore, homework continues to be utilized in classrooms.
Relevance?
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Homework can help students review and reinforce skills, but it cannot take the place of quality classroom instruction. The relevance of homework lies only in its ability to be a supplemental, rather than a primary, force in a child's education. Homework can be relevant, but it cannot teach children.
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