how does homework help students

how does homework help students

The Benefits of Homework for Students

1. Introduction

It is a popular debate in educational circles. There are many who believe that homework is an essential part of the learning process, enabling students to reinforce what they learn at school, as well as developing important time management and study skills. On the other hand, there are others who argue that homework can waste students’ time and can even have a detrimental effect on their learning as it can lead to boredom and can result in students cutting down on their social time and spending more time with “screen” media. I personally believe that homework has an important role to play in the education of students. I think it can be a way of developing a range of skills such as self-discipline and time management as well as teaching students about working independently. It also provides many opportunities for parents to take part in their child’s education, particularly for those who may shy away from involvement in their child’s regular school day. It allows parents to be aware of their child’s strengths and weaknesses and to offer homework support and encouragement. Also, with the pressures on teachers from all angles (most notably with the rapid changes to the curriculum), work given outside of the lessons can benefit the teachers by allowing them to cover more ground and complete the syllabus, knowing that their time will be spent more efficiently in the class, helping students with work they have been set for completion in the holidays and providing stretching activities for those children who want to push their knowledge and enjoyment further. I am also aware that it is a priority for Ofsted that homework is used effectively to raise standards, as well as an ongoing challenge to ensure there is a consistent approach in this area. For example, I understand that Ofsted will look in a school’s “Personal development, behaviour, welfare and safety” area at how schools are engaging children in learning and how homework is being used to promote progression and study skills. The first benefit of homework is that it allows students and teachers to work more closely together.

2. Development of Time Management Skills

By having the ability to see the bigger picture, students can learn to more effectively manage the little “off-task times” they may have while working through their studies over the course of the day. By being able to rearrange one’s own daytime with the guidance of set scheduled work times learned through homework, students can not only tune their academic studies but their life. With effective time management skills that students will learn from being able to balance tasks, they can begin to plan out and set up many of the tasks and projects that they are faced with successfully, not only in their academic career but it can carry on into their lives and careers post-graduation.

With better time management planning, work and various activities can be accomplished at a steadier rate, resulting in a less stressful day and a more successful conclusion of tasks. Not only does homework help to guide students to a better understanding of things like past events and the context of what they might be learning in the present, but it can also encourage students to step back and see for themselves the broader historical and social picture in their studies.

On the other hand, while repetitive homework may in the long run contribute nothing new to the improvement of this world, continuous efforts to better our own ways of life as well as those of others will always be a timeless process which will continue to benefit us as a society both today and in the future. However, these beneficial spots for improvement towards a better future can only be met if students learn to truly manage time and not just find assorted methods of correcting the amount of time wasted.

Time management skills can help students with ADD, LD or ADHD. These students really struggle with time management, and it is their worst nightmare to have to follow a set plan. However, it is crucial to help them develop these crucial life skills so that their future will not be impacted negatively due to their lack of ability to manage time.

Even though you are capable of doing many things in such a short span of time, research has shown that multitasking makes us less productive. By better understanding the importance of balancing different tasks in life and following through to create the best result, it can lead to a less stressful environment and even improved performances in both academic and social activities in life.

Also, the reward of completion after following through with the set scheduled times can also create a sense of learned discipline and responsibility that can help students no matter what pathway they begin to follow in life. Students’ daytime can be easily managed by focusing on things that are essential to them and those in which are not necessary can be easily forgotten in the scheduled time which makes students committed to work throughout the schedule. Students will begin to learn to set aside the “free times” for their work or play and use them to actually be productive, and not procrastinate restless when the time comes that they have to get started.

As time goes on, students will learn how to manage their time, whether it’s through trying to complete homework, working on college applications, or even time management in the workplace. As students mature and develop the skill of time management, they may begin to find that they can study or participate in other activities during the time that they had set aside for certain tasks, which can lead to a sense of freedom and a sense of enjoyment, customizing their daily schedules around their own preferences and thus creating a more meaningful and enjoyable day-to-day life.

Homework is important because it develops independent working skills, prepares you for the next day’s class, and helps in understanding and memorizing the lesson more effectively. It also helps students in understanding their strengths and weaknesses and working accordingly. When it comes to doing homework, students also learn to manage their time, making it possible for them to complete their tasks at the right time. This is an important skill that will benefit students not only in school but for their future.

3. Reinforcement of Learning Concepts

Another major benefit of completing homework is that it helps in the reinforcement of learning concepts that are covered in class. Without direct practice, some students may forget the material that was taught in class. For example, students who may not have grasped certain aspects of a topic during the lesson may take a variety of attempts before they finally “get it.” Homework provides an opportunity for parents to interact with and understand the content their students are learning so they can provide another means of academic support for students. Work that is completed in a hurry or is “good enough” is not a substitute for carefully constructed and well-researched responses. Parents can see what their children are learning on a day-to-day basis and help them with difficult concepts or problems at home. Also, when parents and children complete homework together this can foster a relationship. Time which is scheduled outside of class for students to work on that reinforcement is greatly needed and beneficial. Not only does the student gain more knowledge but it also allows for increased practice and retention. Being able to take a concept taught in class and apply it at home, either in a “work” situation or a practical experiment, helps reinforce the knowledge. For instance, a three-year study using two groups of ninth graders, one group assigned homework and the other group “instructed in the academic material in class,” found that the homework group received higher scores on class and homework assignments, quizzes, and standardized tests. It also showed that time away from school spent on “self-directed learning” employing information that was explored and practiced in various forms had been encouraged. This is a valuable skill which is not simply taught but is developed through continued practice and dedication. Therefore, it is evident that homework serves many functions and that there are various benefits of completing work outside of the classroom. However, the most important reason is that homework is a strong reinforcement of the material that is taught in class. It allows students to get the individual time and help they need, especially if they have come from a middle or high school with large class sizes. By getting one-on-one help completing their homework, this allows time for the student to ask any question. Homework benefits the students, helps the teacher in understanding the student’s understanding of the material, and provides the parent with insight into what is being learned in school.

4. Preparation for Future Challenges

Current critics believe that homework actually makes students less prepared for future challenges. However, the article explains that the right kind of homework helps the students to prepare for the future. This is done as it offers children an opportunity to get into a habit that is crucial for the future – time management. The key to learning to manage time, the article explains, is involvement in an organized, ongoing enterprise such as homework. The article draws on a study to support this point. It reports that the positive effects of homework on time management are evident at the beginning of the homework process itself: “It’s as if the homework is a signal to the child that, as for an adult, a difficult job has to be done today. Procrastination diminishes as the child begins to plan and take responsibility for initiating and completing tasks.” So, by teaching children to manage their homework time, the article concludes, we are teaching them better managed time, in general, in the future. Critical too, the article notes, is that homework makes a positive difference in the here and now, not just in some misty, unspecified future. A study of high school students reported by the National Council of Teachers of English discovered that the students who do more meaningful homework have greater gains in school and a giver experiences in the classroom. The article explains that ‘meaningful homework’ includes ongoing efforts such as interesting projects, hands-on work, writing, and sustained reading, which have a clearly evident purpose. The article—but what is meant by future? While it is evident that homework helps students to develop time management skills and contributes to learning improved organizational methods and increasingly better planning, that is not the full story. Because homework requires children to plan, organize and use time and valuable academic skills independently, it is recognized as a valid extension of the classroom work that the students engage in. And indeed, the article concludes, better preparation for the future is a goal for which all educators must strive. So, the article closes by calling for “all American parents and teachers to work together to promote a quick, satisfying and successful transition from classroom activities to homework, and it should not be regarded as a chore but as an essential element of learning. The experience of the educational partnership that is enjoyed when homework furthers academic growth and social development is immeasurably important both now and in the future.”

5. Improvement of Academic Performance

Improvement of academic performance: Researchers have also looked at how homework affects students’ academic performance. Early studies on the relationship between homework and academic performance concluded that homework had a positive effect. With the emergence of large-scale international studies which found the same relationship, many practical benefits started to be proposed. These benefits could come from the homework itself, from the extra time it provided, or from the skills that students learned from doing homework. For example, students who did homework more frequently showed some weaker performance in the following year, such as what kids could do in frequencies that were too high. According to researchers Ran Xu and Herbert Winful, the positive correlation is paired with greater academic achievement. During a comprehensive study on the correlation between homework and academic success, H. Cooper and J. C. Brown found that even beyond that school life, students who did homework augmented their potential successful accomplishment. They also reported that parental supervision was found to be sensible to conditions that favor homework. The recent study found an increase of self-reported grade given to students. Research has also stressed the importance of effective exercises in our learning. The study felt that schools should provide resources for learners. Many high schools and web technology have also recognized the importance of exercises. The first step is to perform given tasks. More than 20% of the time knowledge on homework is planned to be put into the fun. Parents should add a more hands-off approach and not elicit work from students to develop their acquisition of interest. More than 20% of the time knowledge on homework is planned to be put into the fun. The benefits would be worth it, therefore, of homework. It seems that every renowned practice needs to fill in the significant and fruitful gaps. Administration is the gain of important and fruitful success.