free homework answers

free homework answers

The Importance of Completing Homework Independently

1. The Benefits of Independent Homework Completion

Studies have shown that independent learning is enhanced when the subject material is of interest to the student or is related to subjects or forms of study within which they have previous knowledge or a greater understanding. By allowing students to select what type of homework will best suit their learning disposition, personal criteria taught will ultimately lead to better performance as the work will seem easier and less stressful for the student and can improve attitudes towards student learning, achievement, personal growth, and the learning environment.

It should first be established what is meant by independent learning. This is a fundamental means to enhance the learning experience. Independent learning is defined as the process by which individuals take the initiative, with or without the assistance of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identifying human and material resources for learning, choosing and implementing appropriate learning strategies, and evaluating learning outcomes (Knowles, 1975). This form of learning is pivotal and is a skill that is transferable to not only the student’s current situation but also future employment, learning, and development.

2. Developing Critical Thinking Skills

To further elaborate the importance of critical thinking for the future, a comparison was done by Fauziah Hassan between undergraduates and working personnel to determine whether there was a significant difference in their critical thinking aspect. From the research, the difference is so very minimal. This shows that critical thinking is important to be practiced early from a young age to ease students in facing their future undertakings. In other words, the earlier the better.

To emphasize this point, there is research for the critical thinking development for adolescents stated that, “the improvement of students’ academic achievements is highly determined with their critical thinking abilities. It is a tool for predicting academic, career, and civic success” (Eduzenith.com). This means critical thinking will bring success to a person and it is confirmed by a study involving medical school applicants which emphasizes that, “the best predictor of physicians’ competence was the critical thinking skills demonstrated in the premedical years”. Well, there is a saying that “an apple does not fall far from the tree”.

Critical thinking skills are not only beneficial in academics. They are useful in life. It will help in decision making, investigations, and analyses. By implementing critical thinking in all acts, students will understand better that everything needs to be done with a proper way and thinking. It will prevent them from making mistakes and build a good habit towards better achievement (eduzenith.com). The practice of developing critical thinking skills will be a lifelong process. It will always be useful. In the future, by applying critical thinking in problem solving and decision making, students will achieve a greater result and success. This is what we want to achieve.

3. Enhancing Learning and Retention

A quote from Charles Smith best illustrates what homework can do for memory: “No amount of wax will make a candle light shine brighter than the wick it provides.” This all translates to the fact that homework will inlay knowledge to the point where it can be easily recollected and used to make many other connections of knowledge.

Now, since homework maintains that it is meant to help learning, the best thing to do is use it as a learning mechanism. Unfortunately, we will now run into several kids that just want to get the work done as quickly as possible and will usually resort to copying homework from friends or perhaps even the internet today. This is very counter-productive, but we find that a lot of the time the youth of today do not understand the benefits that doing the work can have on their mental capacity of knowledge in the long run. So it is up to parents and teachers to stress the importance of quality homework and the effects it can have on memory and knowledge.

Homework’s effectiveness on this process has on memory is immense. When someone attempts to do an assignment, they often have to find a bunch of different pieces of information to build a clear understanding of what the task asks of them. This is exactly what chunking does with information. And the more it is done, the better one becomes at it.

The best way to store information in long-term memory is to associate it with something else. This usually makes effective use of a technique called “chunking”. Chunking is a term used in psychology and it generally means breaking things down into smaller parts. Once information is categorized into certain groups, summaries can be made and it is easier and quicker to recover a memory. The bits of information are each stored away in long-term, usually using semantic memory which is a deep meaning of knowledge that never fades from memory.

Homework is great for this, since it often done autonomously, in the natural learning environment. This means it can be done with no notes. Just an individual and their vast quantity of knowledge they obtained from sitting in classes and doing assignments. The information is still fresh in their mind and now is the time to strike while the iron is hot.

If you look at it, it makes a lot of sense from a cognitive point of view, since repetition is one of the best learning tools. Repetition of a task over and over makes the information stick in your mind. This is why regular homework assignments are such an integral part of the learning process, since the act of doing a problem or writing an essay helps to transfer the information to long-term memory. What is crucial is that the information is stored away in a manner that is both reliable and will enable to access it at a later date.

Homework: Enhancing Learning and Retention

4. Building Responsibility and Self-Discipline

Considering the importance of homework, we should also consider the reasons why it should be completed and done independently. Completing homework with an expectation of gaining a good understanding of the knowledge within mainly involves the development of self-discipline and responsibility. Completing homework assignments independently involves a certain level of consistency and responsibility. A student who is truly responsible for their academic success will make sure homework is complete and done effectively without any external force. By completing homework without external force, it promotes the development of self-discipline. Self-discipline plays a huge role in academic success and development. The act of making oneself complete homework, even when the topic may be unpleasant, involves a lot of responsibility and self-discipline. This is a highly desirable trait that a student could take from completing homework on their own. By doing assignments independently, a student is then putting full responsibility for their grades and their academic success on themselves. Doing so promotes independence and proves to be a motivator for students to do the best job possible. A student will feel a sense of pride when completing an assignment done to the best of their ability and the self-satisfaction of knowing they did it by themselves. Self-discipline and responsibility learned from completing homework on their own will carry over to other aspects of life and can be a determining factor for future success.

5. Fostering Personal Growth and Academic Success

Effective homework assignments can also help students understand that learning can occur beyond the classroom and the teacher can provide opportunities that enable the student to extend the learning experience. Teachers who are successful in increasing student learning through homework often use a variety of resources to assign homework. This may involve the teacher checking for student understanding through questions or asking the student to practice a new skill. The student may also be asked to teach a skill to a parent and report back to the teacher. Learning may even be extended by providing homework assignments that require the student to learn independently. An example of this would be requiring the student to use resources (such as the library, internet, or interview) to research a topic and report back to the class. All of these resources increase students’ interest in a topic and provide them with more control over their learning.

Students who complete homework independently are encouraged to become responsible and accountable to themselves. They are essentially engaging in personal reflection and taking responsibility for their own learning. Teachers can help students develop this trait by developing homework assignments designed to foster personal growth. Teachers can also use homework to foster other essential skills such as time management, self-discipline, initiative, problem solving, and independent investigation. The value in fostering students’ growth into responsible young adults cannot be overstated.