help do my homework

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The Benefits of Homework

1. Introduction

Homework is usually given so that the students will be able to learn the lesson by heart and practice it. For example, there are some lessons which need to be memorized for a long time, like biology or chemistry experiments, and also terms in mathematics. If the students forget these lessons when they will take the exam, there won’t be any good results. If the students keep remembering the lessons, they will always be ready to do the exams anytime.

Homework is not only good for reviewing studies in the class, but also can assess how much a student understands the lesson. Usually, the experienced teachers can guide the students how to get to the answers and be able to get the expected results. With some homework, teachers can give comments to the students and students also can ask the teachers about the material that they do not understand. This is very suitable with the needs of students who want to get a deep understanding for a lesson in order to be ready for the upcoming exam.

Educational theory maintains that there is a mission to provide an “experience of success.” “Success” is an important factor required to maintain the students’ motivation to continue learning. Teachers need to have a range of instructional techniques to provide an “experience of success.” One such instructional technique is homework. It is a vital part of a sound education that can reinforce what students have learned during class time and also prepare them for learning new materials.

2. Section One: Enhancing Learning and Retention

Young, Jeffrey L. “The Importance of Homework.” The Journal of Education, vol. 176, no. 3, 1993, pp. 61-7. The author provides a brief history of the homework debate, as well as current research pertaining to the effectiveness of homework. Discusses how homework leads to increased student learning and achievement, but the benefits are only found when students are engaged. Of the three purposes for homework that Friedlander provides, I feel that his research best applies to the second category which is to extend the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom. This category links closely with student learning. When students are instructed to practice something specific that they have already learned the results are very positive. Friedlander cites a study conducted by Elliott and Martes (19) which found an overall positive characterization of homework involving non-college bound students. These individuals claimed that the homework helped to increase their knowledge of the given subject material, helped them remember forgotten information, and increased their knowledge of student resources. While this is one of the more positive results of homework, it is often times relatively difficult to get students to practice things learned in school that they do not find fun or interesting. This study displays that when the material is interesting homework has a very positive impact on learning. Another specific instance of homework correlating with increased student learning is a study by Fuchs, Fuchs, Karns, and Hamlett (18) Friedlander provides a direct quote from this source “Students in ability grouped classes engaged in more academic learning during their homework sessions than students in regular classes who did not differ in kind of homework assigned, supporting the hypothesis that quality of homework implementation emerges from class composition with the nature of the homework.” During this study, two groups of sixth graders who were being taught mathematics in different levels were regularly given homework for a period of 10 weeks. The homework was monitored and it was observed that the group who had been assigned similar homework to that in their regular classes was more engaged academically. After the 10 week period the knowledge gained from the homework led the higher level mathematics group to have learned more. This instance of homework leading to increased learning is very relevant to today’s education and is still a method that is used to separate normal level and advanced level students in the same subjects. Kumani (21) also found that homework increased student learning in a study conducted on Japanese students ranging from 5th grade to 1st year high school who were learning English. Students and their parents as well as the teachers and even some schools were disappointed when the Ministry of Education asked that all homework be terminated due to the amount of expected increase in school time for this action was in an attempt to save energy.

3. Section Two: Developing Time Management and Responsibility Skills

Homework also teaches time management. It is rare that anyone beams at the thought of homework, but one of the silver linings behind the grey cloud is the fact that students are given ample time to complete the assignment. Everything teaches through time. Time is the best teacher, but unfortunately it kills all of its students. Time teaches something that a person can learn, for example the more time a student spends studying for a test, the more they will learn and the better their grade will be. Of course, the negatives are the things that people misspend time trying to learn. A valuable lesson on time management is learning how to avoid time wasting and use good habits to get positive end results. This concept is actually the definition of time management and is a skill learned only through the passage of time. Learning and practicing good time management is a key factor to any success. Time management is essential for people to be successful in life. Therefore, in teaching the student to manage their time effectively for learning, we are aiding them to elevate their level of success. This is an added benefit to homework.

It teaches the student to be responsible and take initiative for their work. Gaining the responsibility for your actions is a huge part of life and it is the key to taking control of your life. If students are expected to complete homework as an assignment, there is a level of responsibility about it. They know that they must complete the task or face the consequences of receiving a bad grade. Homework is assigned so that students learn to take the initiative to complete tasks on their own. This is a valuable skill that will help students later in life. Whether it’s on the job, at home, or in an organization, there is a level of initiation required when a task is asked of someone. This skill will carry over to many different scenarios in a student’s life at present and in their future.

4. Section Three: Fostering Independence and Self-Discipline

Advertising a strong work ethic is one of the many positive attributes of homework. Because homework usually follows a deadline, students will be required to employ time management tactics. Completing assignments promptly will ready the student for probable future encounters with deadlines in the professional world. Scheduled work times will accustom students to the idea of productive work periods, whether it is the brief gap between arrival home and commencement of homework, or a rigorous project-to-project work schedule. Busy parents and teachers can also employ homework as a tool for time management and student/family accountability. A parent can stress the importance of setting aside time for work before play and second a teacher’s assignment can serve as a verbal/written commitment to the student who might otherwise forget.

Homework is optimal for self-advancement. The student engaging in the completion of a homework assignment will be exposed to a cornucopia of information which was not fully understandable during class time. When a student encounters a similar problem in the future, the learned information now becomes a tool of reference and the means to an end. This will eradicate confusion and the possibility of frustration resulting from lack of knowledge.

Homework grooms students for self-error in the world of adult problem solving. Homework will not only enrich lessons already taught, but provide advancement into future lessons. While providing a necessary review of current subject matter, homework also expands the knowledge of current lessons and readies students for future lessons. Whether questing into uncharted territory (reading ahead in a textbook) or reinforcing the knowledge needed for upcoming objectives, homework fosters advancement where without it, a student may be unprepared for a future lesson.

5. Conclusion

There are many important implications that can occur due to homework. These positive “real world” results can significantly alter a student’s life. I think the biggest advantage of homework is that it allows students to understand what they are about to learn better. For example, someone might not understand a concept because it is presented only once or twice. Unfortunately, teachers are pressured to get through a curriculum because of standardized testing and have to move on. By learning the material better, a student can do a better job on an assignment in which they must apply what they learned. This, in turn, can result in a better grade and a positive impact on the student’s GPA. This better understanding of the material can also be seen on tests. A student who has a decent understanding of a subject will do OK on a test, but a student who has a very good understanding can excel. A combination of doing well on assignments and better test grades can increase a student’s confidence with the material. Another advantage of homework is that it allows the student to work on problems in an environment where they will not have distractions. The student might try to read through the assignment and understand the material, but something or someone might distract them. In class, the student might fool around and not really work on a problem. This student might be capable of solving the problem but never does because he/she was not focused. By doing an assignment outside of class, the student can avoid distractions and will have a clear focused goal of understanding the material and getting a good grade. This might mean studying alone in a quiet room or using resources such as tutors or the internet. This environment can lead to a student understanding the material better, and sometimes there is an added benefit of increased resourcefulness. Lastly, there is an abundance of evidence that homework is beneficial to the learning process when the student takes personal responsibility for their work and completes it with the thought of gaining a better understanding of the subject. The student whose goal is “I’m going to do this assignment so that I can understand this subject better” will always get something out of it. This is because students are doing work that is relevant to their learning and the teacher’s intention. This intent is what will guarantee that the student is to be “learning by doing” and is how homework can close the gap between knowing and applying a subject.