The mere mention of homework fills most students with disgust and irritation. The reasons are obvious, and parents and teachers usually dismiss this as the lack of motivation of young kids with seemingly boring assignments and long hours of sitting down for homework after coming back from school.
In many countries, there is an on-going debate on how much homework should be allotted to students. Read on and know about some of the main reasons why students should have less homework.
- Allowing more time for other activities
Too much homework is having a detrimental effect on the health of students, and assignments leave them with little time for other activities. Research shows that homework assignments are increasingly keeping students confined to their room and work for long hours to finish their homework.
Lack of exercise and relaxation is having a negative impact on the health of kids, and many of them are showing health problems such as:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Joint problems
- Obesity
- Bipolar Disorder
Many students have been found to exhibit anxiety symptoms openly at the mention of homework, especially those without someone to guide them properly with their assignments. It shows why students should have less homework.
- Allowing them to understand the lesson first
Classroom lecture and instructions are often inadequate for students. It is being recognized and acknowledged only now that the pace of learning and grasp of subjects differs across students.
Many students are unable to understand the lessons from classroom lectures, and consequently, they are unable to do the homework – which is supposed to reinforce what has been learnt in class. It is important not to assign homework to students every day. In case they do not understand the lessons of the previous day, they should be taught the same thing over again and assigned the same homework.
- Easing burden on them
Young students have to go through half a dozen classes and need to keep track of their homework, quizzes, tests, projects and many other extra-curricular activities. Even adults keep forgetting about their work all the time, and given the young age of students, it can easily be understood why they find it so difficult to keep track of all their activities.
Naturally, it shows why students should have less homework. It makes sense to allot them less number of assignments and allow them to manage their workload more easily.
- Allowing them time to find out about their interests
Students should also be given enough time to find out about their interests. Modern studies are too much about shoving assignments down the throat of students and not allowing them the opportunity to develop themselves in a wholesome way.
The formative years are great times for students and parents to learn what they are passionate about. These interests can be used to inspire them naturally, and boost their engagement with studies. When a student has quite a few interest areas, varied strategies can be used to get him fascinated with studies by developing lessons and homework around his interests. This can help motivate students and make them happier with their studies.
- Letting students set their own pace
Modern study approach has a one-size-fits-all attitude, which is dangerous and regressive. It assumes that every student has the same aptitude and interests. The burden of too many assignments is why students should have less homework. It does not provide students with any option to learn at their own pace. It is important to reduce the load of homework to let students select their own starting point for every assignment and helping them to stay challenged as well as comfortable.
For instance, students can get mathematics problems with increasing level of difficulties over a period of weeks and months. From simple to complex, the levels could be:
- Determine a cube surface area
- Determine a rectangular prism surface area
- Determine how much wrapping paper can wrap a rectangular box
- Determine how many paint cans are needed for purchasing a home with said dimensions
After students select a starting point according to their comfort and aptitude, they can be guided by teachers through increasing levels of complexity. This will ensure every student can work through homework without encountering any difficulty.
- Gauging the responses and feed backs
The sheer volume of homework also leaves teachers with little time to evaluate the responses and feed backs of students after the submission of assignments. This is another reason why students should have less homework. Students are not allowed enough time to express their experiences with the assignments and the problems they came across. They are assigned more homework, which must be finished with the same day or the next.
Thus, they are unable to clear their problems with the concepts and have to look for help from other sources, such as parents, cousins or private tutors. The amount of homework must be reduced in order to let students come out with their problems, and clear all study issues with the help of their teachers.
