HOMEWORK- A NECESSITY OR A BURDEN?

Homework is any task, assignment, or written work that is given by the teachers to their students to complete it during outside school hours. Some of the examples of homework tasks are – reading, writing or typing or some exercise from the book, or some other skills which need to be practiced by students.

Homework is not a new concept in this age; teachers used to give homework even in the past. Teachers to make their students more confident and comfortable with the topic and make them engaged with the issues gave them some work to do at home.

But sometimes, this homework is not able to fulfill the purpose of what the teachers thought; instead, it just becomes a burden for the child. The kids, rather than enjoying and grasping more knowledge from the homework, treat the homework as a burden and only complete it so that he won’t get any scolding from the teachers.

The effectiveness of homework is still a topic of debate for many teachers. Some believe that homework doesn’t improve any significant academic performance in the students. And further, it causes more stress in kids as they are not able to get involved in any other activities apart from doing homework as they do not get any extra time. Some teachers believe that homework is an excellent way to make the kids involved and engaged with the topics. It works wonders for the below-average students, who face many difficulties in academics.

Let us understand and discuss some of the pros and cons of homework.

PROS OF HOMEWORK

It is believed that by giving homework to students, they get an opportunity to go through the topics once again at home and understand the things which they were not able to grasp appropriately in the class. It also plays like a quick revision technique because for completing the homework, sometimes the kids require to go through the topics once again. Below are some of the activities in which kids get an edge while completing the school homework.

• Better retentions of factual knowledge
• Increased understanding of topics.
• More persuasive critical thinking skills.
• Better study habits
• Time management skills.
• More independent problem-solving skills.
• Greater parental involvement in schooling.
• It helps teachers track student progress.

CONS OF HOMEWORK

As every coin has two sides, so does the homework, with its advantages having some disadvantages tagged along with it. Some people think that homework does not have any significant impact on any student’s academic performance, but it is a reason for their stress and anxiety. Apart from completing school homework, Kids do not get time to get involved in any other activities like playing, dancing, or learning some new school apart from the school curriculum.

Below are some of the impacts of homework on kids.

• The potential loss of interest in academic subjects.
• Physical and emotional fatigue; can cut into sleep time.
• The decrease in free time, family time, and other activities.
• It can widen the gap between high and low achievers.
• Increased opportunity for cheating
• Can increase pressure from parents to perform well
• It can disproportionately harm economically disadvantaged students.

A kid needs a 360-degree development, and this can’t be achieved by only giving them loads of homework. A proper balance should be made between homework and his daily activities. As of now, just academic success is not essential; getting involved in other activities that can enhance our personality is also very important.

Teachers should understand this and try to give a small amount of homework, which does not become a burden on kids, and they also get to learn from the school homework and further enjoy doing it.