I agree with Annie. I think homework is important… but, like Annie stated, we are given a lot of homework. Homework should only be given out to help enhance learning concepts… not just a time-filler. But, a little less homework means less stress which overall makes us happier people.
Monday, 03/10/2008 6:44 PM by Kathe

I agree with Annie that we often need extra practice for concepts that we learn in class. However, this homework should be given in moderation. For example, last year I often thought that my math homework was pointless and lengthy and boring. This year, I find it easier to get through my math homework because I am given a little bit less. However, even with this minute decrease in math homework this year, I often find myself staying up later than I would like to in order to finish my homework. Part of this has to do with my time management skills (which I am working on, by the way) and the amount of after school activities that I am enrolled in. However, even if I attempt to manage my time, I may still stay up later than I plan. (I do appreciate time to do homework during class. I find that it helps me with my time management.)
Monday, 03/10/2008 6:48 PM by Hana

I think homework is important to our education. If we had no homework, we would not learn the appropraite amount of material. However, if we were given too much homework, then we would be put into too much stress. Therefore, we should only be given a moderate amount of homework, including reports and projects.
Monday, 03/10/2008 8:15 PM by JEF
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I agree, education should not be an annoyance or a chore but an experience. Homework must be given in an appropriate amount to have a healthy life and to have a social life as well.
Tuesday, 03/11/2008 3:14 PM by NES

Well last night, I spent about an hour or so (away from my HW) arguing/discussing this topic with my mom, trying to get my opinions in order, and editing my comment.

And then Blackboard was down.

Anyway, I can see where you are getting with this. However, some HW is very important. Teachers can teach us the subject in class, but we have to spend some time on our own applying ourselves to the work to fully understand it. Also, for instance, our Social Studies teacher holds discussions in History on the topics from the textbook. We have to read the material outside of class so that we may have time to discuss during class.

HOWEVER, homework is, in my opinion, becoming very excessive. Sometimes we are assigned homework provides little help in solidifying our understanding of the material. I know my brother has 50 problems of math HW some nights, where he could simply have 10-12 and he would understand the concepts. Sometimes HW just feels like a time-filler–giving us homework JUST FOR THE SAKE OF GIVING US HOMEWORK.

Personally, I think some are under the misconception of how much homework we actually have. My schedule recently has been: get home from musical rehearsal, play instruments/sing a little (through lessons or practice), and do HW most of the rest of the evening. I know I AM a perfectionist, but in order to feel confident, I spend a good deal of time on my HW. When we are given this much HW, it conflicts with our extra-curricular activities, which are JUST AS IMPORTANT to us as our grades, and we become very stressed.

I think that some work outside of class for our own benefit is necessary, but I ABSOLUTELY believe that we are receiving TOO MUCH HW as an average.
Tuesday, 03/11/2008 7:55 PM by Karen

i agree with pretty much everyone so far. Homework is important to understand and reinforce subjects and things we learn during the day but it is needed in moderation. for us to have healthy lives we need to be able to do other activites and still act like kids. in math, you only need 10 ish problems per concept to truly understand it. In English, you only need a worksheet per concept to understand it. IT’s the same with all subjects. I personally have grown to hate my homework,and it seems like school and the work associated it more a chore than anything else because of everything involved in it. I know that i’m a perfectionist,a nd i spend more time than i need to on things (i honestly am getting better aobut it…), but i still feel that i spend almost all my time on homework. I also know that my parents have grown to dislike hw too, because it cuts down on the time we get to spend together as a family.
Sunday, 03/16/2008 12:33 PM by JULI

I think that homework does help with learning the concepts that we are learning, but in moderation. For example, last week I was sick all week, but I still read the sections that we were discussing in History and Science, but when I came back all of the homework in science seemed completely different without the discussions that we have in class. So I think we should have homework, but less of it and have more discussions during class instead of reading, taking notes and doing concept reviews. Also, I think that we should work more in class on our homework so that we can ask our English teacherquestions instead of doing it at home and not knowing the answers, and consequently not getting the best grade or learning and retaining as much information as we can.
Tuesday, 03/18/2008 8:13 AM by MICHAEL

I usually give the batting practice speech – when you drill anything for perfection you get to point where it doesn’t seem important. But if you miss the drilling for a week your at bats start to slide. Also, some people can just walk up to the plate cold and hit a homerun, how many students feel they are in this category?

If they need a kick after the batting practice speech then put 3 or 4 homework problems on a quiz or test. That usually gets them moving. Make sure to point it out after the test as well.

Everyone knows why we do homework, they just don’t like doing it. If you are going to use this course more in your classroom, then you will need your students to do homework.

I remember that in my childhood, I did not have homework. However, I did practice skills at home: I read, measured flour for cookies, wrote letters and stories, figured out how to get my brothers and sister to do what I wanted them to do, and thought! I remember pondering the “nature of the universe” and how (when dinosaurs roamed the earth, little girls wore dresses all the time) to get my dress on frontwards.

Wouldn’t it be cool if our students thought about what they were learning instead of doing the worksheet about it?

I am amazed at how much HW studnets have in elementary and middle schools compared to the work they are expected to do in HS. There is a mistake here somewhere.

Analyzing achievement scores of 100,000 students in hundred’s of schools, Wright, Horn, & Sanders (cited in Marzano, et al., 2001) conclude “that the most important factor affecting student learning is the teacher…more can be done to improve education by improving the effectiveness of teachers than by any other single factor” (Wright et al., 1997, p. 63).

It is the skill of the teacher then, that influences the value of homework. Certainly relevant, engaging homework, utilizing technology resources, is far more effective than giving students a worksheet of problems. I admit that I am frequently guilty of the latter practice, particularly when the office calls down to ask me to “give Mirabel her homework assignments for the next three days, because she has been suspended.” When school systems stop dictating to teachers a homework policy that for example, requires 30 minutes to 1 hour of homework every night, that must be 20% of the student’s grade, and that 5 days of homework must be on file in the office, perhaps then can teachers be allowed to be more creative and students be allowed to construct their own learning.

Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D. J., & Pollock, J. E. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

I barely ever assign homework to my students. Most of the time, I allow them to get into groups to complete the work I would have given them for homework. This, at least, allows them to work on their social skills and problem solving skills. They appreciate this, and it thus reinforces the positive relationship that I feel I have with my students.

Homework, like many other things, such as lecture-style classes, is a thing of the past. There are so many other ways to teach today’s students, and that is what we need to focus on.

I really believe traditional homework ruins relationships. Long term projects are more reflective of today’s workplace. And so is group work. I think we need to look at what the workplace needs from our students and then match that with how and what we teach.