Teachers do spend a lot of their time setting and correcting the homework of the children. But several people think that homework is not at all necessary. For whichever level you are teaching this is a point of argument always. The parents are even not sure if giving homework is right or wrong. The assignments given to the students are sometimes much troublesome. So, completing them often becomes a problem.
Accordingly, you can find two separate groups of people. One group is supporting the homework and the other group opposing it. The supporters believe that they are much helpful for the academics and would create a pressure on the students to be engaged in the education. The other group maintains that the students should be allowed some time at least to spend with family and develop relationships.
For most students, homework is a stress factor. Even observations carried on Stanford Graduate School of Education reports the same. The students have even reported that they have had sleepless nights and health disorders because of the pressure of homework. They also get very less time to spend with friends and relatives or even to relax. They hardly get any time to focus on the extracurricular activities.
Response of the Memory
When a class is going on, the brain of the student keeps on updating itself. This is because of the working memory or short-term memory. When the class ends their memory shifts to the topics of the next class. In the case of the adults, a similar reaction takes place. This is commonly seen when an adult walks into a room and forgets the reason of moving in there. The reason for that is, with the change of the sensory information the pre-existing memory fades out. On returning to the earlier room they are able to remember what they had forgotten.
Certainly, this is not the kind of education that parents are looking forward to their little children to have. Memorizing will only lead to the knowledge of the facts. It will never lead to proper understanding. Thus, the teachers need to make the studying material attractive for them. Also, they should be made to practice in different environments so that their learning is better.
If they are given homework that is set to increase their scope of remembering and reproducing in the future when there is a need. This will enhance the quality of education that they have gained. Thus the outcome of the homework is positive and significant.
The Type of Homework to Be Assigned
The homework is mostly effective for the secondary level students than the primary level students. However, the most efficient homework consists of several qualities. Suppose a child is given a vocabulary worksheet for a week and in the next week the words in the worksheet change completely. This way the child won’t be able to remember any of the words in a proper way. To make them remember the worksheets need to be consistently repetitive. The homework should also be something that they would try testing. Only reading and re-reading are not at all effective. Children tend to learn more when they get to chalk out several other ways than the ones they have learned.
Ways to Engage Homework to Their Brain
If you are engaging your student or child with the right kind of homework then they would learn more. But if you are able to demonstrate them using real life examples they would be able to relate to the things in a better way.
The ways by which you can make the homework relevant to their brain are by setting up relevant work. You can elaborate the important points so that they are at least aware of the key factors. Also, ensure that the homework you give is within their limits of completing. Parents can also get involved in the homework if the work is something worth sharing with them. If you check the work with them before you then that will help their working memory get converted into long-term memory.
So, whatever subjects they are reading or learning try to make them appeal to them. This will help to enjoy their work while they are completing their home assignments. This would impart a methodical learning process in them.
