Homework isn’t just additional learning content but an effective strategy to test students’ comprehension of taught concepts. Since its introduction in the 16th century, homework has elicited various reactions with some advocating for it while others condemning it. Here, I will be highlighting the top 10 benefits of homework to convince you that homework has its place in education.
The top 10 benefits of homework:
- Students learn about time management
- Homework provides a measurement of students’ learning for teachers
- Trains students to solve problems
- Gives students another opportunity to review class material
- Parents get to see the content being taught in school
- Students learn to take responsibility for their part in the educational process
- Students learn to do things even if they don’t want to
- Trains students to work independently
- Students learn to stay organized, act and plan
- Deepens students’ understanding of a subject matter
Below, I have broken down each benefit of homework. Hopefully, they will provide you the insight of homework’s importance and relevance in education. So, the next time you see your child doing their homework, remember that they are undergoing a learning transformation part of the education process.
1) Students learn about time management
Homework is an effective tool when teaching your child about time management. This means that time management should extend beyond the classroom and into your home. Whether your child needs to play or complete some light chores, it’s in your best interest to provide your child with ample time to complete their homework. Homework demands a fresh mind and complete concentration. So, you should make it your mission to ensure that your child is well fed and refreshed before beginning any assignment.
When you supervise your child to complete their homework, you subconsciously instill a sense of responsibility and prioritization in them. Your child should be in a unique position to prioritize on tasks with your guidance. This strategy makes it much easier to complete multiple tasks within a specific duration with ease.
2) Homework provides a measurement of students’ learning for teachers
Have you ever wondered whether your students have understood your content? Then consider giving them homework. Based on the responses obtained from the assignment, you will be able to tell how well your students learned the content. If the responses are unsatisfactory, then be prepared to revisit the chapter and break it down to simpler subtopics that can be understood with relative ease.
Chances are your students might not have understood complex terminologies that proved frustrating to recall when completing their homework. More importantly, encourage your students to follow up with questions on concepts that are ambiguous to understand and explain.
Also, feel free to introduce various types of learning styles to ensure that the specific content is understood. For instance, musical lessons are best taught with the aid of musical instruments. On the other hand, visual lessons are best taught with the aid of sample objects.
3) Trains students to solve problems
Problem solving is a critical aspect of the learning process and it evaluates your child’s capacity to reason and make informed decisions. When in a classroom setting, your child is given the unique advantage of problem-solving various questions with the assistance of their teacher. But when at home, they must rely on recalled information to execute ideal solutions to the problems at hand.
Implementing this strategy is no easy task. It demands concentration and the ability to seek immediate clarification on solutions that are difficult to understand. If your child can successfully learn how to solve questions in class, they are in ideal position to replicate this strategy at home with the proficiency it deserves.
As a parent, it’s imperative to instill confidence in your child from an early age. Confidence is crucial in building up self-esteem and helping them raise questions without experiencing doubt and scrutiny from their classmates.
4) Gives students another opportunity to review class material
If you thought that learning ends in school, then you are sadly mistaken. Learning extends to the home environment for any serious students. When your child completes homework regularly, they are given a unique opportunity to review class material. This constant revision not only builds on their knowledge but also expounds on their ability to recall information fast and identify alternative solutions to the same problem.
When your child does their homework, the learnt information is ingrained in their mind based on multiple revision exercises. The more exercises that they complete, the easier it is to approach such questions in future.
5) Parents get to see the content being taught in school
Homework isn’t just beneficial to the student. It is equally useful to the parent, especially when they are interested in their child’s progress and performance in various subjects. A brief 10- or 20-minutes skim of your child’s homework brings you up to speed on the specific content taught in school.
From your evaluation, you can assist your child in identifying alternative solutions to specific sets of questions. However, it’s advisable to encourage your child to identify solutions by themselves in preparation for examinations that are tested on individual comprehension.
6) Students learn to take responsibility for their part in the educational process
Homework is widely considered to be an ideal way to instill responsibility in students. By enforcing homework regularly, students are subconsciously informed on the need to take education seriously. Each assignment completed brings your child a step closer to achieving their educational goals and taking responsibility for their life decisions.
In short, homework prepares your child to take responsibility for much bigger tasks later in life that are more challenging and demanding than school content. This perspective equips your child with a growth mindset that is crucial in overcoming setbacks and realizing their set goals and objectives.
7) Students learn to do things even if they don’t want to
It’s a fact that most students don’t like homework especially when they must forego their favorite hobbies at home. But enforcing homework on your child is advantageous in teaching them that they must do things even when they don’t want to. Your child should be prepared to do such things that will become prevalent in adulthood.
It revolves around embracing sacrifice and foregoing instant gratification for delayed gratification. Being prepared to make sacrifices that will yield remarkable results isn’t reserved only for parents but for their children as well.
By embracing sacrifices, your child is in an elevated position to weed out distractions and focus on the task at hand. It isn’t easy but turning off the TV and cellphone is a great way to test their concentration and threshold for sacrifice.
8) Trains students to work independently
If you’ve ever wondered how you can test your child’s independence to complete assignments, then setting homework questions is a great strategy to begin with. As a parent, it’s imperative to give your child ample time to do their homework before rushing in to assist them. This allocated time is crucial in recalling learnt information and identifying effective alternatives to various questions.
Providing your child with ample time to do their homework speaks volumes about your level of trust in them. This level of independence and trust assist your child in making informed decisions on what makes sense in their future career aspirations.
9) Students learn to stay organized, act and plan
Completing homework effectively is a systematic process that entails following the assignment’s instructions, doing research from various sources and taking notes from various publications. Such guidelines can only be completed when your child practices organization, takes notes and plans their work. It is important early enough to ensure that the task is completed within the set time.
Failing to plan accordingly puts the quality of the assignment at risk by affecting its relevance and length. Such issues can be avoided by taking the time to organize, research and complete their assignment to ensure that relevant information is obtained.
10) Deepens students’ understanding of a subject matter
Understanding concepts from a classroom setting is admirable but taking the time to complete assignments speaks volumes about your capacity to go the extra mile in deepening your understanding. Often, homework breaks down complex terminologies and concepts to make the learning process effective. Based on proven research, students that cherished doing homework exhibited advanced understanding of various topics compared to those that shunned assignments.
Conclusion
Regardless of what naysayers might say, homework has transformed the learning process in multiple ways. Apart from simplifying the learning process, school assignments have also improved students’ problem-solving skills beyond the arithmetic requirements. Thus, homework has its place in the education process.
Related Questions
Is homework only beneficial to students? Homework does not only benefit students. It helps teachers and parents to nurture trust and cooperation with the students. This will help to develop successful students.
Is homework mandatory? Most schools have taken the initiative to make homework mandatory in their curriculum. Its implementation came in the reforms and modernization policies designed to yield optimal benefits to students.
