Banning Homework In Schools?

Poll

Should schools move towards banning homework?

In the past few months in the news, there have been reports of some schools in the UK deciding to drop homework.

A Scottish primary school in the Highlands dropped homework after a vote, and now encourage children to read or play after school. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-37895302

Meanwhile, a secondary school in Essex remove homework from the agenda after claiming that there is not enough time in the day for a teacher to mark work, plan classes, and teach. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/secondary-school-philip-morant-college-catherine-hutley-bans-homework-time-improve-lessons-a7334401.html By abandoning homework, teachers can now focus on improving lessons.

These are just 2 examples, but there are more out there.

Do you think homework is a benefit or a hindrance on students? I can see the arguments for both sides, but personally when I was at school, I used homework as a tool for revision. I was more likely to remember things if I had completed a homework on it.

Reply 1

shadowdweller

Volunteer Section Leader

21

I think homework within reason, or for a useful purpose is a good thing. But homework for the sake of homework, as often was felt to be the case in school, I would not oppose a ban of. There's a lot to be said for a well thought out piece of work for revision, and that's something that can be incredibly useful, but not all are set up like that.

Reply 2

Fadel

16

Practice makes perfect. Useful homework should be encouraged.

Reply 3

Tiger Rag

22

As a revision tool, it's fine. But setting it for the sake of it, no.

I do remember at school, there was a teacher who set homework and rarely asked for it. She then moaned when many of us stopped doing it.

Reply 4

DarthRoar

20

Original post by shadowdweller

I think homework within reason, or for a useful purpose is a good thing.

This. Plenty of schools have a 'homework timetable' and often it would just consist of redundant exercises of things already learnt designed to take up time. Homework is good when there's a point for it, like revision.

Reply 5

Claire461

21

My children didn't do homework when they were in Primary school. I didn't allow it. When my children came home from school, that was family time. Fine when they went to the grammars [we had the 11+] here, but even then homework was set to an hour and a half by the school three times a week. Many of my children's teachers don't want to give homework. It just adds to the paperwork they have to do. There is also the issue of children being on a level playing field with their peers. Not every child has the space at home to complete homework. Housing is inadequate, many live in B&B or homeless hostels which makes it difficult for both parent and child. Many parents are not supportive when children bring homework home. My grandchildren sometimes bring home a project to do, but it is done over a period of time which is fine and there is no pressure. And before anyone starts about pressure being a preparation for children when they are older - they are children and they have all their years ahead of them for this.

Reply 6

Airmed

OP

21

Original post by Seamus123

My children didn't do homework when they were in Primary school. I didn't allow it. When my children came home from school, that was family time. Fine when they went to the grammars [we had the 11+] here, but even then homework was set to an hour and a half by the school three times a week. Many of my children's teachers don't want to give homework. It just adds to the paperwork they have to do. There is also the issue of children being on a level playing field with their peers. Not every child has the space at home to complete homework. Housing is inadequate, many live in B&B or homeless hostels which makes it difficult for both parent and child. Many parents are not supportive when children bring homework home. My grandchildren sometimes bring home a project to do, but it is done over a period of time which is fine and there is no pressure. And before anyone starts about pressure being a preparation for children when they are older - they are children and they have all their years ahead of them for this.

I did the 11+ (Oh N.Ireland) and during those 2 years prepping for them, we got homework at the weekend. :colonhash:

That was not fun at all. :sad:

Reply 7

Claire461

21

There were many parents who paid for extra 11+ tuition for their children. I saw children under enormous pressure from their parents. We lived in a small town where the majority were middle class. I didn't give my children any tuition.

Reply 8

Kibser

18

I only think that homework is good when it is relevant, even though we like it or not. If it isn't, it's probably useless. Revision tasks can be useful though.

It's unnecessary with younger children, but as they enter their teenage years, with GCSEs/A-levels, independent study is fundamental to building skills that can later be applied to degrees, and any other further pursuits. As much as children sulk over actually having to do work, it really is a necessity as exams near.

Reply 10

Saracen's Fez

20

Original post by DarthRoar

This. Plenty of schools have a 'homework timetable' and often it would just consist of redundant exercises of things already learnt designed to take up time. Homework is good when there's a point for it, like revision.

I can't help but think a homework timetable (which seems to be an increasingly common thing, even in secondary schools) is a really bad idea. If homework is going to be set when it is useful and appropriate then this will not fit a predetermined schedule.

Reply 11

Cromwellian

2

In Finland, students get almost no homework and yet their education system is one of the best in the world. I think there is scope to question homework's effectiveness.

Reply 12

Rarely

There were a few teachers at school who almost NEVER set homework and the one very rare occasion they did, it made me feel like my stomach had been hit with an ice shard. :lol:

Reply 13

Retired_Messiah

21

I agree with what other people have already said, it's a good idea to cull the ones that just fill homework timetables for no apparent reason and keep the useful stuff.

I almost never did my homework early on in secondary school 'cause I noticed it was mostly pointless, and I think that's probably had a knock on effect on my work ethic for revision nowadays (where I still do very little). Had I been set useful stuff I was more inclined toward doing I might've actually developed good habits at some point. Maybe.

Reply 14

drbluebox

19

Homework as is has become outdated doesn't mean it should vanish though.

Its outdated as most kids wikipedia stuff anyway so less showing skills than in past generations.

Never a perfect answer but homework often shows commitment, even when I did lines at school the teacher would shred them seconds later it was to show you are taking things serious.

Reply 15

Luke7456

20

absolutely we should ban homework. Some people are more privileged then others. For example some students will have been so privileged that they had the benefit of enjoying and valuing hard work and study. Which will give them a privileged advantage over students that bully them and put in no work what so ever.

The best and most fair thing to do is to utterly discourage hard work and eradicate people like me from the planet so we can have a society of lazy uneducated imbeciles in a perfect communist system where no one is allowed to work hard and most of society are hunting rats for dinner.

Note most of society should be punished for this because arguably hunting rats could be classed as a form of hard work which would make them more privileged then people who have lost the will to live and thus cannot be bothered to hunt rats.

Reply 16

Popsiclez

21

I don't think they should be completey banned I do however think GCSE students coming near to their exams should be excluded from being set any homework, do you know how hard it is doing a ten billion hour piece of Math Homework while also having to fill in my Art coursework and exam book and still revise for my other subejcts. Im only a Teenager jesus christ.

Reply 17

Kallisto

Entertainment Forum Helper

22

I personally have regarded homeworks as senseless. Firstly the students who are very good in the teached lessons are boring to do homeworks because of being unchallenged and secondly the ones who are very bad in the teached lessons are not getting better as a rule, even with the help of another students.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 18

Vikingninja

21

The homework which I got beyond year 9, yes keep that, before and during 9? **** it, it was garbage. Seriously my homework in year 7 English LANGUAGE involved drawing a pirate ship and labelling its interior. Pointless and took ****ing ages, we even had a point system where we chose what we did and each piece had a score and we had to meet a certain total score. It was nonsense because it was as shadow put it "homework for the sake of homework", if I got actually useful homework I would agree keeping it but what I got before year 10 was trash and by the time I was in year 10 it was basically revision for tests etc... except you were made to do it.

Reply 19

Kallisto

Entertainment Forum Helper

22

Original post by Cromwellian

In Finland, students get almost no homework and yet their education system is one of the best in the world. I think there is scope to question homework's effectiveness.

As far as I know, the homeworks are not compulsory. Students who are insecure may solve them to improve their skills and their understanding by their own. Or do I confuse this with Sweden?

Banning Homework In Schools?

Should schools move towards banning homework?

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you