The Debate (Week 47) || Homework: An essential tool for learning

_{Photo credit: @sahmie}
My quantitative reasoning teacher was the worst teacher I had in primary 5 – or so I thought. The teacher made it a point of duty to bombard us with loads of homework at the end of each class.

There were about 10-15 exercises to complete. But to my young mind, that was a thousand. Truth be told, I skipped doing some. And would rather do the 50+ frog jumps or spend the first 30 minutes of the class picking pin.

In the end, I performed excellently in other subjects except for quantitative reasoning which was my Achilles heel.

But would you say this was truly my Achilles heel? Or do you believe that I would have performed better if I had spent more time with my homework or assignments?

In this debate, I intend to discuss how home works are essential for all learners. Which includes both those acquiring their basic and tertiary education.

* * *
Many people believe that homework is a burden on learners, especially when they combine them with other extracurricular activities.

They believe that learners should spend more time in finding practical solutions to problems. However, assignments help students in a plethora of ways which goes beyond earning good grades.

Point 1: It improves a learners thinking and sharpens memory
Our brains retain less than 20% of what we hear. So imagine attending a 1 hr class and only remembering a fraction of what the lecturer discussed. What then would you do to recall the remaining 70-80%?

According to the Learning Pyramid, you can only remember about 75% of what you practise doing. This is where actual learning takes place. Hence, those extra activities given as take home assignments do help in retaining knowledge.

Point 2: It prepares students for the next class
Students who read ahead of class have a higher chance of understanding each topic better. It also enables them participate in class discussions. Looking at the learning pyramid again, you would agree that people remember 50% of things they discuss either as contributions or questions.

It is for this reason that most educators assign activity to be completed before class. Those who participate in this act of reinforcement build their long term memory in the process.

Point 3: Helps learners develop relevant skills
Research shows that take home assignments are essential because they help students build and improve relevant skills. Examples include but are not limited to research and self-regulation skills. These are skills you will use throughout your life. Therefore, everytime students complete their homework, they indirectly prepare themselves for your future.

Although homework is vital, giving too much of it becomes counterproductive. For best practices, it is recommendable to break activities into smaller chunks.

For optimal results, educators can use various learning methodologies such as presentations, excursions, mini projects, etc. Not only does this increase retention rate, but it also helps learners build a positive learning attitude.

Special thanks goes to @sahmie for this interesting contest. Special invitation to @yhudy, @bela90, @chiomzy810 and @rossnenye.

_{Written by @ukpono on 8 November 2024}