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How Effective is Homework as a Learning Resource? Essay

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Is Homework Effective In Learning? Homework efficiency and effectiveness has been a long debated topic. Many people view it as important keystone to reinforce learning, while others think it is only busy work that interferes with activities at home. One article gives an example of how homework is debated, “During the first few decades of the 20th century, educators commonly believed that homework helped create disciplined minds . . . by 1940, growing concern that homework interfered with home activities sparked a reaction against the practice of homework . . . and this trend was reversed in the 1950’s when the Soviet’s launched Sputnik lead to concern that education in the United States lacked rigor” (Costley 2). Many studies have been …show more content…

Harris Cooper, Professor of Education and Psychology, concluded that “Up until fifth grade, homework should be extremely limited. Middle School Students should be less than 90 minutes a day on homework, and two hours should be the limit in high school”(1). The main cause of homework is teachers not having enough time in a school day to cover all the material, and they give homework to make up for topics barely covered. This benefits some students, who can teach themselves and learn at their own pace, but for others, human interaction is an important keystone in learning. However, some things besides curriculum are administered with homework, as said by Cooper Robinson, and Patall, “Certain nonacademic benefits of homework have been shown, especially for younger students. Indeed, some primary-level teachers may assign homework for such benefits, which include learning the importance of responsibility, managing time, developing study habits, and staying with a task until it is completed” (2006).
Homework is effective in teaching responsibility, but lacks in curriculum reinforcement.
HOMEWORK’S RELATION TO ACHIEVEMENT If homework is not very effective, then student achievement will probably remain at its current level. One research concludes that “The amount of homework completed by students seem to be more positively associated with student achievement than the

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