The Three Benefits and Drawbacks of Homework

As society progresses, it tries to find ways to improve the lives of its citizens. One issue being debated upon is the relevance of homework. Some say that assignments after school are ineffective and burdensome, while others continue to defend its helpfulness.

The following are three benefits and drawbacks of homework.

Benefit 1: Students get to master the lesson.

The main reason why homework is assigned in the first place is that the classroom lecture is not enough to get students to understand what was taught. Despite the many wonders of our brains, we are still not capable enough to simply listen to a lecture and understand everything. This is why homework is given, so students get to practice and read again for mastery.

Benefit 2: Students pick up essential life skills.

Since doing homework requires a combination of discipline, time management, and responsibility, these afterschool tasks prepare students for life after graduation. From elementary to college, students have nearly 16 solid years of training to become more mature individuals. Thus, removing it will make things much more difficult for society’s future workforce.

Benefit 3: Students are given a heads up for the following topic.

To ensure students are not always lost during lectures, most teachers add topics in homework that require advanced study. Although students do complain about it, the reality is that they are being prepared already for what comes next.

Drawback 1: Students have less time to enjoy themselves.

The biggest reason why students want to remove homework is so they can have fun after school. They claim it prevents them from seeing friends, talking with the family, or watching TV.

Drawback 2: Homework does not improve learning

Another complaint is that homework does not improve learning. 

Despite doing tons of assignments, students still get low grades in exams, especially in standardized tests. Thus, many question the point of all the daily tasks.

Drawback 3: Not all students can do their homework

One final issue is that students from lower-income families do not have the means to do their assignments. Many tasks today require access to a fast computer and the internet, which not everybody has. Thus, homework is not always fair to all.

Final Thoughts

While both sides have merits, I believe that the real issue is that homework is not utilized properly. Homework is needed for students to understand and remember because our brains are not built like computers. If they were, there would be no need for school as we could access books and know all we need to know. But it is also obvious that some assignments are not helpful, depending on the student type or how it is assigned.

So rather than removing homework, educators need to figure out how to revise their assignments so that all students can learn, not just the privileged students. And they need to ensure that the true competencies students need are in the homework and that it is not just assigned for the sake of keeping students busy after school.