Topic: Should children have homework?

I. Introduction Children should not have homework for several reasons. II. Body Argument: 1. Homework creates stress for children. Children are under a lot of stress to get homework done correctly and on time. Exercises in school often make children tired. Homework can cause conflict between parent and children. 2. Homework takes children a large amount of time which should be spent on relaxing. Children need spend time with their family. Children should be outside playing sports and enjoy some activities with friends. Counterargument and Refutation: 1. Counterargument: Doing homework is a good way to develop responsibilities. 2. Refutation: Children end up copying off one another in attempt to finish all their assignments. Homework creates bad habits. III. Conclusion: Homework can do children harm. Education is one the most important part in our country and plays a necessary role in our daily life. Homework is a controversial topic of debate in education. Many people think that homework is an indispensable part of school life. Doing homework is a good way to develop childrens responsibilities. However, others believe that teachers should not give homework for children because of the following reasons.

Outline Topic: Should children have homework? I II Introduction Children should not have homework for several reasons Body *Argument: Homework creates stress for children - Children are under a lot of stress to get homework done correctly and on time - Exercises in school often make children tired - Homework can cause conflict between parent and children Homework takes children a large amount of time which should be spent on relaxing - Children need spend time with their family - Children should be outside playing sports and enjoy some activities with friends * Counterargument and Refutation: Counterargument: Doing homework is a good way to develop responsibilities Refutation: - Children end up copying off one another in attempt to finish all their assignments - Homework creates bad habits III Conclusion: Homework can children harm Education is one the most important part in our country and plays a necessary role in our daily life Homework is a controversial topic of debate in education Many people think that homework is an indispensable part of school life Doing homework is a good way to develop children's responsibilities However, others believe that teachers should not give homework for children because of the following reasons The first reason is that homework creates stress for children Along with the survey data from 4,317 students of 10 high schools in upper-middle-class California communities, Pope found that fifty-six percent of the scholars regarded homework as a main reason of stress; forty-three percent considered tests stressor, thirty-three percent of the students are under a lot of stress because of getting good grades Only less than one percent of the pupils claimed homework was not a stressor (Parker C B., 2014) Children are under a lot of stress to complete assignment correctly and punctually Children are afraid of teachers’ punishment if they not finish homework which teachers assign Tending to homework, they may stay up late at night and have to get up early in the next day to study so they lack of sleep and can not focus on studying Furthermore, activities and exercises in school make children tired so children not want to have homework after they come back home Due to shortened recess time, children at primary school are not likely to have enough time to deal with what they have learnt As a result from this pressure, children bring home and accomplish homework which makes them feel more stressful (Cordz E ) Moreover, homework can cause conflict between children and their parents which is the reason why children are constantly under pressure Parents want the children to homework so they meet resistance from their kids; or parents are too busy to help children complete assignments while their children can feel stressful Many parents said that they are not ready for helping their children homework and that their children feel stressful when they try to support recurrently (Pickering, 2014) Another reason is that homework takes children a large amount of time which should be spent on relaxing A research based on survey and students both showed the deficits of spending too much time on homework which is the possible outcomes of the physical underdevelopment and the cultivation of critical social life as well If a student seems to be given many assignments, he/she will be so overwhelmed that his/her engaged parts in family relationship or friendship are easy to fade away (Parker C B., 2014) Students spend most of their days at school while parents are at work (Clifford, The Tyranny of Homework: 20 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Assign Homework Over The Holidays, 2012) After going home, children tend to finish homework so they not have time to talk with parents Family time is extremely important to achievement, behavior and child development (Clifford, The Tyranny of Homework: 20 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Assign Homework Over The Holidays, 2012) They need to spend time with their family to learn some things which are not taught in school If children not have homework, relationship between children and parents becomes more closeknit They can talk and solve the problem in their life as well as school together Moreover, children should go out and enjoy some activities with their friends to improve social relationships Many people said that children need between to hours a day of fresh air and sunshine (Kravolec, 2014) Playing outside or participate in a sport is a good way to get them to value physical activity (Clifford, The Tyranny of Homework: 20 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Assign Homework Over The Holidays) If they are free in the evening, they will have much time to chat with friends and relax after a hard day Children need a balanced life “Children need time to be children” Some people may think that doing homework is a good way to develop responsibilities for children Children have to finish their homework before going to school They assigned their homework today and they need to hand in it on the next day It raises children's awareness about their responsibility This is partly true but homework can result in cheating Going home after school, some children may feel bored with homework, because they have study hard all day and they not want to complete their homework They will start cheating: copying off one another in attempt to finish their assignment Otherwise, homework can create bad habits for children Homework does not help children to become hard worker, because the work is not self-directed (Spencer, 2011) Children not want to homework, they start cheating, lying parents that they have finished all the homework In conclusion, there is undoubtedly the potential harm to giving homework for children by their teachers Studies show that education should have extra-curricular activities and more games as a subject instead of doing homework Children are the future of countries so they need to have good conditions to develop Teachers should not have give homework to create stress for children Go out and enjoy the world Play, sing and not worry about homework (862 words) REFERENCE Clifford, M (2012) The Tyranny of Homework: 20 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Assign Homework Over The Holidays Retrieved from http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/the-tyranny-of-homework-20-reasons-whyyou-shouldnt-assign-homework-over-the-h Cordz, E (n.d.) Does homework cause stress in children Retrieved from http://www.outofstress.com/homework-and-stress/ Kravolec, E ( 2014) Should schools ban homework? Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/05/opinion/kralovec-ban-homework/ Parker, C B (2014, March 10) Stanford research shows pitfalls of homework Retrieved from http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/march/too-much-homework-031014.html Pickering, R J (2014, March) Educational leader Retrieved from http://www.lincnet.org/cms/lib05/MA01001239/Centricity/Domain/108/Homework.pdf Spencer, J (2011, September 19) Ten reasons to get rid of homework and five alternatives Retrieved from http://www.spencerideas.org/2011/09/ten-reasons-to-get-rid-of-homeworkand.html Stanford research shows pitfalls of homework By Clifton B Parker Stanford report, March 10, 2014 A Stanford researcher found that too much homework can negatively affect kids, especially their lives away from school, where family, friends and activities matter "Our findings on the effects of homework challenge the traditional assumption that homework is inherently good," wrote Denise Pope, a senior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and a co-author of a study published in the Journal of Experimental Education The researchers used survey data to examine perceptions about homework, student well-being and behavioral engagement in a sample of 4,317 students from 10 high-performing high schools in upper-middle-class California communities Along with the survey data, Pope and her colleagues used open-ended answers to explore the students' views on homework Median household income exceeded $90,000 in these communities, and 93 percent of the students went on to college, either two-year or four-year Students in these schools average about 3.1 hours of homework each night "The findings address how current homework practices in privileged, high-performing schools sustain students' advantage in competitive climates yet hinder learning, full engagement and well-being," Pope wrote Pope and her colleagues found that too much homework can diminish its effectiveness and even be counterproductive They cite prior research indicating that homework benefits plateau at about two hours per night, and that 90 minutes to two and a half hours is optimal for high school Their study found that too much homework is associated with: • Greater stress: 56 percent of the students considered homework a primary source of stress, according to the survey data Forty-three percent viewed tests as a primary stressor, while 33 percent put the pressure to get good grades in that category Less than percent of the students said homework was not a stressor • Reductions in health: In their open-ended answers, many students said their homework load led to sleep deprivation and other health problems The researchers asked students whether they experienced health issues such as headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, weight loss and stomach problems • Less time for friends, family and extracurricular pursuits: Both the survey data and student responses indicate that spending too much time on homework meant that students were "not meeting their developmental needs or cultivating other critical life skills," according to the researchers Students were more likely to drop activities, not see friends or family, and not pursue hobbies they enjoy Does homework cause stress in children? By Emily Cordz Does Homework Cause Stress in Children? Unfortunately, the answer to this question is yes The age where homework starts to stress children is becoming lower, some children even reporting concerning levels of stress due to homework in early elementary school There are many reasons for this trend, but one of the most common one is the amount of information children are expected to learn is increasing in complexity, and the rate they are expected to learn it is either remain the same or decreasing For elementary schools, the shortened recess time puts more pressure on children without allowing them the time to work out their energy and digest what they have learned This increased pressure is brought home and makes completing homework assignments a difficult task and very stressful for children Middle and high schools continue the tough academic pressures Larger class sizes, shorter break times and strong pressures to perform well on standardized tests all place students under large amounts of stress All of these factors make completing homework assignments a dubious task In this setting a student who has questions on various parts of the lesson will have a much harder time getting that personal attention to answer their question, which in turn leads to hours of frustration while trying to complete the homework assignment or an incomplete homework Educational leadership Robert J Marzano and Debra J Pickering Parent Involvemen Another question regarding homework is the extent to which schools should involve parents Some studies have reported minimal positive effects or even negative effects for parental involvement In addition, many parents report that they feel unprepared to help their children with homework and that their efforts to help frequently cause stress (see Balli, 1998; Corno, 1996; Hoover-Dempsey, Bassler, & Burow, 1995; Perkins & Milgram, 1996) Epstein and colleagues conducted a series of studies to identify the conditions under which parental involvement enhances homework (Epstein, 2001; Epstein & Becker, 1982; Van Voorhis, 2003) They recommended interactive homework in which * Parents receive clear guidelines spelling out their role *Teachers not expect parents to act as experts regarding content or to attempt to teach the content * Parents ask questions that help students clarify and summarize what they have learned Good and Brophy (2003) provided the following recommendations regarding parent involvement: Especially useful for parent-child relations purposes are assignments calling for students to show or explain their written work or other products completed at school to their parents and get their reactions (Epstein, 2001; Epstein, Simon, & Salinas, 1997) or to interview their parents to develop information about parental experiences or opinions relating to topics studied in social studies (Alleman & Brophy, 1998) Such assignments cause students and their parents or other family members to become engaged in conversations that relate to the academic curriculum and thus extend the students' learning Furthermore, because these are likely to be genuine conversations rather than more formally structured teaching/learning tasks, both parents and children are likely to experience them as enjoyable rather than threatening (p 395) The Tyranny of homework: 20 reasons why you shouldn't assign homework over the holidays Posted by Miriam Clifford on Thursday, December 20, 2012 Here are 20 reasons why you shouldn’t assign homework over the holidays Perhaps one of your students will print this list and encourage you to reconsider your ideas about homework Students are learning all the time in the 21st century According to a recent article in MindShift traditional homework will become obsolete in the next decade Thanks to computers, learning is occurring 24/7 With access to software programs, worldwide connections, and learning websites such as the Khan Academy, learning occurs all the time According to Mindshift, “the next decade is going to see the traditional temporal boundaries between home and school disappear.” Try to see if you can bridge the gap between school and home by getting students interested in doing their own research over holiday break Rather than assigning homework, create a true interest in learning They will often pursue learning about topics they like on their own After all, this is the way of the 21st century and information is everywhere More homework doesn’t necessarily equate to higher achievement Yes, too much homework can actually be a bad thing A 1989 Duke University study that reviewed 120 10 studies found a weak link between achievement and homework at the elementary level and only a moderate benefit at the middle school level In a similar recent review of 60 studies, researchers at Duke U found homework was beneficial, but assigning excessive amounts of homework was counterproductive The research found homework was more beneficial for older students than younger ones The study was completed by Harris Cooper, a leading homework research and author of “The Battle over Homework: Common Ground for Administrators, Teachers, and Parents” Cooper suggests that teachers at the younger level may assign homework for improving study skills, rather than learning, explaining why many studies concluded less benefit for younger children Many teachers not receive specific training on homework Cooper suggests that homework should be uncomplicated and short, involve families, and engage student interests Countries that assign more homework don’t outperform those with less homework Around the world, countries that assign more homework don’t see to perform any better A Stanford study found that in counties like Japan, Denmark, and the Czech Republic little homework was assigned and students outperformed students in counties with large amounts of homework such as Greece, Thailand, and Iran American and British students seem to have more homework than most counties, and still only score in the international average In fact, Japan has instituted no homework policies at younger levels to allow family time and personal interests Finland, a national leader in international tests, limits high school homework to half hour per night Of course, there are other factors not taken into account in the study, such as length of the school day But in itself, it is interesting to see this issue from a world perspective 11 Instead of assigning homework, suggest they read for fun There are great holiday stories and books you can recommend to parents and students If you approach the activity with a holiday spirit, many students will be engaged They may want to check out the stories on their own You can start by reading the first chapter in class and leaving them intrigued For instance, you can read the first chapter of The Gift of the Magi and suggest students read it over winter break With younger students, you might promise roles in a play for students who read over break Don’t assign holiday busy work Most academics agree that busy work does little to increase learning It is best to not assign packets of worksheets if they nothing to add to student learning You also don’t want to waste valuable time grading meaningless paperwork Some studies show that much homework may actually decline achievement Assigning excessive amounts of homework may be detrimental In fact, a 2006 study by Yankelovick found that reading achievement declined when students were assigned too much homework Actually, interesting reading such as Harry Potter produced higher reading achievement Have students attend a local cultural event You can let parents know that instead of assigning homework, you are suggesting students attend a particular event that relates to your classroom For instance, if you are reading Shakespeare, they might attend a related play or ballet Family time is more important during the holidays Assigning less homework makes it easier for families to have time together Family studies at the University of Michigan, show that family time is extremely important to achievement and behavior Studies on family meals, suggest that students who have dinner with their family have better academic scores and 12 behavioral outcomes Perhaps this is only a correlation, but family time is undeniably important to child development Students spent most of their days at school while parents are at work When all is said and done, remember what it was like being a kid The things you remember most about the holidays aren’t the assignments you took home, but the time you spend with family and friends For students who travel during the holidays, homework may impede learning on their trip The Holiday time is the one time of year that many families reconnect with distant family members or travel I remember having to pack hoards of books over some holidays to Spain and it was not fun I wanted to enjoy the time with family and experience the country fully Traveling in itself is a learning activity Let students experience their travels fully Kids need time to be kids A recent article from Australia’s Happy Child website, “What is the value of Homework: Research and Reality” considers this issue and explains how children need unstructured play time Homework can have a negative influence on early learning experiences Suggest students use holiday time to physical activity, such as ice-skating or sledding Many kids don’t get enough exercise Childhood obesity is a major problem in the United States Suggesting students play outside or participate in a sport is a good way to get them to value physical activity The holidays are a great time for kids to go sledding in the snow or play with friends outside If no one has homework, classmates might exchange phone numbers to play together You can suggest this to parents If the teacher thinks physical activity is important, students will too 10 Some education experts recommend an end to all homework Etta Kralovec and John Buell, authors of The End of Homework: How Homework Disrupts Families, Overburdens Children, and Limits Learning, controversially suggests that homework may be a 13 form of intrusion on family life, and may increase the drop-out rate in high schools The authors blame homework for increasing the achievement gap due to socio-economic differences in after-school obligations Consider challenging your own views of the benefits of homework and try to create a level playing field when considering assignments 11 Send a letter to parents explaining why you are not assigning work You might want to take the Christmas holiday as a chance to engage parents to play a learning game or some art with their kids If families know there is an intentional purpose to not assigning work, they may take the chance to spend more one-on-one time with their child 12 You can make the holidays a time for an “open project” for extra credit Students might take this time to something related to the curriculum that they would like to explore on their own terms Before the holidays, you might talk about topics or provide books students for students to take home Learning for fun and interest, might produce more meaningful engagement than assigned homework 13 Suggest they visit a museum instead With families at home, the holiday time is a great time for students to see an exhibit that interests them or a fun activity at a nearby museum Sometimes encouraging these field trips may be more beneficial than assigning homework You might want to print coupons, a schedule, or a list of upcoming exhibits so that families have the information at their fingertips 14 Encourage students to volunteer during the holiday time The holidays are a great time for students to give back Students might volunteer at a local soup kitchen or pantry Volunteer organizations are often at their busiest during the holiday time Plus, students learn a lot from the experience of doing community service I remember visiting a group home during the holiday time in high school and helping kids wrap Christmas gifts for their families This is 14 a great alternative to assigning homework, especially for Generation Y who highly values civic involvement 15 Develop a class game You might have the class play a learning game the week before vacation and have them take it home to show their family My fourth grade teacher had hopscotch math We often drew with chalk outside to replicate her game at home Try to think of a holiday-themed game or one that the whole family can get involved in 16 Students might learn more from observing the real world Learning isn’t just about paper and pencil activities Teachers should also inspire students to seek ways to learn from real-world experiences They might cook with their parents and practice measuring Or tag along with a parent who is putting up holiday lights or building a shed Ask students to observe a job around the house or ask their parents about their job over holiday break They might be enlightened to learn more about the real world and different jobs they might pursue in the future Perhaps some students might be able to go to work with their parents instead of a formal assignment 17 Go on a hike Students learn a great deal from nature Tell students to go outside on a walk and be ready to share their experience when they get back Did they observe natural phenomena you talked about in science class or different types of rocks you discussed in geology? Or can you tie their walk into a discussion of poetry? 18 Tell students to visit an amusement park If you are teaching physics or math, amusement parks give ample room to explain the laws of physics and mathematical probability This outing would allow students to think about the real world implications of science You may want to even plan a lesson beforehand that ties this idea in On another level, it allows students to create a lasting memory with their own families 15 19 Kids need rest! Everyone needs a mental breather and the holidays are the best time for students to play and take a break from school Kids need a full ten hours of sleep and adequate rest The vacation time is a great time for students to take a mental breather from school With many family outings and vacations during the holiday time, they will have less time to complete homework They will come back to school feeling re-energized 20 Many parents and students dislike holiday homework You want parents to buy-in to your classroom community and support your endeavors with students Assigning holiday homework is usually unpopular with parents because it may the one time of year they have to give children their undivided attention Instead, you might want to take a survey to see if parents agree with the idea You can then send a letter with the survey results Taking parents’ perspectives into account shows you value their opinions and feedback Students prefer some free time too Not surprisingly one student created a Facebook page, titled, “Why teachers give us homework over the holiday.” If the students know you are giving them a break over the holidays they may work harder for you when they get back Ten reasons to get rid of homework (and five alternatives) By John Spencer Homework Teaches Bad Work Habits: I know this sounds crazy, because it’s precisely the reason that so many people give for offering homework However, homework doesn’t teach good study habits It teaches kids to study, because they have to rather than need to Similarly, homework doesn’t help children become hard workers, because the work is not self-directed Want to watch a child work hard and take ownership of learning? Watch a child build a bridge 16 for fun Let a child read a book for fun (without the bribery of fried dough) and see just how hard a kid will work when there is a meaningful goal Hard work is a product of motivation It is an internal drive When we a parent steps in an makes a child work hard, the work ethic diminishes Should schools ban homework? By Etta kravolec With a new school year starting, homework is front and center in many homes Parents worry if their kids are completing the assigned work while kids wonder why they have to work when really they prefer to play in the sun There's good news for some families in Quebec The College de Saint-Ambroise, an elementary school in Quebec, has banned homework for kids in grade one through six for a year The Canadian media exploded with blogs, tweets and radio talk shows questioning the decision or applauding the action Attempts to ban homework aren't new In 2012, President Francoise Hollande of France proposed banning homework for all primary and middle school students, which was roundly ridiculed by The Wall Street Journal In the same year, a school in Germany decided to actually away with homework for students in grades five to nine Oddly, when schools decide to ban homework, it is big news, but we know little about what happens afterward What we know is that Finland assigns little homeworkand its students have some of the highest test scores in the world 17 Los Angeles Unified School District America's second-largest school system took a different tact In 2011, it set a policy that homework could not count for more than 10% of a student's grade The decision caused such an outrage that a 15-member panel was formed and subsequently changed the policy so that homework accounted for 20% of a student's grade This kind of intense debate about homework has a long history For example, in the 1920s, some physicians were concerned about the impact of homework on children's health They argued that children need between six to seven hours a day of fresh air and sunshine In the 1930s, editor Edward Bok of the Ladies Home Journal also called for an end to the practice For the rest of the 20th century, different research reports were used to support or dismiss the practice, yet it persists despite the lack of clarity on its educational value What is clear is that parents and kids don't live in the world of academic research; they live in the real world where there are piles of homework on the kitchen table The experience of homework is very different depending on which side of the economic divide you sit The unequal distribution of educational resources means that some students go home to nannies, well-stocked home libraries, tutors, well-educated parents and high-speed Internet Others students go home to caring for siblings in crowded apartments and often-absent parents who barely make ends meet The issue of inequality was a main reason that the French President proposed banning homework What about parents' educational hopes for their kids? Homework forces families to follow the state's educational agenda Most parents are willing to turn their kids over to the state for the seven to nine hours of the school day for educational enrichment But then they want to build a rich family life with their kids, and homework can 18 interfere with that For example, if parents want their children to be actively engaged with grandparents or church activities in the evening, those things would compete with homework time Who controls a child's time has tremendous implications for the debate on homework Should children be in school nine hours only to come home to two hours of homework? Could the intense pressure on children to achieve academically have negative health impacts down the road, in addition to the increased childhood obesity we are seeing? When schools ratchet up the pressure for higher academic achievement, one of the first things to go is recess even as homework is piled on While scholars debate the value of homework and pundits, politicians and educators call for increased educational choices, greater standardization and accountability for schools many parents and students feel overwhelmed The pressure of longer school days and more homework don't help matters Parents who want to connect personally in meaningful ways with their children after a long day at their job would well to remember that they have a right to family time uninterrupted by homework They would well to listen to what their kids have to say about the impact of homework on their lives Too much homework may not be a good thing, especially for younger children For families interested in clearing the kitchen table they can find support and advice from the growing Healthy Homework movement At the end of the day, it's about how one wants to balance work, family, educational goals and happiness 19 20 [...]... parents want their children to be actively engaged with grandparents or church activities in the evening, those things would compete with homework time Who controls a child's time has tremendous implications for the debate on homework Should children be in school nine hours only to come home to two hours of homework? Could the intense pressure on children to achieve academically have negative health... to connect personally in meaningful ways with their children after a long day at their job would do well to remember that they have a right to family time uninterrupted by homework They would do well to listen to what their kids have to say about the impact of homework on their lives Too much homework may not be a good thing, especially for younger children For families interested in clearing the kitchen... holiday time, they will have less time to complete homework They will come back to school feeling re-energized 20 Many parents and students dislike holiday homework You want parents to buy-in to your classroom community and support your endeavors with students Assigning holiday homework is usually unpopular with parents because it may the one time of year they have to give children their undivided... internal drive When we a parent steps in an makes a child work hard, the work ethic diminishes Should schools ban homework? By Etta kravolec With a new school year starting, homework is front and center in many homes Parents worry if their kids are completing the assigned work while kids wonder why they have to work when really they prefer to play in the sun There's good news for some families in Quebec... for their families This is 14 a great alternative to assigning homework, especially for Generation Y who highly values civic involvement 15 Develop a class game You might have the class play a learning game the week before vacation and have them take it home to show their family My fourth grade teacher had hopscotch math We often drew with chalk outside to replicate her game at home Try to think of a... the younger level may assign homework for improving study skills, rather than learning, explaining why many studies concluded less benefit for younger children Many teachers do not receive specific training on homework Cooper suggests that homework should be uncomplicated and short, involve families, and engage student interests 3 Countries that assign more homework don’t outperform those with less... because it’s precisely the reason that so many people give for offering homework However, homework doesn’t teach good study habits It teaches kids to study, because they have to rather than need to Similarly, homework doesn’t help children become hard workers, because the work is not self-directed Want to watch a child work hard and take ownership of learning? Watch a child build a bridge 16 for fun... achievement Have students attend a local cultural event You can let parents know that instead of 6 assigning homework, you are suggesting students attend a particular event that relates to your classroom For instance, if you are reading Shakespeare, they might attend a related play or ballet 7 Family time is more important during the holidays Assigning less homework makes it easier for families to have time... accounted for 20% of a student's grade This kind of intense debate about homework has a long history For example, in the 1920s, some physicians were concerned about the impact of homework on children' s health They argued that children need between six to seven hours a day of fresh air and sunshine In the 1930s, editor Edward Bok of the Ladies Home Journal also called for an end to the practice For the rest... have time together Family studies at the University of Michigan, show that family time is extremely important to achievement and behavior Studies on family meals, suggest that students who have dinner with their family have better academic scores and 12 behavioral outcomes Perhaps this is only a correlation, but family time is undeniably important to child development Students spent most of their days