Homework should not be removed as an activity in school

Thanks for accepting the challenge. Homework should not be removed. However, there should be a limit to give homework. A review by researchers at Duke University of more than 60 research studies on homework between 1987 and 2003 showed that, within limits, there is a positive interaction between the amount of homework which is done and student achievement. The research synthesis also indicated that too much homework could be counterproductive. The research supports the '10-minute rule',the widely accepted practice of assigning 10 minutes of homework per day per grade-level. For example, under this system, 1st graders would receive 10 minutes of homework per night, while 5th graders would get 50 minutes' worth, 9th graders 90 minutes of homework, etc.[1] Benifits of Homework and why homework should not be removed: 1.Homework encourages students to work more independently, as they will have to at college and in their jobs. Everyone needs to discipline responsibility and skills in personal establishment,working to deadlines, being able to research, etc. If students are always ""spoon-fed"" topics at school, they will never develop study skills and self-discipline for the future. A gradual increase in homework responsibilities over the years allows these skills to develop . For instance, to read a novel or complete a research project, there is simply no time at school to do it properly. Students have to perform independently and be willing to read or write, acknowledging that if they struggle, they will have to work through the problem or the difficult words themselves. Diane Ravitch points out that a novel like Jane Eyre cannot be completed if it is not read at home -- students have to work through it themselves . 2.Having homework also permits students to genuinely fix in their heads work they have done in school. Doing tasks linked to recent lessons helps students strengthen their understanding and become more confident in using new knowledge and skills. For younger children this could be practising reading or multiplication tables. For older ones it might be writing up an experiment, revising for a test and reading in preparation for the next topic. Professor Cooper of Duke University, has found that there is evidence that in elementary school students do better on tests when they do short homework assignments related to the test . Students gain confidence from such practise, and that shows when they sit the tests. Education is a partnership between the child, the school and the home . Homework is one of the main ways in which the student""s family can be involved with their learning. Many parents value the chance to see what their child is studying and to support them in it. It has been described as the ""window into the school"" for parents, the area in which schools, parents and students interact daily . And schools need parents"" support in encouraging students to read at home, to help with the practising of tables, and to give them opportunities to research new topics. 4.Homework is a vital and valuable part of education. There are only a few hours in each school day -- not enough time to cover properly all the subjects children need to study. Setting homework extends study beyond school hours, allowing a wider and deeper education. It also makes the best implement of teachers, who can spend lesson time teaching rather than just supervising individual work that could be done at home. Education is about pushing boundaries, and the learning should not stop at the entrance to the classroom -- students should take skills learnt in the classroom and apply them at home. Homework allows this to happen, encouraging students to go above and beyond what they do in school. Reading is the best example, students learn how to read at school, but in order to get better, they need to practise and that is best done at home, with the support of parents and at the right pace for the student. Source: 1. http://dukenews.duke.edu...