Prompt: Team activities can teach more skills for life than those activities which are played alone. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

It is clear that the recent debate on whether or not school children should be given homework does not seem to come to an end any time soon. Although some may argue that the setting of homework is not directly linked to students’ outcomes, I agree that it offers a myriad of other significant benefits. Ċ There are several reasons why homework is considered an unnecessary burden on children. First, there is evidence to support the idea that duty does nothing to improve educational outcomes. Countries such as Finland, where school children are not given assignments, regularly top international educational league tables and outperform nations where setting homework is the norm. Second, many parents would agree that the school day is already long-enough and leaves their children too tired and stressed to do a myriad of other duties when they return home. In fact, the study-and-life balance of offspring has been negatively affected due to overload assignments in many countries, resulting in hampering children’s brain development or a serious breakdown. Ċ In spite of the above arguments, giving assignments has an important part to play in the schooling of children. The main benefit of homework is that it encourages independent learning and problem-solving. In fact, offspring are challenged to work through tasks alone and at their own pace, which enables them to apply the knowledge that they have learnt in the classroom. In addition, developing an independent study habit is an essential and useful skill to prepare students to work alone as adults. For example, by doing mathematics exercises at home, students consolidate their understanding of the concepts taught by their teachers at school. Ċ In conclusion, homework certainly has its drawbacks. Nevertheless, the benefits that it produces outweigh them in the long term.