School curriculums have always accommodated giving out homework as a means of student learning. While the motive is a genuine and good one, the reaction from students is not always pleasing. This is especially since many students end up piling homework until it becomes burdensome and a huge problem in their academic lives. The fact remains that homework does not seem to be going away anytime soon irrespective of the complaints from students. However, the real question is; how much homework is considered a heavy homework amount?
How much homework is too much?
Homework patterns differ according to different countries and different school curriculums. In some countries, the average student would spend 9-15 hours weekly trying to solve homework. While this might be feasible for some students, other students simply cannot adapt to this pattern. You know homework is too much when you start seeing the effects on students.
How much homework per grade is sufficient?
The key to dishing out homework in the right proportion is understanding students’ capabilities and grade levels. Many people concur with the findings from the “10 minutes” research. Here, the lowest school graders would spend ten minutes of their time every day doing homework. It also means that as the grade gets higher, extra ten minutes would be added to the amount of homework that they should solve.
The effects of too much homework
Research shows that too much homework can be harmful to students, irrespective of grade level. This effect reflects in their social, mental, and academic lives.
- Students hate the teachers and the course in general. The course also becomes a red flag for students and the discord between teacher and student heightens.
- Disliking the course and teacher sometimes automatically means getting bad grades that affect academic life. One of the key reasons why students would fail a subject is when they hate the subject.
- Many times, students get frustrated and mentally exhausted. This effect is especially if they have piled up heap loads of homework to be solved.
- Students spend more time trying to tackle homework rather than enjoying their learning process. Rather than challenge students to do better, homework becomes a stumbling block they hate to come across. Some students can endure the process, and some cannot mask it.
- Heaping too much homework on students can result in dropping out of school entirely. This is also one of the leading reasons why students fear furthering their academics.
- Overall, there is a high chance of non-productivity in the academics of students because they combat excessive homework. It isn’t uncommon to find students cheating on their homework to arrive at answers.
Should kids have homework?
As mentioned earlier, the average time spent on homework should vary based on factors like grade, age, and students’ capabilities. The idea of homework is not a bad one if it is well managed. Hence, kids should have homework in small amounts depending on the above factors. Here are some of the benefits of homework for kids.
- It helps kids bond with their parents as they help them solve their homework. More often than not, helping kids map out a solution for their homework would help parents and kids establish a bond beyond their academic life.
- It can make the learning process faster for kids. Many kids find out that they assimilate better when they revisit what they have been taught in the classroom at home. This is also a means of personal learning.
- They learn in their comfort and keep up to date with areas that they lack. School hours are not nearly enough time for teachers to cover everything students need to know about their studies.
Conclusion
Sometimes, students do not exaggerate when they exclaim; I have too much homework! While homework is beneficial to students, having to deal with too much homework can equally be harmful. The best way to balance homework so that it does not disrupt students’ life is by evaluating their capabilities.
