Journal Six: Pros and Cons of Homework

EDUCATION RETHINK ARTICLE: by John T. Spencer http://www.educationrethink.com/2011/09/ten-reasons-to-get-rid-of-homework-and.html September 19, 2011 

SUMMARY: The article is about ten reasons why not to give kids homework.   I agree with some of the points he mentioned in the article.  However, homework is ingrained in all of us.  It is part of our nature and who we are.  While I agree with some of the points he made, I also think a little, not a lot, of homework will work with skills and grades. 


 Here is my list of five reasons why we need homework, and five reasons why we should get rid of homework. 

 Pros: 1. gives students structure. Everything in life is structured unless you're lounging around in your parents house. 2. Not enough time to complete assignments in class. They need to be done at home. 3. Reinforcement helps with learning. Remember 409. It took the developers 408 failures to finally come up with a product that works. 4. Collaboration with classmates, and students from around the country/world is part of education. 5. Students who spend a little more time with homework get better grades and pass the courses.

Cons: 1) My students work or babysit. They do not have time for homework 2) A good majority live in rooms rented from friends/families and they don't have a place to do homework. 3) What they learned today will be lost if they don't hear/do/repeat/memorize it seven times. 4) Some of my students are also parents. They will be so hard pressed to find time to juggle responsibilities. 5) Why waste time assigning homework when no one does it anyway?