Argumentative essay on homework

Picture this: it is a typical Wednesday evening. Homework was assigned in math and chemistry. My math homework is worth ten points where ten assignments is worth thirty percent towards my overall grade. In chemistry, my teacher gives my eight-problem chemistry homework a look-see but does not score or grade it.

It should not be hard to figure out which assignment I would be more motivated to complete, not just to get it done, but to do it well. When homework is incentivized, it elicits my best effort. My efforts make me comfortable with what I am learning, and I am rewarded in the long run. In any curriculum, homework should be given daily and should always be worth points because it improves memory, motivates students, and improves grades. One benefit of daily homework is that it can help students memorize the information being taught, which is necessary for any class.

Some subjects depend on the student memorizing specific material and being able to work efficiently with it. For instance, chemistry requires the student to memorize the characteristics of elements in the Periodic Table. Another example is the use of times tables in arithmetic. According to Harris Cooper, a professor at Duke University, “ Across five studies, the average student who did homework had a higher unit test score than the students not doing homework” (Fuglei). Consequently, his experiments go to show that homework aids students in understanding the information being taught.

In addition, daily assignments motivate the student to work harder. As students get older, the material gets harder and takes more time. Consequently, academic achievement, fueled by frequent, graded homework, incentivizes students to put time in and focus. The Center for Public Education states that, “ Older students gain more academic benefits from homework than do younger students, perhaps because younger students have less-effective study habits and are more easily distracted” (“ What”). The transition from being a younger student to an older one has gradual changes, such as harder, more time consuming material that requires different strategiesAs the amount of homework increases, the student can gain a work ethic that may lead to a promising future. Furthermore, homework gives opportunities to boost grades if the student is not a good test-taker.

Many factors can cause a student to give less effort in studying and lead to poor grades, such as anxiety, lack of sleep, disabilities, and personal problems. For example, say a student’s relative passed away, and since he was at a funeral, he was not able to study for a test in his chemistry class the next day or finish the last few chapters of a book for his English test. Small assignments worth several points that he could complete in the car or in the morning before classes began would boost his grades a bit after the possibly disastrous test grades. This would relieve anxiety for him and give him a bit more of a cushion. The homework adds up at the end of the grading period, and the students’ efforts pay off. Several people and publications have written against the usefulness of homework.

Dr. Tish Howard, CEO of Edu-Linx Consulting, claims, “ If a child is struggling, homework is not the key to improvement” (Wallace). As a result of homework taking too long, it creates stress and demotivates the student. Decreasing the amount of problems in an assignment can fix this problem. Students would get daily practice but it would be quick and not in the way of their life outside of school. Parents do not want to see their child coming home with a the weight of a brick in their backpack. Every year, education is in the news. There is always a push for students to achieve higher grades and the teachers are held accountable in part for the students who do not do as well. If teachers decided to use homework in a consistent manner to complement their daily lectures as well to allow students to include its scoring in their overall grade, students would be happier and smarter. Most kids, when given a large assignment due over a long period of time, wait until the last second to complete their homework. Students are better off having three point assignments every day rather than one thirty point assignment due every two weeks. The periodic assignments gradually reward the students by assisting them on tests and bigger assignments, adding to their overall grade, and motivating them to continue to work. Perhaps, this is a concept that should be escalated to the school board. If the school board trials it and finds it to be successful, it could serve as a model of change for learning.