How Homework Affects Learning

Homework is a concept that has been around for a long time, and that every student has to do at some point during their education. There are many different ways that homework can profoundly affect learning, some negatively, although for the most part positively. It is also known that regular homework helps students to achieve higher exam scores, and to develop self reliance and discipline. Both of which are valuable skills for students to develop for use in later life.

Students who complete their homework have been proven to eventually gain better exam results as a result. The reason being that having homework often makes students study their source material again, learning things which they might have missed in class. This then benefits them when they are tested as they will remember things which students without homework wouldn't remember, and might not have ever found out about.

Certain aspects of what students learn in school simply has to be repeated regularly in order to be remembered, which homework can help greatly with. For example remembering the multiplication table is a lot easier when students are regularly given homework relating to it and its use to complete. These students have been shown to achieve much better scores when tested than students left to their own devices to remember the multiples. There are many other studies also carried out by a variety of different institutions that tend to show similar results.

Homework also fosters a self discipline and work ethic in students, who usually have to research their own answers and find out new things about the subject. Being able to study effectively on their own is an essential skill that every student needs, particularly those looking to go on to further education after high school.

In college the main bulk of many courses is based on self studying out of class, rather than learning everything that you need in school hours. So being in the habit of doing this already is a good way to bridge the adjustment from school to college and keep up with the work. Students not used to having a lot of homework tend to find the transition between school and college to be difficult, particularly finding the motivation to keep on top of their work.

Having to go over ideas which were introduced in the classroom also helps the student to revise, where they might not otherwise have done any. For example if a student is told to revise, but they also have a set piece of homework in another subject, usually the homework is done in preference of the revision. Also some students who might not be self motivated enough to revise are still being made to revise in a way through their homework.

Having to learn throughout the day as well as in the evening helps to keep a students analytical and mental skills sharp, as well as improving memory and cognition. Students who are allowed to go home and not think about anything that they learned in the classroom for the rest of the day are more likely to forget parts of it at a later date, such as during an exam. Those who are constantly having to think about things that they have already learned again are more likely to remember them for longer.

The reason being that a set task is a lot easier to complete than a vague term such as revising from notes. After all most students might have a years worth of notes, and might not know exactly which part they need to go over for a particular test. A homework assignment however focuses on the exact piece of the work that the student needs to go over before an exam.

Many teachers are so under pressure to ensure that students are prepared for their exams, as well as teaching new parts of the curriculum that other parts may be left out due to time constraints. Before testing was placed in such high importance, more of the curriculum could be taught, but increasingly it is left to homework to teach students things the teachers don't have time for.

Homework allows expansion of subjects which there isn't time to focus on for very long in the classroom. This will often mean that a student gets a more rounded and compete knowledge of a subject, rather than having to skim through parts deemed unnecessary. Often some parts are left out due to the fact that there aren't many exam questions on them.

Homework also teaches students to organize their priorities, and gets them ready for the fact that in later life they can't always do what they want to do with their time. Just as they are made to sacrifice doing other things in order to complete their homework, later in life they are likely to have other responsibilities keeping them form having as much free time. Having to get used to this fact of life makes the transition a lot easier when students finish school and either enter college, or begin to work.

Too much homework is often one of the main reason that students become burned out during school and college. However with the right amount of homework, students can not only improve their grades an d exam results, but learn good study skills which they can use later in life. Meaning that in either case homework has a profound effect on learning, whether it be for the better or worse in any particular case.