We’ve all long suspected it and now the research of Dr Susan Hallam of the Institute of Education at the University of London confirms it: homework is a waste of time. Anxiety, boredom, fatigue and emotional exhaustion are all side-effects of bringing schoolwork home, according to a review of 75 years of study into the issue.
Even those who believe homework improves their performance in the classroom resent the encroachment on their spare time.
And the best place for extra study may not, in fact, be at home. The report by the Institute of Education makes a case for out-of-hours study to be done in after-school learning clubs, away from the potentially disruptive influence of parents.
Tensions are the most pronounced in middle-class families where the pressure to succeed can create a volatile atmosphere. Parents who are overbearing can undermine any pleasure children derive from study.
Parents have the most positive influence when they offer moral support, make appropriate resources available and discuss general issues. They should only actually help with homework when their children specifically ask them to — via The Green Man
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aimee
25 January 2005 at 5.46 am
My name is aimee, and I am a junior in high school taking an ATM course called EDU 150. In this class we were asked to writa a four page essay on whether or not we feel that homework is necessary, equitable, or over assigned, (and if so how much then do we feel should be assigned. I am also required to gather the oppinion of others on this topic as well. If anyone can help, it would be most appreciated.