Importance of Homework in a Student’s Life: Learning Beyond School Hours

Homework – a dreaded word for any student out there.

There are several benefits of doing homework on a regular basis, but there has been a heated debate among parents as to whether the amount of homework their child is receiving is proper or not. 57% of the parents think their child receives the correct amount of homework, 23% say it’s too little, and 19% say their child is receiving too much homework. But whether the amount of homework is appropriate or not remains a subjective case, some studies suggest about 77% of people believe homework creates a positive impact on a child’s academic success.

Homework has been a crucial part of the education system for a long time now. When designed effectively, it may even provide a valuable tool for a child’s academic growth. But how? Why is homework important, and what are the benefits of doing homework?

Why is Homework Important?

There have been debates for decades between parents and teachers on the benefits of doing homework. Some argue that homework adds an unnecessary burden on kids, while some say homework is an important practice for better learning. While the arguments are quite subjective, today, let’s see some of the main benefits of homework and realise why it is an important part of the curriculum and plays a crucial role in a student’s academic life:

1. Improves Knowledge

   The first and foremost benefit of doing homework is the fact that it helps students improve their knowledge. When done on a regular basis, homework ensures that they are properly practising the subject matter until they master it completely. Further, it also enhances their creativity and improves their learning power for academic achievements.

   One of the lesser-known benefits of doing homework is the opportunity to expand a student’s knowledge by discussing it with their teachers and parents. This discussion comes with a workable solution, opening doors to different points of view and better topic understanding.

2. Builds Curiosity for the Subject

   Homework also sparks curiosity in a student’s brain on a subject that might interest them the most. This built curiosity can further help a student delve into the subject and take the initiative to learn more about the subject matter. They can begin to explore the subject and may even create a liking towards it.

3. Helps in Content Revision

   The importance of doing homework also includes the fact that students can gain more flexibility in understanding the study material on their own timeline without having the added pressure of an examination or a test. This means they can go over the lesson as much as they want and at their own pace, hence taking sufficient time to revise and fully understand the content. Revising the study material is extremely important for better retention of information and broadening the perspective that might have been missed when learning it for the first time.

4. Enhances Self Learning

   When done regularly, homework promotes self-learning as the students are encouraged to review the study material repeatedly. It also boosts continuous learning and assists the students in retaining the knowledge without worrying about forgetting it over time. Homework also encourages problem-solving skills and builds a student’s critical thinking skills.

5. Develop an Understanding of Using Learning Materials

   During the entire academic life of a student, it is crucial for them to develop their understanding of how to use study resources like the Internet, external learning materials, and libraries. The benefits of doing homework also include this valid point. Through regular homework, children can learn how to search for information that is outside their textbooks and use different external learning materials, building their research skills for life.

6. Forms Good Study Habits

   A student with great study habits is never born, they are created. And homework can help teach these great study habits to any student. With consistent homework, a child learns how to practice until they can excel in a subject. Paired with constant constructive and timely feedback and other helping tasks such as tests and quizzes, homework can be great in forming good study habits among a student.

7. Helps Familiarising with the Next Day’s Class

   Homework importance does not end with revising and forming good study habits. It further extends to helping a child prepare for the topic discussed in the next class. This also increases their participation in the classroom as they will be prepared to answer a few questions they might have explored when doing their homework. Active participation also promotes their self-confidence, allowing them to have a positive approach towards the subject.

8. Grows Their Concentration

   It’s not an easy task to get a student to focus on their studies on their own will. Homework helps them raise their attention toward study and grow their concentration on the subject matter. It provides a structured practice reinforcing their learning and engagement with their assignments. This makes them subconsciously gain more concentration on the activity over a good amount of time.

9. Promotes Time Management and Responsibility

   Time management is one of the basic soft skills everyone should have. Not only does it help in your academic life, but it is also an essential skill required at every workplace for a successful career. And homework can help them develop time management skills outside the classroom. But how does it promote time management in students?

   Well, a child is more than a student when they are out of the classroom. Outside the school, they have other things to do, such as extracurricular activities, household chores, and spending time with their friends to refresh their minds. Among all these activities, when homework is added to their to-do list, they learn the art of prioritising their responsibilities and delegating a specific time for each activity, hence learning how to manage time effectively. This also develops a sense of responsibility in the child as they learn how to do tasks at what time, what tasks to prioritise, and which ones to wait for later.

10. Makes Them an Accountable Person

    Accountability is yet another life skill everyone should have to excel not only in their professional lives but also in their personal lives. Students learn to take responsibility for their learning by regularly completing homework assignments. This process begins with understanding the task at hand, gathering the necessary resources, and allocating time to complete the work. As they navigate these steps, they develop a sense of ownership over their education, recognising that their efforts directly impact their academic success.

11. Learns How to Work Independently

    Another important aspect of homework in a student’s life is that it makes them independent in terms of working on a task. As they solve their daily assignments, they learn to tackle problems by researching materials on their own. Here, they rely more on their own understanding and problem-solving skills instead of running to a parent or a teacher for every minor situation. This way, they learn how to work independently.

12. Improves Critical Thinking

    The importance of doing homework also includes the fact that it helps improve a child’s critical thinking skills. When they tackle homework assignments, they are often required to analyse and evaluate information, fostering a deeper understanding of the subject. This process involves critical examination of concepts, questioning their assumptions, and exploring other solutions, all of which are necessary to develop strong critical thinking abilities.

13. Encourages Persistency

    When completing their homework, students have to work and think hard to come to a solid and correct conclusion to their answers. They might not get the correct answer on the first try, so they have to continuously keep working on achieving a proper solution. This also means that they need to try different methods to reach a conclusion and develop their persistence skills in the process.

14. Boosts Discipline Skills

    The key aspect of discipline is learning to prioritise, organise, and adhere to deadlines. Homework benefits a student by helping them prioritise their tasks, organise their thoughts and materials, and work towards finishing the assignment before the deadline. All of this makes them more disciplined, hence helping them develop a crucial life skill.

15. Builds Their Confidence

    When students do their homework by themselves, they learn that they might not reach success on the very first, second, or maybe even the third attempt. Over time, they learn the importance of failure and work towards achieving success, ending up with great self-confidence in their problem-solving skills.

16. Forms Work Ethics at a Young Age

    Work ethics are a strong merger of self-regulation and hard work. Homework benefits a student as they learn to value their hard work and regulate themselves from time to time to complete their assignments before the deadline. This way, they build work ethics from a very young age, which will help them ahead in their careers.

Bottom Line

When the homework model is implemented correctly, it proves to help students instead of burdening them with additional responsibilities. To make learning a positive experience, parents, teachers, and students should work together. In today’s educational environment, it is essential to improve homework practices, as multiple resources are available to help students in this modern-age technology-enabled world.

Last Updated on August 29, 2024