The "No Homework" Revolution

Spongebob presents an attractive idealistic educational experience that revolves around the idea of not assigning homework to students.

http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1057449/why-the-no-homework-policy-wont-work

http://chicago.suntimes.com/uncategorized/7/71/178160/no-homework-policy-improves-home-life-for-younger-students-at-one-cps-school

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar07/vol64/num06/The-Case-For-and-Against-Homework.aspx

Link #1; Argues against the "no homework" policy
Link #2: Argues for the "no homework" policy
Link #3: Offers arguments for both sides of the issue

      If you happened to read through my previous post, you can assume that I am not in one-hundred percent approval with the idea of a flipped classroom being beneficial in all classrooms.  I still hold to the belief that the idea is too new to be implemented successfully in all subject areas.  In order for it to be successful, a student must be completely motivated to review the pre-made materials at home and be ready to practice the freshly attained skill the next day in the classroom.  If a student fails to prepare him or herself at home, or if  an instructor fails to pay close enough attention to each student's personal growth and struggles, the efforts of creating a flipped classroom are quickly compromised by an individual's inability to comply with the program.  I bring up the flipped classroom issue because I feel that the idea falls directly in line with the "no homework" plan in education.
     Like the flipped classroom idea, this idea proposes that students should never complete any school-related work outside of  school property.  The reasons for implementing this policy are largely idealistic.  For one, those who support the idea believe that homework does not do much for the student except add to their stress by increasing their workload.  They believe that in order for a student to truly retain knowledge, they must be accompanied by a qualified professional, and not just by mom and dad.  They also believe that the time gained by not having homework would add to the time the child has with his or her family (not that I am against an increase in quality time with the family).  More reasoning for this design comes from the belief that students can learn in other ways at home besides completing a worksheet or book report.  For example, some teachers are just requiring students to read for thirty minutes a night.  However, I do not understand how it can be confirmed that the students are actually doing this.
       I realize that I am mostly traditional in my thoughts about teaching and classroom design.  Nevertheless, I still believe in a world that requires the completion of some homework assignments.  And I am not just saying this because I am no longer a kid.  At the level of school that I am currently in, I prefer to have homework in my classes.  If  I fail to understand a concept in class, I can go home, refer to the subject in the book at my own pace, and solidify the information at my own pace.  Then, if I feel confident enough, I can even move ahead and prepare myself for the next lecture.  I find myself using this practice in my foreign language class especially.
     The reason I still support homework is because I know that it works as practice of a concept that was freshly taught.  It can be used as a self-assessment in which a student can gauge his or her own understanding.  Of course a student will most likely be able to succeed when there is an instructor always present and helping them.  To truly know if one understands the material, they need to try it completely on their own.  I know that this is the case because of personal experience.  Sometimes I trick myself into believing I know a concept so I do not have to go back and study it.  If I am not assigned practice for it, then I continue to deceive myself.  I learned in an educational psychology course that this is called "false knowing."
    I do not call for the abolishment of homework, but I also do not call for excessive amounts of homework.  The key to my argument here is moderation.  It is good for students to practice, and to have some sense of responsibility outside of the classroom.  However, they should not be bogged down by the amount of work that is expected from them.  The assignments therefore be enough to solidify concepts for the student, but not to the point where they are completing meaningless busy work, or non-age appropriate amounts of work.

Unfortunately, this is how most students interpret homework assignments that they know will not be assessed by the instructor.

My argument is to provide homework assignments in moderation.  There is no requirement to eliminate practice completely or overload our students to the point of which they despise their studies.


Sources

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/9c/09/cc/9c09cc687730edb292a1c956d0035104.jpg

http://www.quickmeme.com/img/98/98ca600a9245d90a2a9b333126c45f5a29d2b1b5ae8678769060dfb7a9fa70d0.jpg

https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/p/6/005/089/3a3/0fdca9f.jpg