NO HOMEWORK POLICY… A DEAL OR NO DEAL???
Marilyn D. Fronda
The Department of Education (DepEd) has expressed its support for the nohomework policy bills proposed by lawmakers at the House of Representatives. DepEd, in a statement released on Wednesday, August 28, said the measures would “enable learners to have more quality time with their parents, family, and friends by limiting the homework [and] assignment to a reasonable quantity on school days and by eliminating the same during weekends.”It said the policy would allow students to “find balance between their academic development and personal growth by having ample time for enjoyable activities with family.”House Deputy Speaker Evelina Escudero and Quezon City Representative Alfred Vargas filed separate bills in August.Escudero filed House Bill (HB) No. 3611, which seeks to remove homework as a requirement and have Kinder to Grade 12 students do academic activities solely within school premises.“Homework assignments can deprive students and parents [of] precious quality time for rest, relaxation, and interaction after schools hours and even on weekend,” the bill’s explanatory note reads.
Homework is defined as tasks assigned to students by school teachers that are intended to be carried out during nonschool hours. This definition excludes inschool guided study (although homework is often worked on during school), homestudy courses, and extracurricular activities such as sports teams and clubs. The most common purpose of homework is to have students practice material already presented in class so as to reinforce learning and facilitate mastery of specific skills. Preparation assignments introduce the material that will be presented in future lessons. These assignments aim to help students obtain the maximum benefit when the new material is covered in class. Extension homework involves the transfer of previously learned skills to new situations. For example, students might learn in class about factors that led to the French Revolution and then be asked as homework to apply them to the American Revolution. Finally, integration homework requires the student to apply separately learned skills to produce a single product, such as book reports, science projects, or creative writing.
The most direct positive effect of homework is that it can improve retention and understanding. More indirectly, homework can improve students' study skills and attitudes toward school, and teach students that learning can take place anywhere, not just in school buildings. The nonacademic benefits of homework include fostering independence and responsibility. Finally, homework can involve parents in the school process, enhancing their appreciation of education, and allowing them to express positive attitudes toward the value of school success.
Conversely, educators and parents worry that students will grow bored if they are required to spend too much time on academic material. Homework can deny access to leisure time and community activities that also teach important life skills. Parent involvement in homework can turn into parent interference. For example, parents can confuse children if the instructional techniques they use differ from those used by teachers. Homework can actually lead to the acquisition of undesirable character traits if it promotes cheating, either through the copying of assignments or help with homework that goes beyond tutoring. Finally, homework could accentuate existing social inequities. Children from disadvantaged homes may have more difficulty completing assignments than their middle-class counterparts. Homework can be an effective instructional device. However, the relationship between homework and achievement is influenced greatly by the students' developmental level. Expectations for home work's effects, especially in the short term and in earlier grades, must be modest. Further, homework can have both positive and negative effects. Educators and parents should not be concerned with which list of homework effects is correct. Rather, homework policies and practices should give individual schools and teachers flexibility to take into account the unique needs and circumstances of their students so as to maximize positive effects and minimize negative ones.