Holiday homeworks are still a bone of contention
Students get almost 25 days of winter break. However, the billiondollar question is whether students should be engaged during the winter vacation with holiday homeworks or allowed to take a break from their studies. Gone are the days when kids could enjoy holiday breaks homework-free.
Holiday homework has been a bone of contention for years and it’s a topic that divides teachers, parents and pupils.
First of all, winter holidays coincide with Christmas and New Year celebrations. During the winter holidays, many families plan for recreational trips to local as well as foreign destinations. Holiday time is that time of the year when some people travel to their homelands and visit their families. Students should be allowed to enjoy the time with their families, reconnect with their grandparents and cousins, and enjoy the festivities that are crucial for their social development. All might agree that carrying hoards of books is really burdensome.
Secondly, the holidays provide a relief from the hectic academic and co-curricular activities. School classes, extra classes, tuition classes, music, dance or badminton coaching, students’ life is often too exhausting. With many family outings and vacations during the holidays, they will have less time to complete homework. If students are allowed to have homework-free holidays, they will come back to school refreshed and smart.
In addition to this, family time is more important during the holidays. Assigning homework over the holidays is usually unpopular among parents and students because working days in a semester or a term span over six months. Students spend most of their days in school while their parents are at work. Winter holidays provide them with an opportunity to spend more time together and relax, forgetting their work or studies.
Like a coin has two sides, holiday homework has pros and cons. Many schools schedule their term exam after the winter holidays. It means students return after the winter off to sit for the exam. Being out of touch with studies for almost a month would be detrimental to their grades. Therefore, completely neglecting studies is not advisable. Students can spend some time reviewing their lessons.
Teachers should understand that learning takes place not only by reading or writing but also by observation, travelling, social interaction and exploration. Instead of giving more written works and complicated projects, teachers can assign ‘open projects’ where students can enjoy learning by exploring the things around them. For example, English teachers, instead of giving numerous grammar and comprehension worksheets, can ask students to write a travelogue about their visit to various places. During the last winter vacation, I assigned my students to make a photo album or a travel video about their trips — and no surprise, students responded overwhelmingly.
Teachers should understand that learning takes place not only by reading or writing but also by observation, travelling, social interaction and exploration.”