Instigator / Con
itsnotago's avatar
7
itsnotago
1500
rating
2
debates
100.0%
won
Topic
#5460

Homework should be banned.

Status
Finished

The debate is finished. The distribution of the voting points and the winner are presented below.

Winner & statistics
Better arguments
3
0
Better sources
2
0
Better legibility
1
1
Better conduct
1
1

After 1 vote and with 5 points ahead, the winner is...

itsnotago
Tags
Education
Parameters
Publication date
Last updated date
Type
Standard
Number of rounds
3
Time for argument
One day
Max argument characters
3,000
Voting period
One week
Point system
Multiple criterions
Voting system
Open
Contender / Pro
Grayflounder142's avatar
2
Grayflounder142
1500
rating
2
debates
0.0%
won
Description

Definition:
Teachers don't have the right to assign any type of written or oral task to their students to be completed at home and all the work is to be completed in class.
Any teacher assigning this type of work is going to be penalised.
Students are granted the freedom of being able to determine the amount and type of work they do at home while they also have the ability to not do any work and not be penalised for it.

Round 1
itsnotago's avatar
itsnotago
Con
#1
My first argument concerns homework's role when it comes to revision. Revision is a word we mostly use when referring to work completed when preparing for exams or tests, however revising is also extremely helpful to fully comprehend and then learn the material a specific subject encompasses. 

Written/Oral Examination: Students enter a class. There everyday, their teachers introduce new information to them out of a book or a presentation and explain it to them. As the students get dismissed, they hardly remember what class they were in the previous hour, let alone remember the new information communicated to them by the teachers. Perhaps the more studious students there have a vague recollection of what was being discussed or have even retained a couple words. How are these students, especially when it comes to younger students in elementary school for example, supposed to automatically understand and learn something if it has only been touched upon by their teacher without the help of homework? Sure, they could go out of their way, find a relevant book or article talking about the thing they merely HEARD in class but we all know that most students will not ever think of doing something like that whereas the ones taking the plunge and doing their own research will not help them but infact render the learning process more difficult since the information they find through a generic article or an outdated book doesn't correspond to the things the teacher wants them to learn. This will continue going on until one day the teacher announces that they are writing some sort of test. In these types of situations, homework acts as a guide because it is directly assigned by the teacher and lets the students somewhat know what the test or the exam they are writing contains and they will search for similar exercises and material in their books to perform even better. On the other hand, without homework, they are forced to make endless notes and just memorise them instead of completing actual exercises and preparatory work since the material online doesn't correlate to their notes. In the end, they will not perform well enough without homework so in reality a world without homework renders tests and exams pointless and evaluation factors are restricted to behavior and participation, which are not as important as the students actual abilities when it comes to the specific subject, something teachers can only see through examinations.


Strengthening the learning process: Through the completion of homework, students acquire new information. While a specific subject might not appeal to all, those who are interested in it have the opportunity to reinforce their learning process and learn as much as possible. Let's say a person enjoys math. Through homework, he learns more about it in a joyful manner without having to buy his own books or material that are not always financially accessible. However, even the non-enjoyer can learn something useful, subconsciously
Grayflounder142's avatar
Grayflounder142
Pro
#2
Forfeited
Round 2
itsnotago's avatar
itsnotago
Con
#3
My opponent didn't answer but i will proceed with my next arguments.

1. Burden placed upon teachers and school in general
Schools on average contain 6 periods of class per day with a duration of about 40 minutes each. Throughout these periods, teachers complete certain work and then assign what's left for homework. If homework was banned, teachers would have to do all necessary work in class and find time to do the work that was supposed to be done at home. They do not possess that time and would have to change their teaching methods in order to speed up the process, which would also include them preparing additional material on their free time. It would be extremely unethical to further burden them, when they already have their hands full with the grading of tests etc. As far as schools as a whole are concerned, certain major changes would have to be made to ensure the completion of material. Each grade of school has certain material, in other words knowledge, to be transmitted to students. If homework was banned, schools would have difficulty covering the necessary material and would have to organise it in different ways, which would be a lengthy process since the organisation hasn't changed for decades. For example, they might need to transfer certain material to next grades's curriculum and if this were repeated every year, they would need to increase the days in an academic year. This is a mere example of the inevitable consequences such a decision would impose. No student or teacher in the world would want to spend days from their summer or christmas holidays doing math.

2.Preparating students for the future
I get why someone would want to ban homework. It places stress on students no matter their age or grade and they have to make sacrifices to either complete it or as my fellow debater mentioned in the comments skip it and not be caught doing it. However, through the completion of such tedious work, students learn how to deal with things like stress or anxiety while they also learn the importance of getting the job done, not avoiding their problems but facing them. One day, these students will have jobs. Their employers will judge them based on their qualifications but their ability to suck it up and get the job done with the right mentality will be the most important at the end of the day. It is only that ability that will help them actually keep their jobs and not lose them and potentially rank up in their domains, get better jobs and positions. This doesn't only apply for their life as a professional but also their personal life. If these students have children or at least hold down a relationship, they will have to make certain sacrifices to survive,. That means making their children and partners happy and fighting for it. This ability of theirs will make them different from everybody else and it will be rewarded, however it is only accessible through the completion of honest work, a process which starts through homework.
Grayflounder142's avatar
Grayflounder142
Pro
#4
Forfeited
Round 3
itsnotago's avatar
itsnotago
Con
#5
I will post my final argument which concerns respect of different learning styles as well as the skills acquired through completing homework

Students have different approaches to learning and fully grasping knowledge. Some learn at high speeds while others need more time to do that. In addition, many students perceive knowledge in their own ways, something accessible through homework. Homework allows the student to complete exercises in his/her own way as the student has the opportunity to find his/her own answers and understand the theory a subject contains which means linking it to everyday life examples etc. Through this process, the student can also put his/her creativity to the test as the completion of homework requires adequate use of imagination and motivates the student to build innovation. Sitting in a classroom and have all the work completed there deprives them of that exact process and therefore renders learning impersonal and extremely monotonous. A system without homework basically expects students to sit in a classroom, be showed things through a powerpoint presentation and then the next day automatically learn it. What if a student doesn't? Will we just let students fall behind and potentially fail their classes because they can't adapt to this incredibly restrictive cycle of learning? 
Finally, let's not disregard the numerous skills homework offers to students. In correlation with what i previously stated, homework requires use of imagination and therefore creativity and innovation, allowing students to become open-minded and develop critical thinking, in other words learn how to be out of the box in order to achieve the best results. Furthermore, it helps them learn how to manage their time. We cannot deny that homework nowadays is somewhat stressful, however it requires good organisation and time management skills so that it can be balanced with the other duties students have to tend to while they also have to develop cohesive programs and work systematically in order to be effective when it comes to its completion but also building a base for tests and examinations. All these skills and combinations of them will come in handy for all students no matter the career or profession they choose

To sum up, i would like to propose an intermediate solution which is simply decreasing the amount of homework students complete every day. The average highschooler spends up to 3 hours a day preparing homework. If we managed to cut that number down to 1.5 hours, the high schooler would have more free time, to spend doing his preferred activities while he wouldn't be deprived of the essence and benefits homework provides, explained thoroughly throughout my argumentation. Homework is something that has existed in education systems for thousands of years to the point where it is considered a sacred norm in nowadays society. A world without homework would drastically change the idea of school,potentially threatening to erase school entirely.
Grayflounder142's avatar
Grayflounder142
Pro
#6
Personally I do in fact think homework should be banned. It places a huge burden on students back that might just crush their hopes and dreams, teachers think students go home and genuinely want to do homework, but this is not the case. The push against homework is not just about the hours spent on completing assignments; it’s about rethinking the role of education in fostering the well-rounded development of young individuals. Critics argue that homework, particularly in excessive amounts, can lead to negative outcomes such as stress, burnout, and a diminished love for learning. Moreover, it often disproportionately affects students from disadvantaged backgrounds, exacerbating educational inequities. The debate also highlights the importance of allowing children to have enough free time for play, exploration, and family interaction, which are crucial for their social and emotional development.

As we delve into this discussion, we explore various facets of why reducing or even eliminating homework could be beneficial. We consider the research, weigh the pros and cons, and examine alternative approaches to traditional homework that can enhance learning without overburdening students. In the ongoing conversation about the role and impact of homework in education, the perspectives of those directly involved in the teaching process are invaluable. Teachers and education industry experts bring a wealth of experience and insights from the front lines of learning. Their viewpoints, shaped by years of interaction with students and a deep understanding of educational methodologies, offer a critical lens through which we can evaluate the effectiveness and necessity of homework in our current educational paradigm.

By addressing the issue of homework-related stress and health consequences, we can take a significant step toward creating a more nurturing and effective educational environment. This environment would not only prioritize academic achievement but also the overall well-being and happiness of students, preparing them for a balanced and healthy life both inside and outside the classroom.

“Homework in primary school has an effect of around zero. In high school it’s larger. (…) Which is why we need to get it right. Not why we need to get rid of it. It’s one of those lower hanging fruit that we should be looking in our primary schools to say, ‘Is it really making a difference?’”  A quote by John Hattie, a professor at the Melbourne Education Research Institute at the University of Melbourne, Australia.