Homework, if employed properly is a great tool to enhance the practice of essential concepts encountered in class, promoting better comprehension. Over the holidays, teachers use homework to enhance the revision of studied concepts, reducing summer learning loss.
However, the efficiency and relevance of holiday homework are often a subject of debate for many people. This article will analyze the pros and cons of summer vacation homework and discuss crucial tips for handling your summer holiday homework fast.
Should students have summer homework?
Your stand on holiday assignments should be based on your analysis of the benefits and downsides that come with homework. For this, we have covered an analysis of various benefits and shortcomings brought about by holiday assignments.
Pros of summer homework
- Ensures consistent practice
After experiencing summer learning loss, students may struggle to relate new concepts to what they had previously learned. Homework ensures practice, keeping the content fresh in a learner’s mind, thus, improving their comprehension of advanced topics.
- Helps develop time management skills
Students may often require a schedule to balance their studies with holiday plans. This fosters a sense of responsibility in students, helping them to develop time management skills.
- Guides students to identify and work on their weak areas
When dealing with multiple subjects at school, students can easily gloss over their weaknesses and avoid challenging areas. Homework touches on the ideas within each topic, helping the learner gauge their strength in various topics.
As a result, homework may work to troubleshoot your knowledge gaps, allowing you to seek help to overcome any challenges you were facing within a subject.
- Reduces screen time
Prying children from the screen can prove a challenging task. However, homework and other chores help keep children occupied, reducing the time spent on the mobile phone and television.
- Getting parents involved in a child’s study
When children are doing homework at home, parents may assess their work and identify issues that a teacher might have missed. These include distractions and errors in learning methods that could limit a child’s comprehension.
Why summer homework is bad
- May cause stress for students
Too much homework may be hard to focus on with jobs and interning among other responsibilities a student is expected to handle over the summer. As such, tutors should give small amounts of homework that allow for a substantial amount of free time for other commitments.
- May promote a sedentary life
Homework may limit the free time of students, resulting in little interaction with peers as students spend most of their time indoors.
- Homework is not always effective
Although the concept of homework is solid, many loopholes may limit its effectiveness. For instance, students might delegate their assignments, acing the assignment without necessarily improving their content mastery.
How to complete holiday homework fast
- Start early
The available time for your homework may often inspire procrastination until the last minute. For this, students should start as early as possible and spread out their study sessions to avoid mental exhaustion.
- Develop a schedule
A schedule is a great tool to track your progress and ensure the timely completion of your assignment. When planning for your assignment, take note of your productive time for study and various commitments in your holiday.
Allocate sessions for your study while leaving room for unexpected changes in your schedule. Also, plan to complete your homework a week before the reporting date to avoid any struggles in the week when you are preparing to report for your next semester.
- Seek help where needed
If you experience a challenge with your homework, consult a tutor to troubleshoot your challenge. This will help you to improve your mastery of content and also to observe your deadlines.
- Find a conducive area for study
Distractions at home are a dime a dozen. These conflicting stimuli may compromise your productivity, impairing your capacity to focus in each session.
Be keen to establish a study environment free of distractions to master maximum focus and concentration in each session.
Final take
So, should schools give summer homework? We believe that fairly challenging homework, when assigned in reasonable amounts is beneficial for students. However, teachers should be keen not to overload students and to touch on concepts students have already encountered, promoting further understanding of concepts they intend to build upon in the subsequent semester.
