[X] My Assistant

[Chu Chu]

I think it's a lot easier to learn in class.. homework should be optional so only the students that really need to practice more have a chance to. Or we could just study. That separates the serious students from the lazy bums. >>

Either way, the idea is that if you do your homework all the time then you'll understand the material. I think it's important to have homework.

I believe in optional homework and letting the tests, projects, and papers speak for themselves.

I agree. I for one can remember what we learned in the class without having to write it down on a piece of paper. True it's practice but still.

[Ice Charizard]

For some classes (i.e. band) you need to have homework. Though, I think History and Communication teachers shouldn't give homework.

[ChocolateVanilla]

If homework was optional, then why would anyone do it? That's kind of like when your teacher tells you to read the textbook to better understand an in- class discussion, and NO ONE does. Why would you take notes if you aren't going to get credit for it? Student A would probably reason that reading the chapter is just as good as taking notes. Then, they probably wouldn't even do that much.

For a fact, I know i would not have gotten A's if I hadn't done my homework, even if it wasn't counted as part of my grade. In math class, those review problems really are good. Plus, homeowork is a way for teachers to cover more material. Without homework, someone may decide its better to have more in- school time.

I have had crappy teachers, the kind that are too lazy to assign homework. They just go over to the board, mumble some, and then smile as you get out of their hair. And, i learned next to nothing in those classes. Maybe I would understand their lectures (though truthfully, it was a long shot), but the next day, when they try to grow on that idea, my base wouldn't be strong enough.

[Red Veist]

It depends on what type of homework it is, I always looked at Math and Writing as just busy work but history and science is something that homework is good for.

[ChocolateVanilla]

It depends on what type of homework it is, I always looked at Math and Writing as just busy work but history and science is something that homework is good for.

I just finished Pre- Calc, and homework there is fairly challenging. If i came in and hadn't memorized the formulas for taking derivatives of fractions by doing the homework assigned, I would not have done well on the quiz/test. Same for history- unless a student has an awful good memory, it will take a lot more than a couple of glances to memorize names and dates.

Though, it is true that lower grades have a lot more busy work than the higher ones.

[shou75]

Homework is actually a waste of paper and quite useless actually.

Adults and teachers usually tell you that its for practice even though your already in school and you could just practice there.

[Cinderella Amber]

Well, I certainly don't like going to school for 7-8 hours just to bring it home with me afterward! But there are sometimes when it's useful; one time in math class, I didn't understand what the teacher was saying but when I looked at the homework, it was easy.

Sometimes it just depends on the subject though. Math and science homework is appropriate, English homework (which is mostly reading a fictional book and answering questions on it) is not. I also don't appreciate how my English teacher made us write rough drafts and essays in one night (this wasn't common, but it wasn't rare either).

In short:
Math and science homework = useful
Everything else = useless

[alex554]

useles, it hurts treez

[Darkrai Master]

While I agree with the majority that homework sucks; it isn't entirely useless. Sure, it takes hours to complete, but it hammers in the information needed to pass exams and stuff like that. However, that is only with some subjects. Other subjects (like Art, English, and Geography) have you do stuff that is completly different to what you are doing in class. My English teacher gives my class an essay to do over one night without explaining it and expects us to hand it in the next day.
So, in short; Homework that actually relates to stuff in lessons = Useful
Unrelated homework = Not so useful.

[Reyo]

It depends on what type of homework it is, I always looked at Math and Writing as just busy work but history and science is something that homework is good for.

I just finished Pre- Calc, and homework there is fairly challenging. If i came in and hadn't memorized the formulas for taking derivatives of fractions by doing the homework assigned, I would not have done well on the quiz/test. Same for history- unless a student has an awful good memory, it will take a lot more than a couple of glances to memorize names and dates.

Though, it is true that lower grades have a lot more busy work than the higher ones.

I always treated my math homework as a test prep. Luckily, most college Math professors have their homework set up to where you do it, and then turn it in any time you want, as long as it's before a certain day, hour, class whatever. What I'd do is, the week or so before the test, start doing the homeworks that had content relevant to the subject matter and finish with the last homework assignment that had to do with the material being put on the test.

There was one test where I failed to do this, and that was the worst test grade I got back out of that semester. What's better is the fact that most of the time, math homework is graded. It's usually the other sciences that have homework, but that homework isn't graded. I think there was one Chemistry class where the homework was graded, and it was an introductory course.

This post has been edited by Reyo: Jul 30 2010, 03:38 PM

[Natsume Reiko]

I can see the use for homework in math and the sciences, but then again most homework is just regurgitating what you gleaned from textbooks to satisfy whatever tests you're forced to take. More often than not I saw it as menial work that didn't really exercise my brain at all. I felt like I was just crapping out whatever the fuck the orofessor wanted to see for the most part. That's not learning at all. That's just giving them what they want to see. If I'm going to show that I have aptitude in subjects I would rather have extensive debates and discussions and why I have the opinions that I do. I learn more from debating and discussing than I would just reading a textbook and puking out the same info in the text on a test if that makes sense.

Sure it's good for rote memorization but it doesn't mean that you actually understand the content that you're learning/testing for. That's a completely different animal there.

[Stratospheric Co...]

I can see the use for homework in math and the sciences, but then again most homework is just regurgitating what you gleaned from textbooks to satisfy whatever tests you're forced to take. More often than not I saw it as menial work that didn't really exercise my brain at all. I felt like I was just crapping out whatever the fuck the orofessor wanted to see for the most part. That's not learning at all. That's just giving them what they want to see. If I'm going to show that I have aptitude in subjects I would rather have extensive debates and discussions and why I have the opinions that I do. I learn more from debating and discussing than I would just reading a textbook and puking out the same info in the text on a test if that makes sense.

Sure it's good for rote memorization but it doesn't mean that you actually understand the content that you're learning/testing for. That's a completely different animal there.

Quoted for truth.

[Rumn]

Useful! There's subjects that're really work-heavy like maths and physics that if I didn't do homework I would fail the exam...

Yeah pretty much same as ^^

This post has been edited by Rumn: Aug 1 2010, 04:23 AM

[xXRainingBlood]

Well, later on it becomes useful. Earlier on it is just busy work and doesn't really help much. When someone is in high school and whatnot, it helps a lot more since the work is more difficult.

[Crystal Shards]

It really depends on the type of homework. Synthesis (integrating what you know with other things you know and with real life applications) does help learning. Worksheets do not. I'm pro-homework, just not time wasting fill-in-the-blank shit.

[pichu egg]

Very useful! It teaches kids self-responsibility and makes kids smarter also.

This post has been edited by pichu egg: Oct 29 2010, 03:36 PM

[Taryn]

Totally useful. Though I will admit as a kid, I hated my homework because it was boring crap. XD

The only homework that is 100% USELESS, is Algebra homework. The only folks who need to worry about Algebra are the people who are going to use it in the future...

[pichu egg]

Which is pretty much everybody who isn't gonna work at WalMart or something like that.

This post has been edited by pichu egg: Oct 30 2010, 05:55 PM

[Eryth]

^Well yeah people are going to look at your grades and crap when you apply for a job, but there are a lot of jobs out there that don't require much algebra at all.

As much as I hate homework, it CAN be useful...well, more than pointless, anyway...in the right amount. Studying is something that's definitely needed (for most people...I get straight A's and B's and I literally never study), maybe something to review...but like the OP said, isn't seven hours in school enough time to teach us what we need?

And I saw some people say that homework doesn't even count toward their grade! Lucky them!

[Thel Vadam]

I can see the use for homework in math and the sciences, but then again most homework is just regurgitating what you gleaned from textbooks to satisfy whatever tests you're forced to take. More often than not I saw it as menial work that didn't really exercise my brain at all. I felt like I was just crapping out whatever the fuck the orofessor wanted to see for the most part. That's not learning at all. That's just giving them what they want to see. If I'm going to show that I have aptitude in subjects I would rather have extensive debates and discussions and why I have the opinions that I do. I learn more from debating and discussing than I would just reading a textbook and puking out the same info in the text on a test if that makes sense.

Sure it's good for rote memorization but it doesn't mean that you actually understand the content that you're learning/testing for. That's a completely different animal there.

Agreed.