Would Students Be Better Off Without Homework?

We asked our members: “Would students be better off without homework?” Here’s one response.

I am undertaking the HSC with a fairly high ATAR goal. Even though the massive amounts of homework and study are stressful, I definitely don’t think their abolition would be the right way to go.

Homework is essential in making the knowledge learned at school actually stay in the mind. After all, there are only six hours of school a day; on a regular timetable, only around four-and-a-half of those are spent in a classroom doing work.

Four-and-a-half hours a day of schoolwork is nowhere near the required time to learn and understand the complete syllabus for the minimum of 10 units. Even for just one subject, Advanced English, there is content for four essays, short answer questions and a creative writing piece to memorise. Without homework, this level of memorisation is unachievable.

Although important, homework does indeed place a lot of stress on students, and results in much less time to pursue hobbies and leisure activities.

When setting homework, there does not seem to be much focus on the mental health of students; rather, the focus is on a way to quantify them with an ATAR.

Students may potentially be better off without homework in terms of their health, but this is just not possible with the current syllabus and education system.

I personally do enjoy learning, and so sometimes I even enjoy completing my homework. However, when there is no choice but to study for hours on end, it becomes less enjoyable.

The current system places massive amounts of homework requirements on students, and in my experience, this ends up making them less productive. If the pile never gets smaller, what is the point in doing any of it?

With the current system, the abolition of homework is not possible. As such, I find a better question to ask would be: “Is the current education system the best way to educate students?”

With a syllabus more focused on the interests of the individual, rather than a list of dot points, students would be better off without set homework, as they would likely pursue further research as a result of their own interests.

Congratulations to Callum for winning this week's writing challenge: Would Students Be Better Off Without Homework? Callum wins a $50 Westfield gift card for his submission. For your chance to win, check out our latest writing challenges in our Comps section. Also, be sure to follow this guide on how to win the writing challenge!

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