is homework redundant?

[treos]

http://www.learningdiversity.org/201...work-redundant

stupid google, you don't put a slash at the end of a link like that. (i had to remove the slash at the end due to it causing the page to load as if i had right-clicked view page source)

but yeah, i was browsing about randomly and wound up finding this article. i think we could all agree that noone actually likes doing homework, EVER. you guys wouldn't believe all the fighting and stuff my aunt and uncle had to do to try and make me struggle through all the homework years ago or maybe you would believe it since thats probably something a lot of people might say. (aunt and uncle/mom and dad, whatever applies)

not that i particularly care since i don't go to school anymore but what do you guys think of this? as said above, i definately know how homework could be stressful, put pressure on students, and lets not forget how it takes up any free time you might have. you get up, go to school from like 8am to 5-6pm then when you get home, guess what, now you have to do homework which could eat up anywhere from 2-3+ MORE hours and by the time your done with that theres little if ANY free time for anything else you might want to do. wanna play outside or something? sorry, too dark/late. then its off to bed and another day of the same except maybe weekends.

[Beelzebub]

I never did my homework, yet I would always pass my tests. Suffice to say I failed a lot of classes. Homework is only there to indoctrinate you to listen(read: follow) to what authority figures tell you to do. The worst was in my math classes.

Teacher: "How did you get that answer? You didn't show your work."
Me: "I did it in my head"
Teacher: "You have to show your work."
Me: "Hahahaha, yeah, screw you."

That was a typical conversation with my many "teachers". Unfortunately the only way nowadays to succeed in school is to submit to said indoctrination.

[skullpoker]

I never did my homework, yet I would always pass my tests. Suffice to say I failed a lot of classes. Homework is only there to indoctrinate you to listen(read: follow) to what authority figures tell you to do. The worst was in my math classes.

Teacher: "How did you get that answer? You didn't show your work."
Me: "I did it in my head"
Teacher: "You have to show your work."
Me: "Hahahaha, yeah, screw you."

That was a typical conversation with my many "teachers". Unfortunately the only way nowadays to succeed in school is to submit to said indoctrination.

Ever seen Big Bang Theory/done Physics math? You don't do several pages of calculations in your head. You show your work in math class so that if you decide to go on to higher math later, it will already be a habit. That way when you submit a paper with potentially life-changing implications, the professor can show you the exact place on page 3 where you messed up thereby invalidating your potential Nobel Prize.

This sort of thing requires determination, hard work, and passion. The people you are "rebelling" against are using video games, materialism, and social structures to indoctrinate you out of determination, hard work, and passion. Because sheep are just so much easier to lead.

[Beelzebub]

Ever seen Big Bang Theory/done Physics math? You don't do several pages of calculations in your head. You show your work in math class so that if you decide to go on to higher math later, it will already be a habit. That way when you submit a paper with potentially life-changing implications, the professor can show you the exact place on page 3 where you messed up thereby invalidating your potential Nobel Prize.

This sort of thing requires determination, hard work, and passion. The people you are "rebelling" against are using video games, materialism, and social structures to indoctrinate you out of determination, hard work, and passion. Because sheep are just so much easier to lead.

Big Bang Theory? Also, what physics theory are you responsible for again?

I find theoretical physics and astrophysics to be interesting. But I really don't think that comparing remedial math to a much, much, more advanced and frankly esoteric math study such as theoretical physics isn't very fair. Though it's pretty funny that you say that a physicist wouldn't be doing their equations in their heads. Where else would their theoretical equations come from? Of course they'll be recording and writing down their progress though. As well as "showing their work", when they've come to a conclusion and want their work peer reviewed.

Still, your post gave me a bigger laugh then any shit episode of Big Bang Theory ever has. Thank you for that.

[Jazzmarazz]

Do your damn homework, go to school and like it. You'll miss it when you have none left.

[treos]

Teacher: "How did you get that answer? You didn't show your work."
Me: "I did it in my head"
Teacher: "You have to show your work."
Me: "Hahahaha, yeah, screw you."

thats one of the things i hated more than anything in school. if your smart enough then yes, you can in fact do math in your head without needing to write it all out step by step but no, you have to write out all your work like everyone else or it doesn't count. honestly, between teachers wanting me to write out every single problem and expecting everyone to do it the exact same way, its no wonder i and i guess you too, didn't get along with the teachers all that well. note: there is no "1 size fits all" method to learning/teaching. i just wish more people had realized that instead of making things harder than necessary when i was in school.

Do your damn homework, go to school and like it. You'll miss it when you have none left.

lol hope that was sarcasm cause i certainly don't miss it. yeah, go to school, struggle to do your homework when you've ALREADY had to sit through 9-10 hours of school, then HOPE you have even a little free time to do what YOU want to do outside weekends. who would miss that? and thats not counting any chores kids might have to do around the house on top of school.

edit: while were on a topic related to school, i think my least favorite subject was always history. i'm sorry but compared to some countries like japan, asia, or some other place, i find USA's history to be utterly boring. i've always found foreign stuff to be WAY more interesting than where i grew up here in the USA. i think math was my favorite.

[Sheras]

A typical high school is seven hours. 8 AM - 3 PM.
College is even less, you do double that amount over an entire week.
You have plenty of time to do the homework, people today are just lazy, and want to just go to school and that's it.

Ever wonder why there are some kids who just seem to be in everything? A sport, student council, maybe another club, and get there homework done each day? They are dedicated and make the maximum use of their time. Don't start crying when there are kids like that who have all these extra commitments and still get their work done.

[Jazzmarazz]

I never had more free time than while I was in high school. I had just as much free time in college and I regret not working more while I had it. I honestly didn't find what I 'really liked' until I was 22 and it was too late to change my major. I swear, high school should last two more years, 'cause you're still a damn child when you're released.

Everything you think you know is false and every opinion you have on the world is invalid. 18 is not an adult. Every day I consider dropping all commitments, relations and responsibilities without a goodbye and getting my MS in engineering. I am not happy.

[Cosmic]

Here's the thing. Nobody likes homework when they're a kid but the point is to help you develop good working habits so you can get things done without someone breathing down your neck. When you’re a bit older and have a full time job you often still have additional work to do outside of normal hours, and if you’re lucky enough to be your own boss or set your own hours, guess what? You still have to motivate yourself and keep in a routine.

I do think there’s a lot of pressure on children today and they could stand to be given a little less homework at times, but if they don’t develop good work habits early on it’s going to cause problems for them later. They’re not just being given work for the sake of it. For what it’s worth teachers aren’t desperately fond of having to mark it either.

Also, the reason you need to show your workings in maths is so the teacher can see how you've arrived at your answer. If your final answer isn't correct but you show your workings they can see if you're on the right track and advise where you're going wrong. If all you put is the answer they have no way of knowing how to help.

I know some schools and teachers really aren't all that great but this stuff should have been explained to you when you were in school. It's not your fault at all if it hasn't been, I just think it's appalling some of you went all the way through school and no-one took the time to do so. The fact that happened at all reflects very badly on the education system as a whole.

[Rok124]

The issue is more actually making the homework not really seem like....work. Of course thats close to impossible to do, but in subjects like math, where practice is literally your only pathway to success, Homework should be treated as something to help you. I had a math class this past year where the teacher would almost never check homework on purpose, then give the tests out. Everybody ended up failing most of the time because they didn't complete the homework, but the mentality was that "if she didn't want to look at the homework, then it doesn't count."

If we separated the association of homework with grades then attributed homework to making your class life easier, then homework may become more and more desirable to students. If it doesn't benefit the student, or doesn't seem like it does, then the student won't even bother. Most students just do homework to upkeep the grades, literally doing the bare minimum to obtain that 'A' in class. Learning isn't really emphasized in school, success is.

[eldigato]

I'd say for the average joe (i.e. no advanced classes) you shouldn't have more than 1 hour of homework a day. I'm 110% for homework when it comes to math, if only to help sharpen your skill through repetition. But 99% of you got stuck with one of those teachers with unwarranted self importance who thought they were the only ones assigning you homework; I once got stuck with 5 hours of homework to complete before the next day. That's insane.

If you take advanced classes you should expect more than 1 hour but 2~3 is the max limit, going beyond that is just insane.

Do your damn homework, go to school and like it. You'll miss it when you have none left.

Yeah, I miss being back in that crappy middle school in that ghetto crime-infested town south of albuqerque, and I especially miss that horrid high school stuck in the 1950s, where there were fights every day, you found drugs everywhere, the jocks ruled with an iron fist and the teachers turned a blind eye to their scumbagtivity.

In the event that any of you reading this are still in school and live in an area that actually progressed culturally past the 50s; i.e. you're maybe in seattle or ny or something, and its' not a stereotypical school... if it's not that bad, then cherish your time there.