Homework is necessary. It’s good to check on the amount, worthiness and the type of homework given. Research shows that schools have toyed with enacting policies to strike out homework. Some schools discourage homework, but they don’t outlaw it. The 2014 national education association article suggested curbing and eliminating homework.

Are there reasons why teachers should not assign homework?

You only give homework when it’s seen to be worth giving to students. The Edutopia research shows that though homework is good, it has adverse and dangerous effects on high school learners. It brings stress, sleep deprivation, and physical ailments. Therefore, it makes it necessary to have limits on homework assigned to students.

Debates on common study concepts agree that homework should be a ten-minute affair. Students need to have ten-minute homework as it grows up to 90 minutes in middle school. When students go past 90 minutes, they become unproductive due to burnout. The concept is genuine basing on the Duke study in 2006.

It will be beneficial if you gave students homework to build skill and knowledge mastery. The researchers don’t expose how good homework will look like.

When does homework become busy work? Homework is busy work when it fails to get graded or doesn’t become review materials used in class. If it doesn’t introduce materials to use in class, it turns out to be unworthy. It should relate to the course lessons to enable students exercise their brains.

What is effective homework?

Try and explain to students why you are giving or assigning work. While introducing today’s topic, touch on the one for tomorrow in brief. The two minutes explanation will help the class during homework time.

• Review previous topics

Make a good review of the previous classes. Answer the test questions giving guidance to learners. Think outside the box to try and present the topic in a different way. If you can get a crash video about the lesson subject, let the learners watch it.

Should teachers give homework? Is it worth it?

Any homework should contribute 50% of the student’s final score. Students will feel it’s worth and make a reasonable effort in tackling it. Some schools disagree with this notion. They say that homework should contribute between ten to 15 per cent.

• Build students for independent studies needed in college

High school students need the motivation to study and get good grades to take home. When teachers prepare students from a young age, it makes the homework valuable.

• Is it reasonable?

If you ask students to read a 40-page book, they need ample time to attend to the task. Give students weekly or monthly homework to benefit them. They will end up having time for other activities like clubs, other courses and sports.

• Students are different

The most important thing to remember is that not all students in your class are the same. You may have students with low reading skills, while others are trouble makers. Please don’t give up on them while concentrating on those who are perfect. It’s better to give less frequent but more structured homework.

Conclusion

Whether to give or not give an assignment depends on you as the teacher. Remember, not all students are the same. Some don’t have access to technology to help them. Plan accordingly to ensure you have meaningful homework that will benefit students.

K-12 learners in a day spend around 40 minutes in their bus riding. It means the students use 120 hours in a year in the 180 days they are in school. In a better perspective, the time the students spend on the school bus is long. It’s equal to the duration to get a bachelor’s degree. The 120 hours spend equal to 20 school days. All this time accounts for only the students’ time on bus rides commuting to and from school. The students who take part in interschool activities spend much extra time on the bus. Together with other school programs, the field trips make them spend more time on the school bus.

There is a need for students to fully use this time.

Making homework zones

Many schools are adopting a 1:1 program. It provides its students with gadgets to use while in and outside the school. Many teachers give homework that needs internet access. Students have tablets and laptops; their homework is digital; they use the bus for 40 minutes a day. The one thing these students miss is the internet connection. The bus becomes a homework area where students will tackle their homework. Homework zones help to manage their behavior while on board.

More time for extracurriculars

Research shows that many learners take part in school extracurricular activities. Many older students do part-time jobs and take part in sports. Installing WI-FI on bus will enable them to undertake their homework on the bus. They will have ample time to take part in other activities or sleep.

When you have a WI-FI school bus, it adds the students 150 hours a year to internet access. They will have more time to tackle their homework. Students who come from far will spend more than 40 minutes on the school bus rides. They are the greatest beneficiaries of this program.

The bus shortages in remote areas make students spend more time on long routes. They may have more than one-hour bus rides every day. Installation of bus WI-FI is a simple way of making good use of the students’ time on the bus.

The central school of Palmyra Macedon in New York has their bus fitted with a WI-FI. It’s a blended connectivity program that makes the connectivity more crucial.

The program benefits students who get home as late as 10:00 pm. They can do homework in bus environment before arriving at their homes.

Conclusion

The WI-FI installation program in school buses is very vital. A college student doing homework on the bus is a common practice. It gives students enough time to tackle the homework without necessarily having to do it at home. Those on long commutes will do their homework while on board.