Instigator / Con
7
1515
rating
15
debates
86.67%
won
Topic
#5460
Homework should be banned.
Status
Finished
The debate is finished. The distribution of the voting points and the winner are presented below.
Winner & statistics
After 1 vote and with 5 points ahead, the winner is...
itsnotago
Parameters
- Publication date
- Last updated date
- Type
- Standard
- Number of rounds
- 3
- Time for argument
- One day
- Max argument characters
- 3,000
- Voting period
- One week
- Point system
- Multiple criterions
- Voting system
- Open
Contender / Pro
2
1500
rating
3
debates
0.0%
won
Description
Definition:
Teachers don't have the right to assign any type of written or oral task to their students to be completed at home and all the work is to be completed in class.
Any teacher assigning this type of work is going to be penalised.
Students are granted the freedom of being able to determine the amount and type of work they do at home while they also have the ability to not do any work and not be penalised for it.
Round 1
My first argument concerns homework's role when it comes to revision. Revision is a word we mostly use when referring to work completed when preparing for exams or tests, however revising is also extremely helpful to fully comprehend and then learn the material a specific subject encompasses.
Written/Oral Examination: Students enter a class. There everyday, their teachers introduce new information to them out of a book or a presentation and explain it to them. As the students get dismissed, they hardly remember what class they were in the previous hour, let alone remember the new information communicated to them by the teachers. Perhaps the more studious students there have a vague recollection of what was being discussed or have even retained a couple words. How are these students, especially when it comes to younger students in elementary school for example, supposed to automatically understand and learn something if it has only been touched upon by their teacher without the help of homework? Sure, they could go out of their way, find a relevant book or article talking about the thing they merely HEARD in class but we all know that most students will not ever think of doing something like that whereas the ones taking the plunge and doing their own research will not help them but infact render the learning process more difficult since the information they find through a generic article or an outdated book doesn't correspond to the things the teacher wants them to learn. This will continue going on until one day the teacher announces that they are writing some sort of test. In these types of situations, homework acts as a guide because it is directly assigned by the teacher and lets the students somewhat know what the test or the exam they are writing contains and they will search for similar exercises and material in their books to perform even better. On the other hand, without homework, they are forced to make endless notes and just memorise them instead of completing actual exercises and preparatory work since the material online doesn't correlate to their notes. In the end, they will not perform well enough without homework so in reality a world without homework renders tests and exams pointless and evaluation factors are restricted to behavior and participation, which are not as important as the students actual abilities when it comes to the specific subject, something teachers can only see through examinations.
Strengthening the learning process: Through the completion of homework, students acquire new information. While a specific subject might not appeal to all, those who are interested in it have the opportunity to reinforce their learning process and learn as much as possible. Let's say a person enjoys math. Through homework, he learns more about it in a joyful manner without having to buy his own books or material that are not always financially accessible. However, even the non-enjoyer can learn something useful, subconsciously
Forfeited
Round 2
My opponent didn't answer but i will proceed with my next arguments.
1. Burden placed upon teachers and school in general
Schools on average contain 6 periods of class per day with a duration of about 40 minutes each. Throughout these periods, teachers complete certain work and then assign what's left for homework. If homework was banned, teachers would have to do all necessary work in class and find time to do the work that was supposed to be done at home. They do not possess that time and would have to change their teaching methods in order to speed up the process, which would also include them preparing additional material on their free time. It would be extremely unethical to further burden them, when they already have their hands full with the grading of tests etc. As far as schools as a whole are concerned, certain major changes would have to be made to ensure the completion of material. Each grade of school has certain material, in other words knowledge, to be transmitted to students. If homework was banned, schools would have difficulty covering the necessary material and would have to organise it in different ways, which would be a lengthy process since the organisation hasn't changed for decades. For example, they might need to transfer certain material to next grades's curriculum and if this were repeated every year, they would need to increase the days in an academic year. This is a mere example of the inevitable consequences such a decision would impose. No student or teacher in the world would want to spend days from their summer or christmas holidays doing math.
2.Preparating students for the future
I get why someone would want to ban homework. It places stress on students no matter their age or grade and they have to make sacrifices to either complete it or as my fellow debater mentioned in the comments skip it and not be caught doing it. However, through the completion of such tedious work, students learn how to deal with things like stress or anxiety while they also learn the importance of getting the job done, not avoiding their problems but facing them. One day, these students will have jobs. Their employers will judge them based on their qualifications but their ability to suck it up and get the job done with the right mentality will be the most important at the end of the day. It is only that ability that will help them actually keep their jobs and not lose them and potentially rank up in their domains, get better jobs and positions. This doesn't only apply for their life as a professional but also their personal life. If these students have children or at least hold down a relationship, they will have to make certain sacrifices to survive,. That means making their children and partners happy and fighting for it. This ability of theirs will make them different from everybody else and it will be rewarded, however it is only accessible through the completion of honest work, a process which starts through homework.
Forfeited
Round 3
I will post my final argument which concerns respect of different learning styles as well as the skills acquired through completing homework
Students have different approaches to learning and fully grasping knowledge. Some learn at high speeds while others need more time to do that. In addition, many students perceive knowledge in their own ways, something accessible through homework. Homework allows the student to complete exercises in his/her own way as the student has the opportunity to find his/her own answers and understand the theory a subject contains which means linking it to everyday life examples etc. Through this process, the student can also put his/her creativity to the test as the completion of homework requires adequate use of imagination and motivates the student to build innovation. Sitting in a classroom and have all the work completed there deprives them of that exact process and therefore renders learning impersonal and extremely monotonous. A system without homework basically expects students to sit in a classroom, be showed things through a powerpoint presentation and then the next day automatically learn it. What if a student doesn't? Will we just let students fall behind and potentially fail their classes because they can't adapt to this incredibly restrictive cycle of learning?
Finally, let's not disregard the numerous skills homework offers to students. In correlation with what i previously stated, homework requires use of imagination and therefore creativity and innovation, allowing students to become open-minded and develop critical thinking, in other words learn how to be out of the box in order to achieve the best results. Furthermore, it helps them learn how to manage their time. We cannot deny that homework nowadays is somewhat stressful, however it requires good organisation and time management skills so that it can be balanced with the other duties students have to tend to while they also have to develop cohesive programs and work systematically in order to be effective when it comes to its completion but also building a base for tests and examinations. All these skills and combinations of them will come in handy for all students no matter the career or profession they choose
To sum up, i would like to propose an intermediate solution which is simply decreasing the amount of homework students complete every day. The average highschooler spends up to 3 hours a day preparing homework. If we managed to cut that number down to 1.5 hours, the high schooler would have more free time, to spend doing his preferred activities while he wouldn't be deprived of the essence and benefits homework provides, explained thoroughly throughout my argumentation. Homework is something that has existed in education systems for thousands of years to the point where it is considered a sacred norm in nowadays society. A world without homework would drastically change the idea of school,potentially threatening to erase school entirely.
Personally I do in fact think homework should be banned. It places a huge burden on students back that might just crush their hopes and dreams, teachers think students go home and genuinely want to do homework, but this is not the case. The push against homework is not just about the hours spent on completing assignments; it’s about rethinking the role of education in fostering the well-rounded development of young individuals. Critics argue that homework, particularly in excessive amounts, can lead to negative outcomes such as stress, burnout, and a diminished love for learning. Moreover, it often disproportionately affects students from disadvantaged backgrounds, exacerbating educational inequities. The debate also highlights the importance of allowing children to have enough free time for play, exploration, and family interaction, which are crucial for their social and emotional development.
As we delve into this discussion, we explore various facets of why reducing or even eliminating homework could be beneficial. We consider the research, weigh the pros and cons, and examine alternative approaches to traditional homework that can enhance learning without overburdening students. In the ongoing conversation about the role and impact of homework in education, the perspectives of those directly involved in the teaching process are invaluable. Teachers and education industry experts bring a wealth of experience and insights from the front lines of learning. Their viewpoints, shaped by years of interaction with students and a deep understanding of educational methodologies, offer a critical lens through which we can evaluate the effectiveness and necessity of homework in our current educational paradigm.
By addressing the issue of homework-related stress and health consequences, we can take a significant step toward creating a more nurturing and effective educational environment. This environment would not only prioritize academic achievement but also the overall well-being and happiness of students, preparing them for a balanced and healthy life both inside and outside the classroom.
“Homework in primary school has an effect of around zero. In high school it’s larger. (…) Which is why we need to get it right. Not why we need to get rid of it. It’s one of those lower hanging fruit that we should be looking in our primary schools to say, ‘Is it really making a difference?’” A quote by John Hattie, a professor at the Melbourne Education Research Institute at the University of Melbourne, Australia.
Everyone will vote Con.
Forfeiting 2/3 of debate is always a loss, even if he posts an argument in the last round, it doesnt count at this point.
Me too i wanted to challenge myself but pls vote con
I expected Pro to win this, but Pro forfeited.
homework should be banned I agree
I guess I could say that one of my goals is to abolish homework, but its not really high in priority, as I am not in school anymore and I avoided lots of homework I was given during that time anyway. I could even say its low in priority, but its gonna get achieved anyway thanks to AI, so I dont need to invest any more effort to achieve the goal of abolishing homework.
My argumentation doesn't aim at making homework eternal, it is based on the idea that at this given time it is preferable that it remains established. How is anyone supposed to know and surely dictate whether it's a good idea to have it 50 years later. For this specific idea, i intend to advocate for its value and show that if implemented in more modern ways, the majority would be happy. As for attacking, i am not going to because this is a rather vulgar way to address strikers in any context. Again, i will try through the power of words and persuasion to deter most people from ever needing to go on strikes. If these people choose to ignore me and make public displays with no basis whatsoever, there's nothing to be done about it from my behalf, i do not constitute the government.
Well, fine, but I wasnt asking for your arguments in favor of homework, but which actions will you take to make sure homework exists forever. Will you start "We love homework" group to spread awareness about homework in your society? Will you track down and verbally attack those who oppose homework any time they make a public display?
(They are kinda misleading but not entirely and as you said it wouldn't be that wise to disperse my arguments like that)
"My goal is that homework exists"
Then you probably shouldnt give arguments in favor of your enemy's goal of abolishing homework. Unless they are misleading arguments, of course, in that case, good work. Now, what other actions will you take to make sure homework exists forever?
My goal is that homework exists nothing else, evident by my postion. Yet you asked a question regarding the existence of this debate and since i created it, it was my obligation to start answering and mention some downsides to my position( i was going to dispute them in my argumentation nonetheless). So, unless there's a question strictly regarding con, i figure we should stop and avoid further confusing people about my position
"Your making the concept of skipping homework sound very serious, like a war tactic which requires sacrifices and so on. "
I understand, you want it so that there are no sacrifices which have to be made. You want to not do homework and not suffer any punishment for it. But can you achieve that? Can you convince your school to abolish homework, or at least all of your teachers? Can you convince your country? What sacrifices are you willing to make to abolish homework on a nation scale? Are you going to do peaceful protests? Or is your goal just to argue about it until you convince enough people? Whatever your plan is, you must have clear path towards goal. Now, if you want to just talk about it and complain, sure, I guess I can complain too. "Oh homework, all those hours of childhood I will never get back. Lets cry."
I am not here to ban hw, i am here to argue that it should exist. Yet, this fellow debater asked questions that could only be answered if i am pretending to be pro. I am simply jotting down thoughts through my personal experience that have nothing to do with neither my argumentation nor my position
I want you to realise that i am con and i am simply voicing the requests of a certain community when it comes to this debate. Your making the concept of skipping homework sound very serious, like a war tactic which requires sacrifices and so on. War is similar to homework only in the sense that it is imposed upon a certain group of people and it leads to people taking risks in order to avoid their effects . These risks wouldn't exist if governments banned homework meaning that students wouldn't have to for example fake sick, forge signatures in letters supposedly written by their parents enabling them to not do homework. These are all risks not actions that have a slight possibility of working but if they don't they lead to more significant consequences than the ones a student would endure should they just choose to not do homework in the first place. Finally, imagine a child in elementary or middle school that just doesn't feel like doing homework. This child is a sensitive human beings and is committing the most minor offence possible. Should he/she have to go through disappointing his parents, potentially getting suspended by the school or spanked by parents just because he skipped homework? No, and that's why he/she supports that homework shouldn't exist. Obviously, this is a very crude argument on which you can't base any decisionmaking, yet you can see one side of the argument on which we have been arguing about for the past one and a half hour.
If you want to ban HW, then you would take the pro side of this debate, not the con side.
You can also do your homework very poorly. For example, if you have to write an essay, just write 4 sentences that you get from asking AI.
"your mom will spank you or they can give you some form of detention"
Yeah, those are sacrifices necessary to skip homework. So if you really want to skip homework, then you will skip it even if you get spanked or get detention. I suggest you make a detailed plan about skipping homework which enables you to achieve the goal of skipping homework in most acceptable way for you possible. Are you familiar with the concept of systematic way of doing something? To put it simply, you have a goal, a path to goal and actions necessary to achieve goal. Now just think about as many actions as possible which would save you from homework, such as getting intentionally sick or overcoming your fear of punishment. If you try hard enough, you might never have to do homework again, since persistence is important.
Yea i get your point but most people do care about their grades and believe that homework should not be taken into account and should not exist because they dont want bad grades. These people don't neglect homework because they dont care about their grades but because they think it's mainly a waste of time. As for the principals thing, oviously they don't spank you but the principal's main role is to punish students, lets not bullshit so if u are taken to the principal they can call your mom and then your mom will spank you or they can give you some form of detention which students also try to avoid.
"forgetting homework drops ur grades down"
So your solution is simple. Stop caring about your grades, and then you will be able not to do your homework easily. I had really bad grades in high school. Like, I didnt even study, let alone do homework.
"in more strict ones they take u to principals"
Well, unless you are being spanked there, I dont see how it hurts you. But if you want to skip homework, you obviously must be willing to make sacrifices.
In some countries, forgetting homework drops ur grades down and in more strict ones they take u to principals so u currently have the choice not to but pro is supposed to argue that not doing homework is perfectly fine and should be allowed
Like, just say you forgot to do your homework.
You can just not do homework.