The link between homework and educational achievement is supported by research: a meta-analysis of studies between 19 found that: “With only rare exceptions, the relationship between the amount of homework students do and their achievement outcomes was found to be positive and statistically significant.” The right type of work Revising the key skills learned in the classroom during homework increases the likelihood of a student remembering and being able to use those skills in a variety of situations in the future, contributing to their overall education. Similarly, students must practise their skills in different environments. Many of us will have struggled to remember someone’s name when we meet them in an unexpected environment (a workmate at the gym, maybe), and we are more likely to remember them again once we’ve seen them multiple times in different places. Students need to access the information in ways that are relevant to their world, and to transfer knowledge to new situations. It’s only when the person returns to the same environment that they remember the key information.īut education is about more than memorising facts. The new set of sensory information – lighting, odours, temperature – enters their working memory and any pre-existing information is displaced. On leaving the classroom, the information in the working memory is replaced by the topic in the next class.Īdults experience a similar reaction when they walk into a new room and forget why they are there. This information is continually updated during the class. When students learn in the classroom, they are using their short-term or working memory. These same students reported that the demands of homework caused sleep deprivation and other health problems, as well as less time for friends, family and extracurricular pursuits. The anxiety related to homework is frequently reviewed.Ī survey of high-performing high schools by the Stanford Graduate School of Education, for example, found that 56% of students considered homework a primary source of stress. Increasingly, there’s a divide between those who support the need for homework and those who suggest the time would be better spent with family and developing relationships.

Homework for science