This week, in class, we are going to be working on debates. To prepare for the debates coming up, we had to research both pros and cons about each of the two topics. The first is 'homework should be banned' and the other is that 'video games are too violent.'
The first topic, about homeworkers being banned something that I know a lot about, considering that I have to do it everyday. But, I don't know if homework itself should be banned. One good thing about homework is that the students can really tell if they know the material without the teacher's help; it's a good test. Another good thing is that homework could be used to go ahead in the material, while class time is used to understand what is going on during the homework. "According to Cooper’s much-cited review of homework studies, there have been 20 studies since 1962 that compared the achievement of students who received homework and achievement of students who did not. Results are that 14 of the studies showed benefit in doing homework, while 6 did not." (4) On the other hand, the students get more practice with the material taught in class. Another point is that if there is no homework, kids will be wasting their time watching TV, or getting into trouble. Also, homework teaches time management. When there is a lot of homework, the student s need to know how to get all of it done. That is a skill that will be used for the rest of their lives and all kids need to know how to use it. But too much homework can be a bad thing. Nowadays, kids have so many after school activities, that homework can only get done late at night, so time that should be spent sleeping is spent doing work. "'Kids are at school 7 or 8 hours a day. That’s a full working day and why should they have to take work home?” said education expert Etta Kralovec told Today.'" (2) Home work can cause a lot of stress especially at the young age when kids start to get overwhelmed. Another thing is that once you're behind, it's very hard to catch because the students have to do the current homework as well as the past assignments. In most classes, homework is worth only a small part of the grades, so taking it out would not be a big deal. "In his book The Homework Myth, Kohn points out that no study has ever found a correlation between homework and academic achievement in elementary school, and there is little reason to believe that homework is necessary in high school." (3) Lastly, the free time can be used for something useful, such as learning something new, being with friends, or even sleeping. "Half of kids in grades 7-12 spend one hour or more on homework on a typical weekday, compared to just over one third of kids in grades 3-6, according to a 2007 Metlife study." (1) And this is only an average. On some days, it could be much more than an hour going up to 2 or even three hours spent solely on homework. Now, how much it is benefiting the kids, you be the judge.
The next topic is about video games being too violent. Many games today involve much violence with the goal to kill or hurt or hunt down others. After a while, the kids will start think that violence like this is ok and 'normal'. Children start to lose their empathy for those who are dead and dying. Because have seen so many deaths in their games, they believe at it's not as bad as it is. They may even think that they get a second chance like they do in the games. Studies show that there is more aggression in the people who play violent video games on a daily basis. "These actions or gestures are stored in their memories and children do feel the urge to try them out in their real lives on their siblings and in school, thus increasing the bullying tendencies." (6) Ninety-seven percent of children have played violent video games before. As technology is advancing, so are the video games. The blood and gore are more and more realistic. As children play these games everyday, make a them seem as not a big deal.. Just something that can be done over. The games could also scare some, as they get more and more real and 3-D. On the other hand, these games could be merely be a good way to let out some stress. Some might say it is better to let anger out on virtual beings, than human ones. Another thing that these games are very realistic, giving the children a good idea of what real warfare is like. It gives them a taste of what the real world is like. "Even in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or depression, researchers found there was no evidence to suggest the games had a negative effect upon their personality." (7) A third point is that the parent should teach
their children right from wrong. The parents should be watching over the children to make sure they know what is good and bad. "For children who do play video games, it is more important to monitor the content than it is to set time limits, Murphy says." (5) The rating on the boxes of the videos games itself should also be followed. If the box says that the game is meant for teens, only teens should be playing them.
1). http://parade.condenast.com/337259/linzlowe/weigh-in-should-schools-ban-homework-altogether/
2). http://parade.condenast.com/337259/linzlowe/weigh-in-should-schools-ban-homework-altogether/
3). http://www.education.com/magazine/article/The_Homework_Debate/
4). https://schools-education.knoji.com/should-homework-be-banned/
5). http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/AmericanFamily/story?id=12662
6). http://www.dawn.com/news/1061850
7). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2403032/Violent-video-games-like-Grand-Theft-Auto-DONT-harm-children--therapeutic.html
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