Homework has been part of the learning process over the past decades. Educators believe that home and school should collaborate in securing improved students’ understanding of the lesson being taught inside their classrooms. Thus, homework is assigned especially to those who are left behind in the class discussion. However, homework is often a contentious issue for students, parents, and teachers. In fact, there were two bills that proposed a no-homework policy, namely the House Bill No. 3611 by Deputy Speaker Evelina Escudero and House Bill No. 3883 by Rep. Alfred Vargas. In line with this, Senate Bill 966 by Senator Grace Poe proposed a “No Homework Law”. These actually gave birth to different issues and points of view among students, parents and teachers in the country. Surprisingly, the Department of Education welcomed the policy proposals from our lawmakers.
Accordingly, no homework means more quality time at home since it hinders bonding time of parents and their children for rest, relaxation and interaction. Hence, in some ways it creates negative impact towards family life. So, these caused one of our lawmakers to propose that any teacher who will violate the no-homework policy would pay a fine amounting to ₱ 50,000 or imprisonment of one to two years. With so much opinions made and shared by people over social media, it is crucial to review and understand the role of homework in the learning process.
Improved grades, test scores, and learning are not the only purposes of homework. Teachers who send work home to be done outside school cite the benefits of instilling a good “work ethic” into young learners (Dueck, 2014). This result of the study by Dueck negates the issue that teachers give homework as a form of punishment. More so, homework is designed even during the process of lesson planning. Therefore, it is intended with a good purpose.
Homework is used to assess student progress as well as to enhance the main objective of a lesson. In K to 12 curriculum, it is a form of a formative assessment which is in fact will not greatly affect the grades of the students. This negates the issue that receiving poor grades on homework can have a negative effect on students’ internal motivation.
According to DepED Memorandum No. 392, series 2010, teachers are advised to limit the homework of the students into reasonable quantity to secure that students will have ample time to rest and relax at home. This informs the teachers to make adjustments in the quantity of homework to be given for the students. This negates the issue that teachers give too much amount of homework that makes them often miss family meals and activities at home.
Homework has parental and family benefits such as greater parental appreciation of and involvement in schooling, student awareness of connection between home and school, and parental demonstrations of interest in child’s academic progress, Cooper et al., 2006. Teachers believe that doing homework with parents is actually a form a special boding. And thus, it promotes good communication and relationship between students and their parents.
On the other hand, we still cannot deny that there are some negative effects of homework to the students, especially if it is not carefully planned. In fact, many studies have identified those effects. But these may not be the reasons why our lawmakers tend to implement such no-homework bill. I may suggest that further adjustments and modifications be made in terms of giving homework. Say for instance, the quality and quantity of homework should be just enough that students can accomplish in their most convenient time. Economically disadvantaged students should not have difficulties in completing the homework because of their inequities in their home environment and resources. I may also suggest that teachers should communicate and coordinate with one another so they would avoid giving too much homework at the same time. And lastly, parents should be encouraged from time to time to serve in a supporting role to their children.
Now, we are facing this pandemic COVID 19 that suppresses the opening of classes this school year. The Department of Education is trying possible strategy in order to deliver the quality education in this most trying time. Online learning combined with a face-to-face learning and with the aid of ICT, DepED believes that it could at least make a way to educate our learners. This situation allows me to think that if our learners have developed the skills of doing their tasks at home, doing homework should I say, maybe they could easily adopt to this “new normal” in the learning process.