Homework is an integral part of the education system today, one that students seem to hate with a fiery passion, not that we can blame them, especially if it is the major source of tremendous stress that can result in headaches, exhaustion and lack of sleep.
So when we think about homework, we hardly think about who invented such a thing? So in this blog, we will dig a little deeper in the history to uncover who thought homework would be such a fun idea? And what are its objectives?
Table of Contents
What Is Homework
We know that you know what homework is, but just bear with me on this one and let’s just discuss what does homework stand for? Homework is defined as
“An assignment given to a student to be completed outside the regular class period”
Any work that is given to the student to write or learn at home is considered homework.
Why Was Homework Invented
Homework offered to students serves a variety of educational purposes. The goal of homework is for students to practice educational material that has previously been taught in class in order to reinforce learning and enhance mastery of certain skills. Homework also helps the teacher understand and assess the students’ comprehension and understanding of the lesson.
The idea behind homework is actually a good one if you think about it while many think that homework is not important in order to excel in your studies but research proves otherwise. In a study conducted by Hill, Spencer, Alston and Fitzgerald (1986), homework is positively linked to student achievement. They said that homework is an inexpensive way of mastering the studied material and preparation without modifying the curriculum and increasing staff. And in the 2006 Psychology, Professor Harris Cooper conducted research and found that there is evidence of a positive connection between homework and student achievement which means that students who did homework performed better in school.
So even if you don’t like the idea of homework in the endgame it is beneficial for you.
When Was Homework Invented
Exactly who invented homework and why? The question that we all want the answer to, however, there is no one name behind it as many people and events have influenced its history. Let’s begin to unfold some of those events.
Pliny the Younger
The history of homework goes back to as early as ancient Rome. Pliny the Younger, in the 1st Century AD, was an oratory teacher who invented homework by instructing his followers to practise public speaking at home. The purpose behind it was to help them in their speech and gain confidence. But some would argue that it is not the written form of homework but still this technique was used to help his followers overcome difficulties and achieve something so it could be called a form of homework. If we further want to blame someone for the origin of homework we can blame it on Horace Mann as well.
Horace Mann
Horace Mann, a 19th-century politician and educational reformer, had a significant role in the history of homework. Mann had a keen interest in Germany’s education system as a newly unified nation-state. Students that attended the Volksschulen or People School were given mandatory assignments that they were obligated to complete at home during their off time. At the time, the state used homework as an element of power play.
Despite the political agenda behind it, the system of bringing school assignments back home found its way to Mann and fascinated him enough that he chose to bring the system home to America where Homework became part of the daily routine in the lives of students.
Roberto Nevilis
Roberto Nevilis was a teacher in Venice, Italy and is credited with having invented homework. The practice of homework is said to exist before Nevilis but it was through Nevilis that homework became formalized.
As a teacher, Nevilis thought that when his students left the classroom, his lessons lost their essence, which disappointed him tremendously so he decided to take different measures. Thus, homework was born. He thought of homework in two alternative lights.
- It was given to students as a form of punishment and to make them pay close attention in class.
- Secondly, homework works as a motivator for students to continue learning even after school hours.
The main idea was to guarantee that students did not forget what they were taught in the classroom, but worked on it after school hours to improve their performance and results.
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Objectives of Homework
Homework is a way of initiating a learning experience that could continue beyond the classroom. The earliest objective was to help students with their learning and not to burden them with unnecessary school work, some of the other objectives are:
- The concepts presented in the classroom are subsequently reinforced with the assistance of homework. The idea was if students practise what they learn in the classroom, it will help establish a strong foundation.
- Another one is to help nurture the development of good study habit
- To help students develop and promote self-discipline, responsibility and independence
- To encourage the student to do research and develop research skills
- Each class has a time restriction, which is often insufficient for students to finish the topic or lesson, resulting in incomplete learning. Through the help of homework, students are not constrained by time limitations, and they can review their lessons to achieve conceptual clarity.
- Without the obligation of homework students seldom practice. Even though it is a proven fact that practice makes you perfect and helps you achieve good grades it is not utilised by students. By assigning students homework, it enables them to practice and application.
Homework is a hot topic in education. Whether we like it or not, homework is an integral part of a student’s life. But it shouldn’t be used as a tool to determine the student’s potential and grade points. Aside from this, it might be a good idea to focus solely on its advantages and view it as a means to enhance learning and academic experience.
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