Nobody forgets their school life
and the perpetual homework that comes along with it. We all ended up doing our
homework regularly or coming up with new excuses to our teachers for not doing
them. But a recent story in newspapers questions the very nature of homework.
Is homework in the current form necessary at all and if so does it help the
students?
According to the story in
newspapers, the Central Board of Secondary School (CBSE) recommendation is that
the schools replace the word ‘homework’ with terms such as ‘practice work’ and
‘self work’. The board has also
recommended that students from classes 6 to 8 solve puzzles, write letters,
cook, read newspapers, and watch documentaries & natural history programmes
as part of their practice work.
The board has urged the schools
to club these activities with concepts from the lessons that the students are
taught. CBSE has also given a detailed manual on how ‘practice work’ can be
made interesting for students and how these different activities play an important
role in enhancing the learning curve of a child. As an example, to enhance
mathematical skills children can help parents in planning the monthly budget of
a household. Another way could be a pictorial representation of the clothes in
their wardrobe.
Schools can conduct discussions
with the students on the kind of after-school activities that they would like
to do. Students can use newspapers and watch news channels to stay updated on
the current events. For social sciences, students can discuss the solutions on
a controversial law and do a possible case study are some of the further
recommendations offered by the board.
While students have welcomed the
move, some teachers and principals remain sceptical of the move. The pressure
of doing homework may ease on the students, will it be useful in the longer run
that’s a question that remains to be answered. Alpha CBSE School one among the
leading CBSE schools in Chennai has welcomed the move. They assert that this
move helps the students and encourages them to attend to their school work with
enthusiasm. It removes the fear associated with homework and gives a free space
for students to work. They can do their school work in an interesting and
creative way and learn at the same time, getting the best of both worlds.
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