Smartphones for Teenagers

22 March 2016

Smartphones for Teenagers

Pro

A hotly debated subject is smartphones for teens, I take the position that parents should give Teenagers smartphones, not only does it help them at school but it can help their safety, they can communicate with friends/family all around the world and it is a form of entertainment.

My evidence for that it helps their safety, yes I know that you can get cyber bullied and texts from strangers, but it can also help them, for example their parents can put a GPS on their son/daughter. Almost every smartphone has a GPS and if not then are many apps that will allow you to do on the app store. Another reason it helps your safety is that you can phone/text your parents wherever you are so if you get lost you can phone someone. Another reason it can help your safety is that you can get taxis and the metro easier, for example before you didn’t know what metro line to get on but know you can search it up to find out, also it helps with taxis because before you would get any taxi, you have no idea who the person is and they could do terrible things to you, but now with a smartphone you can get an app with taxi drivers you can trust. Another reason that it helps your safety is that if there is a fire then you can phone the firemen and also if they are in accident and are the only one conscious then you can phone the ambulance, you would not be able to do that without a smartphone.

My evidence for that it helps academically is that if teenagers are struggling and can not ask anyone to explain they can search it up and then they know how to do it. Also it teaches them new stuff, using a personal experience that I learned how to help and do a rainbow, Healy and how to play many songs on the guitar watching videos. Yes you can do that on a computer or an iPad, but with a smartphone you normally have it with you wherever you go so that means you can watch it wherever you are, your friend’s house etc.. Another reason it helps you academically is that there are loads of free lessons on the internet, for example I learnt how to divide decimals doing this. As well if you are sick one day then you can ask your classmate/teacher what you did that day and what you can do so you can study what you were meant to be doing at school that day.

My evidence that it is good for socialising is that if you are a shy person then you can talk to people without making eye contact and things like that. For example imagine that you are super shy and you do not like making eye contact, well then with a smartphone you can message people without making eye contact. Another reason I think having a smartphone helps you socially is that you can message your family/friends wherever they are in the world, so your friends in your old school or your family in other countries. If you are struggling to make friends in your new school then you can message your friends in your old school. Another reason that having a smartphone helps you socially is that many teenagers have things, such as Snapchat, Skype, WhatsApp, Facebook etc., so then you can get in touch with your friends easier and meet up with them during the weekend.

Evidence for it is a form of entertainment is that you can use it long car rides for example on the bus to school and it takes some time and you have no friends on the bus then it is a form of entertainment as well as when you are on long flights. Also there are many games need creativity, quick thinking and problem solving, yes due to the phone you might get less face to face time with family but it can be solved with a time limit. Also there are many games on the app store which are educational that can teach you multiplication, division, stories etc..

You know how your parents are always going back in my childhood we played outside all day and roam around free. But things change, now there are more skyscrapers and more motorways and less places to roam around free, before you could get the metro at a younger age and go around the town by yourself at a younger age then. Also a really important thing to do is that you have to be careful, if you get emails from strangers, tell your parents. That is really important, a way to prevent this is that your parents have access to your email/texts and that you must tell them immediately. Also another important thing is to have a limit, if not teenager get easily distracted. For example you can not take the phone into your room after dark, no phone at the table and during family time. Also not all games are bad. Yes, even though they are quite expensive, there are many things you can do, so a solution to that is that you can get hand me downs, for example I could get my Dad’s old phone and then you do not have to pay so much money for the kids. To make kids not cheat during class is easy, when kids enter the class when they have tests they have to be checked, because sometimes it is more than just bringing in a phone, but a calculator, notes from friends who did the test already. Also you need to keep your password secret, because if not your friends can log on to your computer and post silly posts. So to prevent this you should keep your password secret. That is why I think smartphones are good for teenagers and that it can help their academics, safety, great fun and can communicate with their families and friends wherever they are.

You vs Pressure

 Pressure from Competitive Sports

To start us off, close your eyes and imagine this scene. You are at a football game, the sun glaring down at you, beads of sweat racing down your cheek as you cheer your team on. In fact, your son is in this team. The ball flies into the net and the crowd goes wild. You go ecstatic, screaming your head off until realising, that the players are all 8 years old and you are sitting in a set of bleachers, alongside a crowd that consists of 3 people. Believe me, my mom used to go pretty wild.

 Onto a more serious note, many people believe that children receive pressure that could emotionally and physically scar them for life, but I believe that certain types of pressure can boost a child’s performance, mentally and physically.  Pressure at a young age helps you prepare for the real world and when you start to gain responsibilities. Pressure to practice and get better helps children make themselves into adults. 

Competitive sports not only teaches the values of resilience but it also reinforces it. This is significant because this skill teaches kids to give their all in the toughest of times and deliver results under pressure. “I feel very lucky to have got involved in sport when I was quite young. I was ten when my parents took me to an open athletics day in Sheffield where I got the opportunity to try athletics for the first time and instantly fell in love with sport. This was the start of something that gave me focus and determination throughout my teenage years.” (Ennis-Hill, 2015). This shows that child athletes start to gain a sense of determination and dedication. 

I also have to agree that pressure can be harmful in many ways. Being an avid participator in competitive sports, I have experienced many failures and had to deal with large amounts of mental trauma after huge losses. I was devastated for the first few days but in the end of the day, it’s just a game. Through all the injuries and failures, you learn the values of teamwork, sportsmanship and resilience and this is what my argument is built around.

On the topic of injuries, there really aren’t that many serious injuries in the world of child competitive sports. Allyson Pollock, a physician and public-health professor conducted a study determining the dangers of rugby. She found out that a child playing 15 matches a season had 1 in 6 chance of getting injured (2014). This is important because many believe that kids get injured constantly. 

In most but not all sports, teams are required. Teams play a huge part in dealing with pressure. Whether or not you are friends with your teammates, if you ever lose a big game or have too much pressure on your head, having a team experiencing the same thing honestly gives you some comfort. In 4th grade, my football team and I were in the finals for under 11 football. We were all nervous yet excited, blood rushing through our veins, itching to get onto the field. Long story short, my team and I lost. We were devastated. Being in 4th grade and not losing a single game in our entire season, we didn’t know how to react. I still remember the way I walked off that pitch, a look of regret and heartbreak on my face. But I knew that my team was feeling the exact same thing and knowing that if we were a team and were going to go down together, gave me a little bit of redemption.

In conclusion, I believe that positive pressure from peers and adults can shape a child into a more mentally strong and resilient person and can give them values that will turn them into adults. I can also acknowledge the fact that the majority of children quit sports not because of pressure or injuries, or rather just not liking that/those sport/sports. 

Technology at break times

An issue that is hotly debated is whether technology should or shouldn’t be used in break times. I think that by making kids not use their technology, they can be more social with other friends in school and at the same time save their eyes. You could also spend the time doing something physical, because break and maybe PE are the only to times of day during the full 8 hours of school that you can actually do some physical exercise. While some say that using technology at break can have multiple functions and ways to improve your learning, it can also be very damaging to yourself. Students should try and avoid using technology at break times and schools should have specific days where students are allowed on their digital devices.

I think that Schools should not use technology at break because when you use technology at break times and times that you should be taking a rest from work, you can damage your brain more than you think. When you use your brain or eyes for too long at a time, it can damage the way you perform in later lessons. “Downtime is to the brain what sleep is to the body,” said Dr. Rich of Harvard Medical School. “But kids are in a constant mode of stimulation.” This means break times are and should be for taking breaks, not for spending the time on a screen which you probably have been doing on the period before. By doing some sort of physical activity during break time, you are essentially improving your mental focus for the next class. Scientists have proven that performing physical exercise before classes stimulate specific parts of the brain, helping the child stay more focused during the class.

Scientists have proven that taking short breaks is mentally better for learning, so if you do not give you brain a break, what you are basically doing is working it too much. By not taking your eyes of the screen, you are also damaging your eyes by not letting them have a break. Computer eye problems are common. “Somewhere between 50% and 90% of people who work at a computer screen have at least some symptoms of eye trouble.” This shows that even if we are not straining our eyes, even just by working at a computer in school, Computers and technology damage our eyes anyway, so why make it worse? Yes I understand, that using technology at break times and be a way to finish up homework, and yes I know that some people will use them for video games which can be good, which is why I am proposing the following; Schools should assign a specific day, either once a week, once every two weeks, or once a month, depending on how much the school uses technology in their curriculum.

As an add on to all of this, by not using technology at break times, you can socialise with people, and if you want evidence on this, “Socialising during lunch is a desirable activity and should be included in the time allotted. Socialising allows time for students to relate to others, provides a break in routine and allows students to return to afternoon classes refreshed.” Says Dr. Conklin. Another reason here why not using technology at break times helps you academically. Socialising is a natural habit, and right now what we are doing using technology as an excuse to keep to yourself.

All in all, while using technology at break can be a way to do things you couldn’t at home, it is harmful to you and by not using technology, you can, and will be overall a better student in class, save your eyes and use break times for break.

Writing Over Typing

Have you ever thought about how the human race is slowly but surely, losing the skill of writing? Or that the distractions that a computer holds are sometimes irresistible, therefore decreasing the efficiency of the work that we do? Or that you could irreversibly lose IQ points because of these distractions? Well these are all proven facts, and the horrible truth is that this could have a major effect on how the future generations can read, and how knowledgeable they turn out to be.

Writing helps stimulate the human brain in many ways, that typing and using computers to complete simple tasks simply don’t. Scientists believe that with writing becoming less and less popular with the human race, the ability of future generations can possibly be hindered, according to Anne Chemin. In this same article, ‘Handwriting vs typing: is the pen still mightier than the keyboard’, she wrote that in the June of 2014, a British survey of 2000 people went out, and 1 out of every 3 people who responded, said that they had not written anything by hand in the past six months. On top of that, she says, “Cursive writing – in which the pen is not raised between each character – has been dropped from the Common Core Curriculum Standards, shared by all states.” Additionally, writing notes by hand has been proven to help further improve your understanding on the topic at hand. This is because writing works your brain more, as it’s slower to write, allowing the information to get to your brain, whereas when you type, you type fast, and this is merely putting words with no meaning onto the screen.

Using laptops also hold the risk of getting distracted, and can offer much more temptation to multitask, which, according Larry Kim, is very unhealthy for us, as our brains are designed to focus on one thing at a time, which unfortunately means that multitasking lowers the quality of your work and your efficiency. It also leaves you mentally exhausted, because of the stress hormone, cortisol, that is being released. Humans have a naturally occurring tendency to take shortcuts, which is, as stated, scientifically proven to be very deleterious to our brains. Furthermore, using laptops to simply take notes during class, or whilst watching a video can obstruct your ability to learn the very possibly important things that you are being taught. Personally, I feel this as I am very tempted to take notes on my laptop, but I find that when I take notes in a notebook or on a piece of paper, I can remember more of what is being taught.

Along with distractions, focus problems, and the lack of brain stimulus, eye problems and loss of IQ points are also some problems associated with doing a lot of digital work. It is a proven fact that grown men can lose 15 IQ points from multitasking, and this can bring their brain level down to that of an eight-year-old. These changes can sometimes be irreversible. Moreover, two common eye problems, computer vision syndrome and digital eye strain, are both caused by your eyes not getting enough movement, as all the major movement can happen with the swipe of two fingers on the trackpad, which doesn’t stimulate your brain to move your eyes, whereas when you read books, and write on larger pieces of paper, your eyes have to move more, to see what you are doing or where you are reading. “According to a 2015 survey by The Vision Council, 65 percent of American adults reported having symptoms of digital eye strain.” Over time, with the use of laptops and electronic devices increasing, the amount of people with the computer vision syndrome and digital eye strain has also increased. (Heiting, 2016)

As well as having all these unhealthy and distracting components, computers and electronic handhelds can also provide a whole selection of helpful and useful elements, such as the wonderful google, quick communications, and a quick way to do just about anything. They also save your expenses on paper and pencils, with various choices of online unlimited storage, hard drive storage, going to save the planet.

All in all, I feel as though computers should not be a crutch for students to lean on to do their homework, but instead a learning tool for them to use for small things.

- "Multitasking Is Killing Your Brain." Observer. N.p., 02 Feb. 2016. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.

- Chemin, Anne. "Handwriting vs Typing: Is the Pen Still Mightier than the Keyboard?" The Guardian. N.p., n.d. Web.

- "4 Benefits of Handwriting Notes Vs. Typing on Laptops - Zebra Pen." Zebra Pen. N.p., 02 Sept. 2014. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.

- "Computer Vision Syndrome and Digital Eye Strain." All About Vision. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.

Thinking Further About The Arts.

So, its coming up for Grade 9 and 10 exam choices. Now only in grade 8, you're not quite sure what you you want to do with your life. You feel very passionate about Drama and Music and know that your career will involve both. Not being able to choose these subjects would limit your career options. Aren’t you the one deciding your own future? Understanding the points experts have made I still think its our choice as students, to make our own choices.

I take the position that there needs to be more opportunities for arts in IGCSE, while the students are encouraged to take a variety of subjects in order to give them a broad foundation when picking IB diploma subjects. Yet there still seems to be a bias for other subjects with an explanation that an art could be covered as an activity. The Arts are more likely to be a students passion with clear career paths that can be followed, and finally Arts can give more students opportunities to express themselves. 

One reason students would benefit from being able to choose more than one art, is that in these subjects they can express themselves. In the art subjects you have opportunity to create your own compositions. When you compose something in music or design something in D.T, you can reflect yourself in it, and make it your own. Whereas in many other academic subjects, the aim is to problem solve and learn facts. For an example in a recent Music unit, we had to show our learning, by getting together in groups and fulfil the certain requirements that had to be in the piece. But as long as we had these requirements, we were able to put our own flair to it, which made each piece unique. In contrast, lately in a science unit we were learning about the body systems. That unit was very facts based and there was no place where we could add our own pizzazz to it.

Another reason that only being able to choose one art is unfair is that there seems to be a bias towards non art subjects. All students take coordinated science on the understanding that it gives you a good base for IB diploma, which limits you from getting another GCSE in another subject area because coordinated science amounts to two GCSE’s. The GCSE program does not enable a student who knows they need to take two of the arts for their career. For example Cathy Jones VP of UWC East High School, states that there are other ways to fulfil art interests by doing activities instead of taking another art exam. You could do performances rather than do a Drama GCSE or you could take part in the orchestra or other ensembles rather than do Music GCSE.

Lastly, art subjects encourage feelings of passion; when you do subjects you know that you can succeed in, you want to pursue them as far as you can. Only being able to choose one of Music and Drama when they go so well together would limit your possibilities. Art subjects are vocational and often encourage people to follow a different and more unusual path. The values of UWCSEA encourage students to make a change to go beyond the expected. Pursuing the Arts fulfils this in the same way that other subjects do. This is significant because whether you are designer or an artist or an actor you can make the same impact as a scientist, explorer or humanitarian could. Being passionate about what you do can only make you more determined to succeed. “Plus est en vous” Are the famous words of Kurt Hahn, Theres more in you than you think. Following your passion enables you to aim higher.

Homework vs Videogames

The idea of homework has been debated as good or bad for many years, however till very recently, the concept of video games has not been a factor in such debates. In some cases, homework can help children further consolidate their knowledge and understanding about topics learnt in school. However, homework more often than not is a negative use of time and time that instead could be devoted to video games because despite cliche stereotypes, many video games provide psychological and academic advantages. This paper will explain why parents should allow children to play video games in moderation alongside homework as it can provide many psychological and academic benefits.

Homework has been adopted by many schools all over the world, it is now almost a tradition. However as it has grown more and more popular, no one has had the motivation to challenge it. But is homework really worth the time? The Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia decided to look into homework and how much it really benefits children. These researchers reported no “substantive difference” in the grades of students related to homework completion, (Fuglei, 2016). This means homework plays little if any role in a child’s academic success. Another study by Penn State’s Education Policy Studies department found that “Pages and pages of homework that is simply marked and handed back have less effect than short assignments that are marked individually and discussed later in class, (Fuglei, 2016). This shows that the quantity of homework is not related to its benefits. Akshat Jain, an extremely academically successful middle school student, says “The reason I do well does not lie in the homework provided by school, I would be better off without the stress and pressure of homework.” (Jain, 2016). This represents two things. Firstly children do not appreciate homework as it build stress and wastes time. And secondly, homework does not blossom into success, success is found in other factors of a child's life.

Many people think that video games lead to a drop in grades. There are countless studies that have formulated theories putting video games down. However recent research and studies show that video game can provide many academic benefits. Drew Guarini (an experienced and active contributor to the huffington post) says “your mother was wrong. Video games aren't bad for you. They're actually making your life better.” (Guarini, 2013). Studies conducted in england, provide strong evidence that video game, especially strategy games, massively develop skills that they believe to be key factors to learning, like brain flexibility (Guarini, 2013). This not only proves all the olden day research to be horribly wrong, but also proves there is a positive side to video games. However this study wasn’t the only of its kind, a study, based on a set of psychological test done before and after the 72 patients play video game for 40 hours over the course of 6 weeks, conducted by the Queen Mary University of London, found there to be an improvement from the first test to the second test taken after videogame play, patients were also able to complete cognitive flexibility task faster after playing video games. This is fact based proof that video games can have a positive effect on a child's academic life.

However, video games are not only good for academics, despite many stereotypes that video games damage eyes and make people violent, video games can actually help prevent problems like bad eye sight and depression. Depression, a problem faced by many of our youth, depression can lead to bullying, aggression and worst of all, suicide. It is obvious it is an itch that needs scratching. Researchers in New Zealand, tested a new way to treat depression. Instead of using traditional counseling techniques, they experimented with video games. They experimented on over 150 teenagers with depression problems, most of which had already attempted the classic counselling treatments and saw no effect. Half were given the usual one on one counselor, the second half were given video games. 44% of the second half recovered completely, while only 25% of the first group recovered, (Guarini, 2013). This means video games could be the answer to one of the biggest problems faced by today's society. However videogames aren’t only good for curing depression. Researchers at the University of Rochester, found a significant improvement on people’s eyes after playing video games. The results for first person shooters like Call of Duty and Halo, were especially encouraging. Scientist found that they improved the players contrast sensitivity function. This allows people to pick out small changes in light and color, an important skill for common task like driving at night.

So why keep children from playing video games. Would you ever prevent your child from doing their homework? Focusing too much on homework can lead to stress and ultimately waist time. Homework in large quantities does not benefit a child any more than a solid 50 minutes a night. Success comes from developing skills like adapting, learning and flexibility, not pages of repetition. Video games provide the specific skills one needs to be successful in school like the three mentioned earlier. Video games can also decrease stress and allow children to focus harder at school. Video games also provide a variety of benefits outside of school as well like better eyesight and curing depression. So as the age old debates about homework continue, it is time to throw video games into the mix and give it a chance. Society moved past the old stereotypes about social media, children having mobile phones and even LGBT, so why can’t we do the same about video games.



Fuglei, Monica. "The Homework Debate: The Case Against Homework."Concordia Portland Online. Concordia Online Education, 14 Nov. 2013. Web. 13 Mar. 2016.

Pilgrim, Trevor. "Homework: Harmful or Helpful?" Eduflow. Eduflow, 03 Oct. 2013. Web. 13 Mar. 2016.

Guarini, Drew. "9 Ways Video Games Can Actually Be Good For You." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.

Homework Balance

In a world where students are receiving increasing pressure to perform well academically, one of the biggest points of arguments that this pressure shows up is in homework. For many students, this drudgery seems like a torturous repetition of the already long school day. But even the students who hate homework most seem to acknowledge that there is some benefit to doing homework. In fact, for many students homework is a necessary reinforcement of concepts learnt at school through practice. But what is really going on? Is homework a great tool for students to continue learning even at home, or is it just an enormous time sink in the lives of already busy students? The evidence seems to say that schools should not give too much homework to students as this can cause stress, lack of personal time, and lessened interest in academics. Instead, schools should occasionally assign a small amount of balanced and relevant homework based on the individual student’s needs. This paper will argue in favour of a balanced and differentiated approach to homework, that hones in on the needs of individual students without overwhelming others with the unnecessary workload.

The first reason students should not receive too much homework is that it can cause stress. According to Youki Terada, a research trend tracker who holds a Master’s in Education and has studied educational research, one of the biggest drawbacks of homework is the fact that it can cause “...physical and emotional fatigue…” (Terada, 2015). He also mentions that homework “...can cut into sleep time…” and “...can increase pressure from parents to perform well…” The fact that we see homework causing fatigue and actually cutting into sleep time for students shows that there is a problem here. What is most important to see is that the homework that causes the most stress is rote memorisation homework - similar repeated exercises with only small amounts of changes. These repeated exercises tend to be, from my and other students’ experiences, very tedious and long tasks that are unhelpful to learning reinforcement. All this kind of homework does is cause stress without benefit. Instead, what should happen is a small but focused amount of homework - for example, according to Monica Fuglei, an adjunct faculty member of Arapahoe Community College in Colorado, effective mathematics homework “...should have a small number of varied exercises.” (Fuglei, 2013). The small amount prevents any possibility of stress while the varied exercises are even more effective for students to reinforce understanding and make analytical connections between concepts.

The second reason students should not receive too much homework is that it takes away from personal time. According to Trevor Pilgrim, a retired Principal of The Lodge School (a secondary/high school in Barbados), homework often “...disturbs family life…” and “...keeps them [students] up late at night…” (Pilgrim, 2013). He also says that it is important for students to “...relax, play and pursue sports and hobbies…”. These are major issues with homework, and how much time students have to spend on them. According to Terada, the average High School Student spends almost seven hours a week doing homework. Doing the calculations (not including weekends, which under most normal circumstances should be free for all students) that means students spend 1.4 hours a day doing homework. After a long, seven hour school day and co-curricular activities or sports for most students, 1.4 hours can often be the 1.4 hours before bed. There isn’t even time for them to go talk with their family or relax! This can often contribute again to feelings of fatigue, tiredness and stress in students - according to Antranik, a personal health trainer, “Stress and the lack of time go hand in hand. When we feel we don’t have enough time, we often panic!” (Antranik, 2013). One of the contributors to this problem is the fact that many teachers, especially in Middle and High schools underestimate what they call a “twenty minute task”. After a school day, student’s minds are tired and this task can take up to thirty minutes. Multiply that by four and we get two hours of homework. This is way too much - some teachers may not completely understand the busy lives of students. However, this can be fixed - homework that is set with outside activities, extra time and the three other pieces of homework from in mind, combined with effective homework practices like varied exercises and relevant work can make homework less of a time sink and more of a helpful tool to foster student learning.

The third reason students should receive less homework is because it can decrease interest in academics. Already mentioned is the problem of most homework being tedious rote memorisation. No student enjoys these kinds of tasks and might end up viewing academical knowledge as mostly just memorised information of no relevance to their own lives. Akshat Jain, a student from UWCSEA has mentioned that with regards to rote math practice, he “...feels frustrated, annoyed and angry with this kind of homework. I think this kind of homework is quite useless for my personal learning.” And it isn’t just him. Many students cry out similar complaints, and the evidence backing up these complaints is definitely stable - many students forget things within a summer of learning them because they have no interest in committing these things to memory. While some skeptics will say that learning to do things that are unenjoyable is an inevitable part of life, this is only true up to a certain extent, and after that, it can, in fact, be a detriment to student learning. Academics on their own in school already seem irrelevant and detached - according to a survey conducted on LiveScience.com, two out of three High School students report that they are bored in class every day, and 75% reporting that they do not find the material they are learning interesting (Bryner, 2007) - and homework is definitely not helping to correct this image.

So what can be done to fix this? Eliminating homework is not an option. John Bishop, author of the book Goal Setting for Students mentioned many important benefits of homework in his article entitled Ten Benefits of Homework. The most prominent include how homework “...teaches students about time management...how to set priorities...how to problem solve...how to work independently…” (Bishop, n.d.). These are things that can’t be learned elsewhere but are important life skills that students must eventually understand one way or the other. By eliminating homework, we throw the baby out with the bathwater. What is important for homework is that we don’t set too much of it, and what we do set is “...engaging, relevant, and supports learning…” (Terada, 2015). The best way to do this lies in several answers. Fuglei lists these examples: the flipped classroom - “...where students engage the lecture material outside of the classroom and then classroom time is dedicated to what would have been homework under the traditional setup. Teachers are then free to allow students to work in groups or individually, visiting each group and testing their mastery along the way.”, spaced repetition - “Spaced repetition covers and revisits material over time in ways that traditional homework has not, revisiting material that has been covered in the recent and distant past to reinforce a student’s knowledge base.”, and retrieval practice - “Retrieval practice can lead to interesting assignments like the role-playing homework described in “How to Create Effective Homework,” in which students adopted a historical persona. Their drive to maintain their character extended into their motivation for completing homework.” The flipped classroom is the most effective way to do this but requires a lot of logistical changes to happen. On the other hand, spaced repetition is something that can be easily implemented into the current homework regiment. Retrieval practice is something that can be done both in and out of class - one example being that of our school, where in Humanities Class, we engage with history through role-playing, like acting out the various parts of the Feudal System, exploring the differences between the English Longbow and the French Crossbow during the Hundred Years’ War by having a simulated battle, and learning about the Age of Exploration by role-playing a selected explorer. These are examples which many students can attest to enjoying, myself included, but yet we learn so much from them. Critics will argue that much of the benefit of homework has been lost by changing its format, and while this may be true in some scenarios, such as standardised testing where rote learning is what is most necessary, for other types of learning like skill development, this type of homework is much more effective. When it comes to assigning effective homework, there is no excuse - teachers are spoilt for choices.

In conclusion, homework is a widely but incorrectly used tool. While there are many benefits and positives to be derived from it, right now, it is overused, as can be seen through its damaging effects on students - effects like stress, detraction of time and boredom. But homework is at the same time a tool with great potential for improving student learning - it has many benefits for rote learning and things which cannot be done in class, as well as providing teachers with a progress chart for viewing their students on. While others claim that the only solution to this problem is to eliminate homework, I contend that that is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater, and that the true solution for most cases is to instead change the amount of homework quantitatively, and change how it is done qualitatively - so that there is less homework that is more relevant, personalised and interesting for students. This is something that must be done - homework can only be most effective when assigned in a differentiated and balanced manner and it is important for students to get their learning in the most effective manner, so this must be implemented in whatever way possible.

Bibliography

1. Bishop, John. "10 Benefits of Homework." HotChalk Lesson Plans Page. HotChalk Lesson Plans Page, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2016.
2. Fuglei, Monica. "Ending the Homework Debate: Expert Advice on What Works." Concordia Portland Online. Concordia Online Education, 28 Nov. 2013. Web. 13 Mar. 2016
3. Pilgrim, Trevor. "Homework: Harmful or Helpful?" Eduflow. Eduflow, 03 Oct. 2013. Web. 13 Mar. 2016.
4. Terada, Youki. "Research Trends: Why Homework Should Be Balanced."Edutopia. Edutopia, 31 July 2015. Web. 13 Mar. 2016.
5. Bryner, Jeanna. "Most Students Bored at School." LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 28 Feb. 2007. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
6. Antranik. "Time and Stress." Antranikorg. N.p., 20 Jan. 2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.