Changes

[[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Assignment.jpg|right|frame]]

[[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Assignment.jpg‎|right|frame]]

*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17th_century 1683]

*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/14th_century 14th Century]

==Definitions==

==Definitions==

*1:a : a [[position]], post, or office to which one is assigned

*1: piecework done at [[home]] for pay

:b : a specified task or amount of [[work]] assigned or undertaken as if assigned by [[authority]]

*2: an [[assignment]] given to a [[student]] to be completed outside the regular class period

*2: the transfer of [[property]]; especially : the transfer of property to be held in [[trust]] or to be used for the benefit of creditors

*3: preparatory [[reading]] or [[research]] (as for a [[discussion]] or a [[debate]])

==Description==

==Description==

Homework '''assignment''', refers to tasks assigned to [[students]] by their [[teachers]] to be completed outside of class. Common homework assignments may include a [[quantity]] or period of [[reading]] to be [[performed]], [[writing]] or typing to be completed, [[problems]] to be solved, a [[school]] project to be built (such as a diorama or display), or other [[skills]] to be [[practiced]].

'''Homework''', or homework [[assignment]], refers to tasks assigned to [[students]] by their [[teachers]] to be completed outside of class. Common homework assignments may include a [[quantity]] or period of [[reading]] to be performed, [[writing]] or typing to be completed, [[problems]] to be solved, a school project to be built (such as a diorama or display), or other [[skills]] to be [[practiced]].

The basic [[objectives]] of assigning homework to [[students]] are the same as [[schooling]] in general: To increase the [[knowledge]] and improve the [[abilities]] and [[skills]] of the students. However, opponents of homework cite homework as rote, or grind work, designed to take up children's time, without offering tangible benefit. Homework may be designed to reinforce what [[students]] have already [[learned]], [[prepare]] them for upcoming (or [[complex]] or difficult) lessons, extend what they know by having them apply it to new situations, or to [[integrate]] their [[abilities]] by applying many different [[skills]] to a single task. Homework also provides an [[opportunity]] for [[parents]] to [[participate]] in their children's [[education]].

Historically, homework was frowned upon in [[American]] [[culture]]. With few [[students]] interested in higher [[education]], and due to the [[necessity]] to complete daily chores, homework was discouraged not only by [[parents]], but also by school districts. In 1901, the California legislature passed an act that effectively abolished homework for those who attended kindergarten through the eighth grade. But, in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950's 1950s], with increasing [[pressure]] on the United States to stay ahead in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War Cold War], homework made a resurgence, and [[children]] were encouraged to keep up with their Russian counterparts. By the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, the [[consensus]] in American [[education]] was overwhelmingly in favor of issuing homework to [[students]] of all grade levels.

Historically, homework was frowned upon in [[American]] [[culture]]. With few [[students]] interested in higher education, and due to the [[necessity]] to complete daily [[chores]], homework was discouraged not only by [[parents]], but also by school districts. In 1901, the California legislature passed an act that effectively abolished homework for those who attended kindergarten through the eighth grade. But, in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950's 1950]s, with increasing [[pressure]] on the United States to stay ahead in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War Cold War], homework made a resurgence, and children were [[encouraged]] to keep up with their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union Russian] counterparts. By the end of the Cold War in the early [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990's 1990]s, the [[consensus]] in American [[education]] was overwhelmingly in favor of issuing homework to [[students]] of all grade levels.

In a [[study]] done at the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Michigan University of Michigan] in 2007, [[research]] concluded that the amount of homework given is increasing over time. In a sample taken of [[students]] between the ages of 6 and 9, it was shown that students spend more than two hours a week on homework, as opposed to 44 minutes in 1981. Harris Cooper, nations top homework scholar, concluded after a comprehensive review that homework does not improve [[academic]] achievements for grade school students. Cooper [[analyzed]] dozens of students and found that kids who are assigned homework in middle and high school actually score "somewhat" better on standardized tests, but that kids who do 60 to 90 minutes of homework in middle school and more than 2 hours in high school actually score worse.[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1376208,00.html]

In a [[study]] done at the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Michigan University of Michigan] in 2007, [[research]] concluded that the amount of homework given is increasing over time. In a sample taken of [[students]] between the ages of 6 and 9, it was shown that students spend more than two hours a week on homework, as opposed to 44 minutes in 1981. Harris Cooper, nations top homework scholar, concluded after a comprehensive review that homework does not improve [[academic]] [[achievements]] for grade school students. Cooper [[analyzed]] dozens of students and found that kids who are assigned homework in middle and high school actually score "somewhat" better on standardized tests, but that kids who do 60 to 90 minutes of homework in middle school and more than 2 hours in high school actually score worse.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homework]

[[Category: Sociology]]

[[Category: Education]]