Question: Is Assigning Homework Advantageous?

Homework should not be abolished.

My position on this issue is that homework should not be eliminated, and here are the reasons why: 1) Homework allows teachers to assess and evaluate students' academic abilities. 2) Homework provides students with the opportunity to review and reinforce what they have learned in class. 3) Homework ensures that students remain focused on their studies, as they are required to complete their assignments. These reasons demonstrate the value of homework in enhancing students' academic performance and discipline.

I would like to clarify my statement in which the Pro stated that i have become the pro. In this statement(which you can find in my round 2 argument) i said that technology will be useful in the future but that is not what this argument is about. This argument is about technology in schools.I believe that students won't need to learn how to use technology at school because they have or will learn at home because many students already own electronic devices. The Pro also asked the following " If you find technology pointless in the classroom setting, then why are you using it right now?" which is completely irrelevant because i'm not in a classroom setting while doing this. Also this debate is not some type of school project. THe answer to her follow up question would be yes i have used technology for school but it typically wasnt at school, which meant it was not disrupting my learning time. I would like to take this time to point out that in the studies that The Pro used many of the results could not truly be examined. for example in the first study she used she stated that Students "believed" that technology helps and i don't think i need to say this but things don't become true just because you believe in them.(millions of kids around the world believe in santa claus but..well you get the point). In another one of her surveys she stated that 16 out of 18 kids remembered animal facts "better"(remember this word) by using powerpoints But she never says what it was better than. for all we know the original teaching method could've been a teacher saying facts once then handing out a test.(we don't know).Also i would like to say that anytime you do something by yourself you are bound to remember it better, whether it was writing facts on a powerpoint or a piece of paper.(most of you know this from experience). Last i would like to conclude my round 3 argument by countering or rather going farther into detail about one more argument made by the Pro. This was the argument that students feel more relaxed while being able to do task using technology. This is a situation that i can put myself into i because if i had an opportunity to play games and goof off while i was suppose to be doing an assignment i would take (and i don' know about anyone else but i am quite relaxed while playing games). So from a teacher's view point or anyone else who has been observing these students behavior with technology it would appear that they are very relaxed and more lively too. Before the Pro attempts to use this as a counter i would like to say it right now so i won't have to in my next argument. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to block every game/fun activity on the internet.

I'm just going to say right now you will most likely win because I am 13 and you are 36 (I looked at your profile). I understand why you would say reading, writing, drawing, and being creative already happen in school. However, I have read before class even started and was told to pay attention and put my book away. Doodling is something that personally helps me concentrate and I know the same for many others and as stated before I was told to put my pen down and pay attention. Even in English/Reading class I have to ask if we can write/read. The website Bright Hub Education states , "There was a higher graduation rate from homeschooled students (66.7% compared to the counterpart at 57.5%). The homeschooled students came in with a higher ACT score (25.0 compared to 14.7)." (Paragraph 8, Dr. Michael Cogan.) Clearly this evidence can show that children who are homeschooled and taught by their parents or family members have a higher success rate. Yes, school is good preparation for social issues. However, being bullied is probably not something that is going to happen in anyone's adult life. There are other ways to socialize besides school as well. Most libraries have clubs to join. Personally, I attend a youth group at my church where I have made many friends. Most schools as well allow homeschooled students in their community attend school events and dances.

My thanks to Bull Diesel for his response. Before I begin rebuttals and my arguments I’d just like to remind readers of arguments that I presented in R2 that haven’t been countered. These points were cost, reduction in general mischief and my working mindset / lack of agrarian workforce points. Granted, the rules themselves disallowed direct rebuttal (!), but it’s important to note these extensions – they are all important points. Con had best rebut them this round lest they be considered dropped by myself and readers. This leaves my other points – memory retention and homework vs. instruction somewhat up for discussion, as well as my opponent’s arguments which centre on the length of the school day, the components of homework and memory / motivation. Let’s go to the arguments – Con’s then a focus on mine. School day length Con’s first point is that increasing the school day will put pressure on the time available for extracurricular activities. His second point is that reductions in homework have negative consequences. His choice of my poison makes no sense – either there’s more time allocated to homework (this is incorporated into the extra school hours) under my model and pressure is put on extracurricular activities or there’s less time spent on homework despite these hours and there’s more time for extracurricular activities. He can’t run both points simultaneously. If the net amount of homework is the same then these points both don’t apply and things stay the same. That is... aside from all the other benefits of the scheme, particularly memory retention, which we’ll touch on later. Also, there’s actually extra time for extracurricular activities given no change in the time spent on homework, should the student organise their day appropriately. What am I talking about? Under the current model lunch, recess and all other breaks occur at set times – they are immovable to the student; it is bad luck if you’d like to sacrifice a break at school for an equivalent amount of time outside school – you can’t. Under my model, as readers may recall, you can. Recall in R1 how we had 80 minutes of break built into the day, and how 40 was automatically set aside for lunch. That left 40 minutes which students could elect to have at the start or the end of the day. If they chose the day’s end then they could leave school at the start of that break. So, in terms of time which students can utilise freely (hint: free time) , my model provides 20 minutes extra for extracurricular activities notwithstanding any changes in the amount of homework. Of course, if Con argues for a change in homework amount (the extra time ought to cancel out the reduction) then he gets to drink the associated poison. The value of homework Con painstakingly lays out the case for homework and it’s benefits. It’s a formidable case. What’s the issue with it? The case applies very strongly for work done at school as well! Indeed, many points for homework are made stronger when it is done at school. Let’s take a look. On Con’s list of 7 points: On preparation, school also prepares students. On scheduling, school more formally schedules a student’s time than they do at home – there’s less drifting and procrastination. On control and assessment, it is far easier to assess students and control them when they are there under a teacher’s eye than at home! On love and care, homework can promote this, but it can harm as well – parents get frustrated at the school for impinging on their free time. From his 3rd article: “In the worst cases, children who fare less well in tests based on homework, get more homework to do. Peter Frost concludes that many children suffer from the effects of homework: it causes much conflict in the home” . See above for why my model grants more free time for family time. Identity and status: Con says homework promotes a subject’s importance; so does more lessons and homework done in school. On community, homework may promote contact between teacher and parent, but work at school promotes teacher-student bonds. It’s a null impact. On work performance, children may carry out other tasks they deem more important than homework in the additional free time they have. Con then discusses how homework ought to be given out and how students whose parents have greater educational success do more homework. It’s a good educational lesson, but Con doesn’t specify how it makes homework done at home better. Then homework is given out at the same intervals, and it’s done in a spaced manner (spaced presentation is better than massed presentation) . As to educationally minded parents encouraging the completion of homework being beneficial, I couldn’t agree more. Parents without the right mindset can affect their children’s future. That’s why we need trained professionals in the field of education – teachers – to instill this mindset. Teachers also have more time, and incentive (they are getting paid) to do this as opposed to parents. Hence, my model actually encourages children from worse backgrounds to do more of their homework (and get the benefits) as per Con’s logic. Memory retention and homework Con is 100% right to say that homework reviews what is done in the classroom and that this review is beneficial. I couldn’t agree more, but again, Con’s points don’t argue for his model. They’re applicable to both. Now, as to when and where this review is done in, as well as the emotional state of mind, that’s a completely different thing – there are differences between home and school. In R2 I outlined how spaced presentation was superior to massed presentation for memory retention purposes, and how school promoted spaced presentation by virtue of the lessons being spaced out on the timetable. Indeed, school forces spaced presentation vs. the massed presentation of the home. This point was completely ignored by Con (he couldn’t rebut last round though) and is critical to my case. But it doesn’t end there for memory retention. I recently read Memory by Jonathan K. Foster (first published 2009), one of OUP’s fascination very short introductions. To quote one part: “Other things being equal, we tend to remember information better if we are in a similar physical context and emotional state at the time we wish to retrieve information as we were in at the time we were exposed to that information.” School is more akin to work than the home environment, so as per a more similar physical context we remember better. This is specified in the encoding specificity principle. Also, the emotional state at school is more constant than at home, more like work. This again promotes better memory retention as the retrieval cue matches memories better. This sort of logic strongly explains why we can’t remember dreams – the physical context is different, our emotional state different and our physiological state are also different. To recap, homework done at school is done in a manner of spaced presentation. This is superior for memory retention. Furthermore, recall is strengthened by a similar emotional state and physical context, which happens when learning is conducted more strongly in a given place, such as school. Memory is strengthened tremendously by shifting homework to school time. Homework vs. Instruction This wasn’t considered ‘not attacked’ , but it was close to that. As said in R2, teachers can assist if homework is moved into school time. At home a student may waste time aimlessly, not learn the content as well, or worse cheat or copy answers if they can. Teacher supervision prevents cheating, assists in learning content and reduces time wasted. Professional instruction is beneficial for students vs. self learning in many cases. Conclusion Con must refute the points of this round + those of mine unscathed of mine by his R2 (in part as per the rules). Con has much work to do.

Sad to see a closing round =( I had a lot of fun with this =) "My opponent says homeschooled children are taught the same core curriculum. If you look at my source, then you will see that weeding a vegetable garden can be considered a science lesson and walking a dog can be a nature experiment. Seriously? You say to me this is core curriculum? To me it is almost laughable. "Well since they are doing better on national standerdize tests on all subjects, then then be learning more. " When I stated my source and told my opponent that weeding is a science lesson and walking a dog is a nature experiment his only argument was that "Well since they are doing better on national standerdize tests on all subjects, then then be learning more. " As I said before tests are self-selective and I do not believe he has tried to deny that it is a self-selected test and he also stated it is mandatory for them to take the SAT test. That is true, but only if you are planning on going to college =). "Yes true, but it is mandatory to take the SAT's, and those tests where considered in the studies above. Also most kids take ERB's or the EXPLORE tests. And they still get better scores. So the ones take it do better, and just because a parent choses doesnt deny the valididy of the studies. Just because you have an option doesnt mean that the studies are flawed. And also that should hurt your case, since there are less kids than it would be harder to get a good average, so these kids must be smarter. " Most take ERB's or EXPLORE tests? I didn't find anything that said homeschooled children take this test. Also, that test is for private schools, I think? We are talking about public vs homeschool, so a private school test is irrelevant to our debate =). But I'll go on what you say and think that homeschooled children do take these tests. I have pointed out and you also have point out, that the tests are self-selecting. You try to tell me that the parents choosing to opt out of these tests don't hurt the validity of the studies? And that this hurts my case since less homeschooled children would make it harder to get a good average? It is time for a Math lesson my young friend =) Let me show you how by using a baseball team's average pay (I choose baseball since it is popular in America XD). If a baseball team has 25 players, with the highest paid player making $30 million, the next highest player making $20 million, and the other 23 players each making $500,000, the average is $2,460,000. But since 23 of the players make only $500,000, that can be misleading. Now, you tell me how less homeschooled children's scores hurt me? The way I see it, if you have a smaller number of very intelligent children taking a test instead of all the kids, then you will produce a greater average =). So, again your whole argument is based on test scores that are self-selecting, which you even stated as true. So tests are flawed due to the total number of homeschoolers are unknown and being able to refuse to take the tests. " "Also, I would like to point out, like I mentioned above, that typically a homeschool student belongs to a family that have obtained bachelor degrees and masters; by law, the only qualification a parent or guardian needs is a high school diploma or GED at best. " Hey, wait a second, you are critizising the teachers in home schools. Yet it seems as though this doesnt matter much ecause the kids are doing better in life, socially (yu didneven refute that) and on standardised tests. So if the teachers in homeschools are so bad, why are their stidents doing better? Just ask thet to yourself. " Actually, I'm only showing you that the qualifications for homeschooling your child is very low and that if every parent decided to homeschool their kids then the end result would be bad. I would think kids from rich families would have a better social life, lol, their rich! "Do you need every single person? Many stidies that are accurite only have a smalle of the population, yet they are accurute. Also the self-selection still means nothing. Most of the homes and the public schoolers are average intelegence, you needn't be smart to do well on those tests, yet one must be. .. educated. So according to this on average a home schooler is smarter. Self-selection means nothing. You think only smart homeschoolers get forced to do it, but that is false, this argument to has some flaws. " I never said smart homeschoolers get "forced" to do anything. Don't be silly. I merely showed that parents with kids that do exceptionally well are more inclined to let their children take these tests =). Self-selecting means everything, but you are too young and inexperienced to see that. You say you hope to be a politician, correct? Look at polls that MSM has been doing on the republican candidate, Ron Paul. There you will see if you limit the polls to a certain few just like with these tests, then you will get the desired results =) "Well, heres the thing, they do save every one money, not just you, ebcaus of taxes. Many people get taxed, so saving 10 billion dollars a year means you save someone somwhere in america some money. So you save your money, and someone elses. Also you claim that some people t a free ride, which is true, but the majority of taxpaers in america pay these taxes. " Taxes will be paid whether it's for a child going to school or a man going to prison. And you did not argue that it is only cheaper to the parent that is homeschooling the child depending on the methods they choose to use to educate that child, so it could turn out MORE expensive =) "1. This is contradictory to your statement above, you are saying that most people that h their kids in homeschool are smart and educated, but up their you said they werent. So you contradicted yourself. Also if they are highly educted and wealthy than the kids are in good hands. 2. Jus because people are rich and smart means what their k does in the futere? I am in an upper class family, and my parentsnew other rich people when they where young, and some of them are poor, drugies, and murderers. So the class doesnt matteu do later in life, look at bill gates, started poor, and is now rich. The same can happen to rich people, started rich, ended poor. So this argument is flawed. " My point is that as a whole, homeschooling is NOT the right chose for the majority of children. If you are rich and have the available resources; then yes, it could be better, but let's face it, most Americans are poor these days and so public school is going to be able to provide a better education to the child. In your last statement, are you trying to say teachers do poor jobs? ? I have no idea what you wanted me to understand from that, so I will not comment. Final conclusion: A majority of my opponents argument was based around test scores, which I think I proven is very flawed and my example further in forces that it can be misleading and he has agreed that these tests are self-selecting for the homeschooled children. He said it is cheaper to homeschool a child. He did not deny that it is only cheaper depending on the methods one chooses to educate the child; and so, it could prove more expensive to homeschool. He said it gives taxpayers a break, but I have shown you get educational credits on your taxes at the end of the year and as I said, taxes will be paid out whether it is for a child in public school or a person in prison. When I told you that people with a GED probably dropped out of school due to the fact that they lacked the interest, drugs, alcohol, pregnancy to complete traditional schooling, it was to show you that since the qualifications to be a homeschool parent where low could subject the child to a poor education and I used the "weeding could be considered a science lesson and walking a dog could be a nature experiment" to show that. My argument was homeschooling is not for the majority, which I have proven.

According to me homeschooling is not better than going to school. Homeschooling is the eduction of children at home, typically by parents or by tutors, rather than other formal settings of public or private school. When we go to school we are exposed to an outer enviroment where we meet different types of people and situations. We learn to adapt to them and also become smarter by dealing with various situations whereas in homeschooling we have a homely enviroment and don't have to bear difficult situattions. In the school we are also given many responsibilities whereas at home we do not have much of them. We live casually at home but in the school we are formal.

Resolved: It would, on balance, be beneficial to reduce the amount of homework given in conjunction with an extension to the school day [see model below].Proposal: Have a strong reduction in homework, lengthen school to a 9-5 length day.RulesThe debate shall adhere to the following structure:Round 1: Acceptance, Rules, Resolution / Model Outline and DefinitionsRound 2: Opening Statements, No Rebuttals (see below on this)Round 3: New Arguments and RebuttalsRound 4: Rebuttals and Closing Statements (No new arguments)The only rules I insists upon are the following, but I will accept any reasonable clarifications or amendments my opponent might choose to provide in Round 1, although clarification prior to acceptance is preferred.Arguments and source citations must appear within the four rounds of this debate only. Arguments and citations may not appear in offsite links, other debates, forums, or comments.Dropped arguments are not concessions. Arguments should be seen as whole units from opening to closing statements.Although R2 is not to be used for rebuttals, it is possible that my opponent’s arguments may lend themselves to countering mine naturally. This is allowed as it’s not a rebuttal per se. What I don’t want to see is a line by line refutation in round 2.All words are to take their standard definition. The only matter is what constitutes homework. A discussion of this is under the model outline section.To voters, please judge this debate based on this debate and not upon preconceptions you may have.Model Outline / Resolutional MattersWhile R1 is not for arguing, it’s critical to discuss the resolution and precisely what we’re debating on this contentious issue. Let me outline a few things that are to be taken as given barring reasonable amendments in round 1.ScopeThis debate is not limited to the US only. Also, the debate focuses primarily on a high school context as we might make exceptions for kindergarten students for instance.HomeworkI divide homework into 2 categories:1. Assignments / assessments / major projects2. Worksheets, maths exercises etc.We are discussing the elimination of type 2. Type 1 still exists, although in a perhaps reduced manner. The extended school day enables more learning (vs. homework) ; Con can dispute this if he wishes later.Timing / School logisticsLogistics, on the school level, is not meant to be a crucial issue in this debate – bureaucrats could probably resolve this matter. However, the school day would be reworked to accommodate a 9-5. My proposal is as follows:To accommodate the 2 hour extension to the school day an additional 20 minutes of rest / break, in the vein of lunch or morning tea, would be added. This would be added to the 20 minute morning tea and 40 minute lunch break typically found in schools (no negotiation on this – this is to be accepted) . That totals 80 minutes. Students retain their 40 minute lunch. 2 other 40 minute blocks would be scheduled into the day – one near the end of the day, one near the start. Students would choose which time block they wish to spend their free time (like choosing an elective; it’s a choice for the same duration that the same subjects are kept) in (40 minutes), and be in class for the other 40; yes, classes aside from this one retain their usual one hour length.Why the complexity? If students choose to have their free time in the later 40 minutes block, after all other classes, then they could leave school during this break. This is to accommodate extra-curricular activities and the like. More on this in round 2.A clarification To clear up 2 uncertainties from my previous debate, teaching will be as normal from 9-5 as per the model outline. On the scope, I’d prefer this remain to higher years where it’s more applicable – homework reduction + school extension doesn’t work if there’s no homework to reduce, as with younger students! However, I’ll say that all students go from 9-5. However, the amount of free time would be greater for younger students because the homework reduction associated with increased school time does not exist for them; this time is transferred to free time. Let’s not get bogged down on logistics though if possible. Weighing mechanismsThis is up for contention, to a point. One judges education reform based on what educational end (or ends) are desired. It is the debaters place to forward these ends, and have the voters judge policies as per which end they believe encapsulates the goal of education, or should encapsulate such a goal. The greatest overall good resulting from these policies is to be preferred when judging.More in later rounds if need be.A quick note on sourcingSome among you will have noted that some sections of this are eerily similar to this thread’s OP http://www.debate.org.... Before people scream plagiarism, I am that thread’s author. This idea had it’s genesis from http://www.debate.org... and I will later be borrowing on a quote from YYW in that thread (which I was a contributor to). Aside from not having to source these repeatedly, I’d recommend the audience read these threads for their own education (mind the pun) , especially the latter one. Also, I have done a partial debate on the subject, so I'll be using my round 2 arguments from http://www.debate.org...I thank whoever my opponent may be for this debate for agreeing to debate this subject. Let’s have an intellectually rigorous debate on this subject (I myself am undecided personally) and be civil and convivial. Voters, please read the debate in full and judge appropriately; we are in your debt for taking the time to read this debate readers.

Hello and thanks for your reply. I am not sure if you are familiar with cyber schooling or not, but your point about cyber schooling helping students knowledge with the World Wide Web (Internet) is basically not true in most cases. Yes a student gets a laptop, and yes they use the program, but it is pretty much step by step setup for them. They use only one program and that one program surly cannot teach them much of anything about the web. Now for my argument. I believe there shouldn't be any type of homeschooling/cyber schooling. ( I meant them both in my title and you somewhat addressed homeschooling. Anyways, I believe it messes with a students social life, and all the benefits of going to an actual high school. First off, a college wont think as much of a student who got good grades in a cyber school, as much as they would a student who did it in a regular high school. I think we can all agree on that for obvious reasons. Secondly, the student misses out on all of the clubs and extracurricular activities the schools offer. Those are big things colleges look at. Also just the social impact of being apart of those clubs or sports usually has a great impact on students. (http://www.public.iastate.edu...) Lastly, imagine if everyone went to cyber schools, then teachers would loose jobs. (In an economy that we are vigorously trying to get jobs for people) Many jobs would be lost. No such thing as a school board, all the food companies loose lots of business because the schools wont need to buy any food from them. Janitors loose jobs, lawn care company's, bus company's, lots of company's will suffer. I just see Cyber school having a lot more cons than pros.

Be nice since I'm still new to this =P. Thanks for acccepting To be clear, I have stated "homeschool" is worse than "public school." You have posted that public school in America is worse than private schools, which would be correct IF the debate was on private VS public. But private is different than home schooling. Definition of a private school: Private schools United States as corporate entities separate from public schools, which are supported by the government. They are ordinarily under the immediate control of a private corporation , not of a government agency or board; and they are supported primarily by private funds. http://education.stateuniversity.com... Definition of home school: A home school is a school in which parents teach their children an academic curriculum at home instead of sending them out to a public or private school. Home schooling is legally accepted in all 50 states of the U.S., but each state has its own laws that a family must adhere to. http://whatis.techtarget.com... Now, for my argument =) Public School Pros of Public School: Learning within a group setting Extra-curricular activity availability More curriculum opportunities Diverse social education Now let's look at the pros of home schooling. Pros of Home School: Free to choose curriculum Free to choose schedule Small teacher to student ratio Teaches students to be independent in their learning choices True, you are free to choose the curriculum taught to your child, BUT the same CORE curriculum is taught whether it be home school or public school. Still being free to choose your schedule doesn't really mean anything since the parent will still set a schedule for the child, just with different hours. If you have the right teachers teaching you, then public school could be better for the child. What if the parent doesn't know English that well? How can they give the child the proper education in English if they themselves do not know it very well? Also, Public schools foster cultural literacy and pass on traditions. Many parents are not even qualified to teach there children at home depending on what state you live in. Also, being in public school helps a child learn what pure-pressure and how to handle it. I will agree home school can be more educational, BUT does harm by sheltering the child and not letting them experience what real life is =) Be gentle on the return XD

that is why you study and take notes in class. homework is just doing the stuff you did during that lesson. all you are doing is remembering.

First of all, I want you to know that I have been stating various kinds of advantages that the internet has, but you oppose it with only few facts and statements. I do not think you simply understand the topic of this argument, or you do not know how the internet teaches children. There are more reliable sites than you know. Over 100 countries have used the online course called Udemy and Udacity that makes students able to get their degree online without actually going to a university. Internet is developing more ways to teach students in a more effective way and some online sites are already developing an online university, And ask yourself this, if you could not understand something, did you ever go to Youtube and search it? Everyone once learned various types of things in Youtube. There are online professors who teaches you like any teachers, so you can always ask a person than asking to Google. As for your cyber bullying note, students who goes to school also gets cyber bullied and plus bullied again in school. No matter you get education from school or internet it does not change the fact cyber bullying exists. It will also be there, so the fact you stated about Cyber bullying was not a good point to go against internet education. You said no amount of technology is going to make algebra interesting, but actually you can make education interesting through the internet. Through games, competition, awards, etc. You can motivate a child to become eager to learn when they are young. Everyone knows wikipedia is written by anyone so we do not visit that site often. You said how many times you have typed "lol or "haha" without even feeling your face twitch, but I ask you how many times have you laughed watching a video? Just how many possibilities you can do through the internet, imagine. You asked how are we to learn basics, such as language, reading, writing, and use grammar? Once again by reading this I do not think you understand the topic of this argument. How many classes are there in the internet? How many teachers you can ask by video chatting. And how to write? Just get a pen and a notebook and write down what you are learning in the internet. When you are very young and do not know how to write, you can just look at a video or surely I know you learned some basic writings from your parents. You did not go against all of my statements in the previous arguments, why is that? Did you not read carefully or you can not go against some of the facts? I will answer your closing questions. I do not believe that schools force students to comb through countless books and libraries to gather info because, it is up to the students to decide if they want to learn what they learn in schools, most of them simply do not care, sometimes they even get picked on teachers. Teachers were once students remember that. I do not understand why you asked the question, "Do you truly believe that schools have failed to recognise what a great tool the internet is, when even small children understand it's value?" You even misspelled the word recognize, you see how the internet can simply detect the misspelled word but when you write, you can not? I can tell you are carelessly writing this argument without going over the grammar mistakes and spelling punctuation. Next question, I believe that young children will decide of their own free will to learn the basic mathematics and other subjects because it is so easy and simple. Once screen you are looking at and who can not handle that? It is sitting their and understanding the video in front of you while someone else older can just turn on a online course. You start school in either K4 or K5, but before that you get education from either your parents or videos. Children will still go outside after learning the great establishment of the internet even when addicted to online gaming and the internet because a person knows what is right and what is wrong. They have common sense, if they feel like they are overdoing something, they will stop. A person will eventually get tired of a game they do not do it for the rest of their lives. I have stated more facts and advantages about the internet and went against your statements.


Question: Is Assigning Homework Advantageous?

Homework should be eliminated.
I accept your proposition...in my view, homework should be abolished because it imposes undue stress on students. Teachers often don't scrutinize homework assignments thoroughly enough to identify the students' weaknesses. If students are given homework, they frequently don't complete it independently; either a tutor assists them or they copy from classmates. Only a small number of students actually do it themselves. I have numerous additional arguments, but I'll save them for future rounds.

Unlike my other arguments, my round 4 statements will be brief and straight to the point. On the usage of stem programs:Due to the fact that the pro truly didn't clarify how these programs are helpful there is nothing to debate on this topic on getting Access to information: as i have stated earlier technology can be useful for research but can also be a distraction to many students. So on this topic i believe that it would be better to research from home. Increase the popularity of distance learning: technology can be helpful for students to apply for colleges and scholarships but there would be no time during school for students to do these task(unless a new class was made). This would be a task best meant for home where there is much more time. Lastly i would like to say that although using technology in school would be a much more enjoyable for students, the amount of students that would be off task would outweigh the amount of students that would benefit. With this i will bring my final argument to an end, thanking the pro for a good debate.

< > Don't you mean rant? < > Of course you would, because as I indicated above, you are too lazy to do your own work. You completely copied and pasted someone else's opinion into your own argument to take credit for it. And here I thought you were above this type of "cheating". Here are some key words from your argument in Round Two: <> You don't seem very upset to me. And it's hilarious that you're back on the site while your "story" remains undone. <<"Solo, while you debate well, I have a very hard time believe you could complete a well-thought out, full-fledged 18 page report in one night. The focus on this report is to write a miniature version of Homer's "The Odyssey", following all the specific characteristics of an epic throughout five books (chapters). Furthermore, if you could indeed such fine material in just one night, why in fact are you spending your sitting on the computer debating with 8th graders, when you could be writing illustrious novels for a living?">> Copied and pasted from below, but not an original idea from massvideogamer. <> Not the point of this debate, as the burden of proof does not lie with me. However, the reason that I'm not a best-selling novelist is because I don't have anything to write. Why would I want to write novels? It was a tedious task that I did well and left behind. Writing reports is dreadful and I hated it with a passion, but that does not mean that I was not excellent at doing it. <> Almost is not good enough and further proves that you do not manage your time appropriately. There are four people in the comments below that are agreeing with me. What does that tell you? < > Yes, lifestyles that promote rewards for hard work and not rewards for laziness. < > Your assessment of me and my life only prove, to anyone reading this debate, is that you should stay in school. Thanks for the debate, massvideogamer! I appreciate your efforts and I hope you do not take my points too personally. I was, in fact, able to write long A-worthy reports at your age, but really don't care what you do now. I just like having something interesting to do while I sit here and make money. Thanks again!

Likewise, I have enjoyed our discussion as well. I believe there have been some very good points called to my attention. I appreciate the clarification of the word "creating", without the proper defining of words it is easy for debates to become confusing and misunderstood. To answer your questions, I am willing to consider that schools have an impact on the mental health if a very clean study was done that eliminated as many variables as possible and recorded the amount of stress hormones released. If there was another round then I'd ask for a further explanation on what one means about the group project example. When you refer to home life in this example, does one mean that the home life was negatively impacting the student. If so then one couldn't necessarily say the student, that worked on it, would receive an "A". I believe that our argument now lies upon what we were originally arguing. I apologize for not starting off the argument by stating what exactly I meant, whether the American education system was the only thing negatively impacting students or if it simply played a part. For future arguments, I will keep this in mind, to first define the argument. Thank you for taking the time to debate this with me. I have learned a great deal from this debate and will use it to better my skills.

Students shouldnt have homework because it is a waste of time people just do it to get it done or copy others.

Students learn enough in the classroom. They do not need to go home and do more work when it is not needed.

PRO said: Homeschooling dosen work if you donï¿½t have brilliant parents. and because your prents dodnt get certificates of proper teaching, it's not really effective. Rebuttal: No one must be brilliant in order to teach. The only real requirements are knowing the subject matter, which they should do so if they have completed High School, and a willingness to research good curriculum. There are thousands of places to order curriculum from for homeschooling parents. The important thing is to research which one you actually order. There is no reason any person with a grasp of what is being taught, with good curriculum to back them up, in a class size of only 1-4 should have any trouble teaching. PRO said: School can help you socialize with people. Rebuttal: Homeschooled students have formed clubs and social groups. Some have gotten together to form sports teams, utilize field trips, etc. Socialization still occurs. Pro said: how will you do your PAT? Rebuttal: I'm assuming here this is a standardized test similar to our Achievement tests? or would this be more similar to a SAT test? Either way, the students are still required to take the Achievement tests there are several agencies which provide the materials for parents to use. As for the SATs, pretty much those are paid for and taken by the student at a testing site, which may or may not be the child's local school anyway. I took my SATs in a library. My sister took her's in a school. Homeschooled students do better on the SATs than their public school counterparts. http://www.ontariohomeschool.org... Many of the answers to what you are questioning can be found here http://www.holtgws.com...? Now to extend my arguments: The primary argument my opponent has yet to refute is that institutionalized learning has not been proven to be a method that is most successful in any study. In fact solid research suggests that hands on, experimentation, and exploration is the most effective in encouraging students to retain what they learn. http://newali.apple.com... http://www.ncrel.org...

I've actually been reading a few debates on here about homeschooling vs public school education. Honestly, I actually think that the homeschoolers have some good points; being able to hand craft their children's education sounds awesome to me. I've also read some success stories on different sites about how their kids easily get high tests scores and go on to college. The ways and methods they used to help their children get there were really creative and actually gave me a few ideas....However, I don't believe homeschooling should have to mean taking the kids out of school at all. As for posting a con side, I honestly can't think of any points I could make. Most of the homeschoolers in the stories that I've read used outside classes/activities/curriculum to teach their kids, and so the children weren't even being taught at home or by their parents. The parents were mainly there to pick curriculum or structure routines for their children, they didn't really teach.

You said that one reason my argument is completely refuted is because I made an error with one of my sources. I can still prove it [1]. And you also said my stress argument is weak because there is too much of everything. But how does oxygen and water relate? One can be done in spare time in a classroom, the others you need to survive. You can survive without homework, in fact, you may actually feel better: even freer. But these are from both ends of the spectrum, and don"t connect. You also used my source against me. "If teachers aren't really incorporating homework into their teaching, it's unclear there is any type of benefit at all and it actually may end up hurting students." You made it sound like: "if (they) aren"t incorporating homework into teaching...end up hurting students." What was said was: "if (they) aren"t really incorporating homework into teaching...end up hurting students." There"s a huge difference there. You not recognizing the "really" in the sentence. It didn"t mean: no homework is bad. But the "really" brought the meaning to: if the homework doesn"t help in teaching students, then the homework does harm, not good. You also called me out for using a politician"s plan. You said that I just said we can cut PE and health. I said we can scrap homework and time wasting lessons and replace it with extra lessons in vital areas. The person I cite also seems to be well educated. Elizabeth Truss went to Oxford and is England"s Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education and Childcare. I think she well qualified to make arguments about cutting worthless lessons and what to do with education. I used health/PE as an example. I honestly don"t think we need to hear for the thousandth time that drugs are bad, nor do I think kids need to learn how to play sports they don"t like. According to the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, only a third of high school students choose to take PE [3]. That shows they don"t want that subject because they believe it is a waste of time. Also, "the quality of physical education where it still exists, has suffered." Paula Kun, spokesperson for the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, said this [3]. Obviously PE isn"t what it used to be. And as for health, the 8+ years about no drugs and yes to abstinence wastes a good 40 or so minutes per day. And yes, independence is a vital goal of education. But asking what the equation setup was after the kid was absent for a few days isn"t extreme on a simple assignment. You draw connections from homework to exams but they are nothing alike. And I"m sure you know, being a tutor for 20 years, that you help the student in need of help, you aren"t giving them an answer. So even if you have a good source, you have an illogical argument. You would be the worst tutor in the world if you told a kid they had to learn independence. The goal of education is truly ONE thing: LEARNING. You can"t learn everything without help. If you give a 12 year old a high school biology textbook, don"t expect them to be Einsteins by the end of the year without a skilled teacher"s help. It"s no crime to do your job: and teachers teach their students. This isn"t in need of a source: because we learn to do something in school: think critically. I dismiss your use of a source on working independently because not all things involve questions being asked. By 3rd grade they know how to work independently, but help shouldn"t be thrown away. If a student is in need of help, throwing a sheet of paper in front of them WON'T FIX IT. "Homework is necessary to try out strategies learned in class by oneself, so as to see whether they have been understood." Did I not propose a simple solution for that? I think I did. That whole argument about thinking they have it correct, but they don"t does not help you. I said we should cut stupid classes and give more lessons in vital subjects, along with more help from teachers. That is a simple solution. I also said they should do those homework assignments with the extra time they get from cutting subjects, and get help from the teacher if they need it. They know they"re stuck then, so why are you still trying to use the homework as a diagnostic tool? It isn"t needed with the simplest of solutions. I said it can be a good tool to see a student"s understanding, I never said it had to be used for seeing a student"s understanding of a topic. So, no, my argument is not completely refuted. But my last thought is: why would you call me out for using opinion, when you used experience as your second paragraph of your third argument in the first round. Cut the double standard. Sources: [1]: http://www.educationviews.org... [2]: http://www.newsplex.com... [3]: http://www.ihpra.org...

may I point out that homework is bad so god is bad. we know this god created everything so he created homework humans and your mum

Thanks for the debate, massvideogamer. Best of luck! The education system in the USA is actually very laid back compared to the rest of the world to the point that it's laughed at by many for its ridiculousness. I could write an eighteen-page report in a single night when I was in eighth grade, so I am not sure what your point is here. You obviously are not working like crazy, as you state, if you have time to initiate and engage in three debates on this site. I am more inclined to believe that you and your classmates are lazy and poor at managing your time. In fact, I get the impression that you want someone to do it for you. It's a common trait in many of today's youth. You have such a sense of entitlement, but you haven't earned such. STOP DEBATING AND DO YOUR REPORT FIRST!


Question: Is Assigning Homework Advantageous?

Homework should not be a burden on children. Children should have the opportunity to learn and study during school hours, and they deserve a break from the rigorous 8-hour school day they endure daily.

You said that one reason my argument is completely refuted is because I made an error with one of my sources. I can still prove it [1]. And you also said my stress argument is weak because there is too much of everything. But how does oxygen and water relate? One can be done in spare time in a classroom, the others you need to survive. You can survive without homework, in fact, you may actually feel better: even freer. But these are from both ends of the spectrum, and don"t connect. You also used my source against me. "If teachers aren't really incorporating homework into their teaching, it's unclear there is any type of benefit at all and it actually may end up hurting students." You made it sound like: "if (they) aren"t incorporating homework into teaching...end up hurting students." What was said was: "if (they) aren"t really incorporating homework into teaching...end up hurting students." There"s a huge difference there. You not recognizing the "really" in the sentence. It didn"t mean: no homework is bad. But the "really" brought the meaning to: if the homework doesn"t help in teaching students, then the homework does harm, not good. You also called me out for using a politician"s plan. You said that I just said we can cut PE and health. I said we can scrap homework and time wasting lessons and replace it with extra lessons in vital areas. The person I cite also seems to be well educated. Elizabeth Truss went to Oxford and is England"s Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education and Childcare. I think she well qualified to make arguments about cutting worthless lessons and what to do with education. I used health/PE as an example. I honestly don"t think we need to hear for the thousandth time that drugs are bad, nor do I think kids need to learn how to play sports they don"t like. According to the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, only a third of high school students choose to take PE [3]. That shows they don"t want that subject because they believe it is a waste of time. Also, "the quality of physical education where it still exists, has suffered." Paula Kun, spokesperson for the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, said this [3]. Obviously PE isn"t what it used to be. And as for health, the 8+ years about no drugs and yes to abstinence wastes a good 40 or so minutes per day. And yes, independence is a vital goal of education. But asking what the equation setup was after the kid was absent for a few days isn"t extreme on a simple assignment. You draw connections from homework to exams but they are nothing alike. And I"m sure you know, being a tutor for 20 years, that you help the student in need of help, you aren"t giving them an answer. So even if you have a good source, you have an illogical argument. You would be the worst tutor in the world if you told a kid they had to learn independence. The goal of education is truly ONE thing: LEARNING. You can"t learn everything without help. If you give a 12 year old a high school biology textbook, don"t expect them to be Einsteins by the end of the year without a skilled teacher"s help. It"s no crime to do your job: and teachers teach their students. This isn"t in need of a source: because we learn to do something in school: think critically. I dismiss your use of a source on working independently because not all things involve questions being asked. By 3rd grade they know how to work independently, but help shouldn"t be thrown away. If a student is in need of help, throwing a sheet of paper in front of them WON'T FIX IT. "Homework is necessary to try out strategies learned in class by oneself, so as to see whether they have been understood." Did I not propose a simple solution for that? I think I did. That whole argument about thinking they have it correct, but they don"t does not help you. I said we should cut stupid classes and give more lessons in vital subjects, along with more help from teachers. That is a simple solution. I also said they should do those homework assignments with the extra time they get from cutting subjects, and get help from the teacher if they need it. They know they"re stuck then, so why are you still trying to use the homework as a diagnostic tool? It isn"t needed with the simplest of solutions. I said it can be a good tool to see a student"s understanding, I never said it had to be used for seeing a student"s understanding of a topic. So, no, my argument is not completely refuted. But my last thought is: why would you call me out for using opinion, when you used experience as your second paragraph of your third argument in the first round. Cut the double standard. Sources: [1]: http://www.educationviews.org... [2]: http://www.newsplex.com... [3]: http://www.ihpra.org...

First off I'd like to say, thank you for debating with me. I have enjoyed our discussion. Here is part of a paper I wrote on the mental health of students. This paragraph pertains to how stress impacts mental health: The byproducts of these hormones are said to have the ability to act as sedatives. When large amounts of stress hormones are released it can contribute to low energy or depression. It"s normal to experience highs and lows from day to day, but an extensive release of byproducts from stress can cause people to be down in the dumps for long periods of time and develop what is known as Major Depression. According to Mills, Reiss and Dombeck, "Symptoms of Major Depression may include: sleep problems; fatigue; appetite changes; feelings of worthlessness, self-hate, and guilt; an inability to concentrate or make decisions; agitation, restlessness, and irritability; withdrawal from typical pleasurable activities; and feelings of hopelessness and helplessness." In a research study focusing on the coping mechanisms among students conducted by Deasy et al. states, "coping is defined as cognitive and emotional attempts to deal with the internal or external demands of the encountered situation. It is perceived as a process as opposed to a trait or outcome ". The results of this study showed three prevalent methods that students used to cope with psychological distress: escape/avoidance, support and taking control. The most frequent of these methods was the escaping and avoidance method. This included substance abuse, oversleeping, eating disorders and other detrimental habits. (http://journals.plos.org... http://mhn.centersite.org...) To me creating means that it is the sole perpetrator of anxiety and depression. I am stating that it is a contributor due to the stress that homework and tests can place on students. I am also stating that school is not the only reason why people have anxiety and depression. However, my claim is that the American education system increases stress, therefore, increasing the likelihood for depression and anxiety. Here is another article stating the influence on how tests can take a toll on students. http://brainconnection.brainhq.com... I will have to agree with you on the idea that teaching kids about coping mechanisms and how to deal with mental illnesses should not fall completely on the school. However, most parents don't have the right knowledge and resources to help their kids either. Part of the teaching that I believe schools should offer is helping the students recognize patterns of depression and anxiety so they can get the help they need whether it be from the school or from an outside source. I also think another part of the issue is the stigma place on mental illnesses. This article : http://www.newsweek.com... talks about how college specifically have a negative view on mental health. It talks about how some students who went to seek help ended up getting kicked out of college. This then caused students to be afraid of what might happen and therefore not going and seeking help when needed. You talk about how it is mostly home life that is causing mental illnesses. From that point of view I could see how you could come to the conclusion that its not the school's responsibility to provide the resources to help deal with these mental illnesses. So I must ask then, would you say that the school then have no effect on a students mental health? I would say by nature, because students spend an average of 7 hours a day at school during the school year, it must have some effect on the student. I also feel as if you are taking an all or nothing approach. Are you stating that the only way that our American education system can negatively impact students is if it is the only contributor? Say everyone is working on a group project, and five people work on it and get an A. From what I am getting from your statement " if it isn't only the tests and homework that is causing these issues, then the school is not pushing these students to have these mental illnesses." I would assume with the same logic, you'd be saying only one of the students ("home life') got the A on the project and the other student ("the American education system") did not contribute at all to get the A even though every student worked on it collectively. The impact that the American education system has on students is one a piece of what influences a students mental health. There are many others such as home life as you mentioned and social life. It is that the American education system has a negative impact because of the high levels of stress it places on the students with tests and excessive homework amounts (not the only contributors to stress just 2 of the examples I used). If we were to argue that the American education system is the only factor that impacts students health then I could agree with you that it is not the system at totally at fault. I believe it does play a part of it though.

Agreeing to pro - Tthat there are smart parents,by homeschooling more attention can be paid towards children but students have the fear of their teachers and they are someone whom they don't know but they very nicely know their parents and are rarely scared of them hence they can speak much in front of them. About the attention thing it is obvious that that in a class more attention cannot be paid to a specific school but in most of the schools there are extra classes for weak students.

My argument against home-schooling is mainly with the quality of the education. There is no real set of checks and balances in place (outside of taking the SAT's) to ensure the quality of what is being taught. I had a friend that was home-schooled, not because his family was religious (the most common reason) but because they knew that was the only way he would get a high school diploma. As a nation the US has fallen far behind other developed nations in the area of education. This is a time when we should be raising the bar for education, not letting people teach their kids that the world is 6000 years old and we rode around on dinosaurs at on time. Home-schooling also limits the colleges that a student may apply and attend. Most private colleges will not accept a HS diploma that was earned at home, and for very good reason. My argument remains that until one can guarantee the quality of the education received home-schooling shouldn't be allowed.

Burden of Proof My Burden of Proof is to prove that greatly reducing the amount of homework given [to High School students] in favor of increasing/setting the length of the school day from 9am to 5 pm does not provide sufficient increased benefit to society or the students to justify making said change. Con Case My case will address several factors that strongly oppose the outright reduction of homework as well as opposing the imposition of a 9 to 5 school day (increased). These are not rebuttals to Pro’s Case but arguments that in themselves oppose great reduction in homework & lengthening of school day. School Day Length Lengthening the school day will ultimately detract from the extra-curricular activities that Students can participate in, both by directly decreasing the amount of overall time available for those activities and by decreasing the viability of participating in activities. § Reduced daylight hours available, shortened leisure hours available for decompression from the now lengthened school day, less time to complete homework and more importantly study for examinations, less time and less prime hours available to obtain and work an after-school job. o It is important to the end of educational and social development that extra-curricular activities be a part of a student’s daily or weekly routine. Participation in extra-curricular activities yields better development social and intellectually. Benefits of participating in extracurricular activities included having better grades, having higher standardized test scores and higher educational attainment, attending school more regularly, and having higher a higher self-concept. Participants in out-of-school activities often learned skills such as teamwork and leadership while decreasing the likelihood of alcohol use and illicit drug use and related problem behaviors. Those who participate in out-of-school activities often have higher grade point averages, a decrease in absenteeism, and an increased connectedness to the school. (Wilson, U. Wisconsin-Stout, 2009) [1] Homework Guidelines Homework is a necessary tool of education. By extension, reductions in Homework will hamper ability to fully develop and achieve the best level of education & should be seen as a failure on the part of the education system. There are several components of homework that are valuable in themselves, both educationally and socially 1. Preparation “Homework teaches pupils to take responsibility for their tasks and prepare for life after school. Homework prepares pupils for their next stage in life”. 2. Scheduling “Homework is a way to organize time. It is also a way for teachers to organize their lessons to include appraisal of homework and testing. Homework is also part of organizing one’s free time”. 3. Control and assessment “The teacher assesses work done by assigning tasks followed by appraisal and testing. This helps a teacher to monitor a pupil’s development”. 4. Love and care “Homework contributes to family members helping each other.” 5. Identity and status “Homework is a sign of a pupil’s identity and acknowledgement that a child is now “big enough” to take responsibility for one’s schoolwork. It also gives status to a particular subject. When a pupil gets homework to do in a particular subject, that subject gets more respect”. 6. Community and contact “Homework serves to improve communication between teacher and parents”. 7. Work performance Hellsten’s conclusion is that a pupil’s work done in school is not seen as a task carried out. (Hellsten 1997 as cited by Dennis, Malmö högskola, Lärarutbildningen, 2007) [3] Homework teaches responsibility and offers a sense of achievement “[H]omework for pupils is an integral part of the working methodology of the school. To teach pupils to take responsibility for a task suited to their individual capabilities were an important part of character building which the school is responsible to provide” (Skolöverstyrelsen, 1980 p 50). It even pointed out that homework should be used to give pupils the opportunity for revision and practice, important methods of learning that serve to secure knowledge intake of knowledge and the learning of skills. (Skolöverstyrelsen as cited by [3], 2007) [3] The type of homework assigned is critical. Homework in itself as a tool or an institution cannot be held responsible for the failure of teachers or ‘the system’ to assign meaningful and useful homework. Subject influences effectiveness of Homework Homework can be assigned in several ways. Research has shown that the most effective way is to assign homework daily. In the USA, more research has been carried out than in other countries. In his book, The Battle over Homework (2001), Harris Cooper summarizes 120 studies on homework. ….Studies carried out on older children [high school] show that homework has a greater effect on their ability to learn but that ability varies depending on the subject. For example, in math, the difference in performance between those who had done their homework and those who had not, was very little, while greater differences could be seen in subjects in the areas of social science and language. The latter areas are areas that demand more factual and repetitive learning on the part of the pupil. [3] Students whose parents have achieved a higher level of educational success do more homework than students with parents of less educational accomplishment. This is representative of the value of homework, those who have attained greater education require greater time spent doing homework from their offspring, an obvious endorsement of the institution. On an average day, 39 percent of high school students whose parent(s) had less than a bachelor’s degree did homework, compared with 52 percent of those with a parent who had a bachelor’s degree or higher. In addition to being more likely to do homework on an average day, high school students whose parent(s) had higher educational attainment spent more time, on average, doing homework. Twenty-four percent of students with a parent holding a bachelor’s degree or higher spent 2 or more hours doing homework, compared with 13 percent of those whose parent(s) held less than a bachelor’s degree. (Allard, Monthly Labor Review, 2008) [2] Homework: memory/motivation Homework is an integral part of the process of committing learned lessons to memory. ...homework assignments [review] what has been done in the classroom ...it is beneficial to associate what is being learned to what is already known.[when] based on things that people have already mastered, it is easier to store knowledge in one’s memory. ...assignments which are not too difficult provide better motivation and pupils feel motivated if they can manage an assignment and the risk of failure is small. [3] Conclusion A 9-5 school day will harm students by decreasing time to participate in extra-curricular activities (sports, clubs, jobs, volunteer/community work, decompression, educational leisure) that are key to students’ development. Homework is an integral part of the educational process and offers a number of benefits to Students, Teachers, and Parents/Families. The decrease and or elimination of Homework coupled with the lengthening of the school day does not provide sufficient added benefit to students or to society to justify making a change to the current school day and education model (it in fact would be harmful to students’ education). Sources: 1. http://www2.uwstout.edu... 2. http://www.bls.gov... 3. http://dspace.mah.se...

Thanks Danielle! This debate has definitely been a fun one to participate in. [Debate Summary] Clarification It is evident that my opponent completely misunderstands what a counterplan is. My counterplan (ie. proposed changes to the status quo which gives me a fraction of the BOP) was in regards to quantity because, obviously, I can feasibly make sure that all homework is beneficial and of a good quality - that does NOT mean that I can’t talk about homework quality within the status quo and in the past because my counterplan is not a list of my advocacies (as my opponent seems to believe). Ergo, there is no contradiction, I hope it is now clear to my opponent and to voters of what a counterplan is and how it is different to my advocacies and rebuttals. So, just to clarify, my counterplan states that quantity is too high so it will be reduced. My rebuttal to my opponent’s source is that it addresses an older version of the education system with different qualities of homework. These statements are not contradictory and can coexist without any contradictions. Nobody should be confused by this. I extend those arguments. Point 1 The outcome of this contention is simple. My opponent uses incredibly unreliable data that fails to account for 99.99999163742% of the children in the world (children in poverty and in poor conditions are still children and should be [and are] included in this figure). Virtually all of my opponent’s sources here deal with large quantities of homework which is something that I’m specifically advocating the removal of from the status quo (as is made evident in my counterplan). My opponent has attempted to show that my sources do not account for as many people as hers however my sources are not being used in the same way that hers are. She is using her sources to prove that homework should be abolished using statistical data. I was using mine for general claims that bare the same weight regardless of the amount of people involved since I did not use these for statistic related claims. She also appears to believe that not every beneficial thing must be mandatory. I have accepted this however my opponent seems to believe that this is as far as her burden requires her to achieve. This is objectively false. There are some things that are beneficial and should be mandatory (my opponent concedes this). Therefore, my opponent’s burden entails them in proving that whilst homework can be beneficial it should not be mandatory. My concession of beneficial things not having to be mandatory does not mean that my opponent’s burden is advanced in any way. Counterplan 1A. My opponent once again misunderstands what a counterplan is. My opponent lies about me saying that my counterplan involves only beneficial homework being implemented. She tries to get out of this precarious situation she’s been put in by saying that by saying this it means that I advocate all homework - even non beneficial homework. This is simply not true. A counterplan is a proposed change to the status quo on the the negative case’s behalf. I cannot make a beneficial related change to the status quo because as my opponent pointed out earlier on in this debate, that simply isn’t feasible. This doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t prefer there to be only beneficial homework, I would. Though this is virtually impossible so I am focussing my counterplan elsewhere. 1B. My opponent makes an identical misinterpretation to what she says in response to point 1A. Just because I’m not making a proposed change on the status quo to make all homework beneficial, doesn’t mean that I do not advocate this - I merely find this proposed changed to be unfeasible and unrealistic. Please extend my counterplan as my opponent pretty much drops it all and instead resorts to refuting nonexistent argument regarding benefits and then making strange and ultimately false complaints about me advocating homework that isn’t beneficial. Point 2 In this contention I proved that the burden on parents is of an extremely low percentage. The majority are clearly content with the status quo. Regardless, even if this objection fails you still ought to presume Con as the counterplan minimizes homework quantity for those that receive too much homework, therefore the burden on parents is virtually non existent. Either way, you ought to consider this point in my favor. She also raised the objection of family time being lost which was also refuted by the fact that I used psychological evidence in order to refute this point and show that in reality family time is created as opposed to being lost. I also showed that students are set based on abilities and are given the amount of homework that should be sufficient in correlation with their ability so that everybody spends the same amount of time on homework (though not necessarily doing the same amount of homework or the same difficulty level in homework). Furthermore, I managed to show that parents doing homework is neither good nor bad. Though no benefits at all is worse. Sets and teaching opinion on students is formulated based on class work and examination (which I proved via citation in the previous round). Therefore, whilst this does happen, all this means is that some students won’t gain anything from homework and some will. I refuted the objection in regards to resources due to the fact that schools take the student’s parents/carers financial state into consideration. My opponent blatantly lies when she says: “Con dropped that even when good HW is assigned, it is the student's approach that is critical. ” This is massively untrue. I will quote my response from R3: “She helps explain the very purpose of homework itself. She points out that homework cannot be monitored in regards to approach and therefore students may not grasp or understand the material properly. If they do not understand it and get all of the questions wrong (for example), then it is the teacher’s duty to correct the student and explain the homework to them. The lesson is designed to teach all students generally. The homework shows specific pupils progress and understanding of that lesson which teachers can then monitor and intervene if necessary in order to help said student to understand it properly”. My opponent’s claim that I dropped this is ludicrous. Point 3 My opponent claims that homework cuts time into things and she also claim that it provides a second shift of work for children. This is automatically negated by the counterplan. Additionally, even if my counterplan was not enacted this contention would still work in my favor since after school activities exist and I presented a large statistic showing that people have plenty of time to do homework alongside activities and I demonstrated that there are a record breaking amount of people in part time jobs in the UK which my opponent drops. Point 4 I have shown that homework does not count towards sets for children. In fact class work and examination are used only. The only claims that my opponent has been able to muster are bare assertions that homework is often graded (which is irrelevant since grading homework is not the same as taking it into consideration when assessing that student’s ability - which is what general classwork and examinations are for). I concede that cheating happens however my opponent’s website regarding cheating statistics is unreliable (and my opponent drops this argument). We can conclude that since homework does not count for anything important, cheating has no effects (neither positive or negative). Whereas the students that opt in to do their homework properly receive the benefits from homework which my opponent concedes when she says that just because homework is beneficial, doesn’t mean that it should be mandatory. Once again, my opponent lies and states that I dropped the effects of HW’s drill and kill methodology. This is false. Again, I will have to quote my response which my opponent supposedly claims is nonexistent when she says that I dropped it: “Again, the review my opponent cites in an attempt to prove that homework results in the loss of sleep, self esteem and childhood is refuted by the counterplan as it once again references to excessive homework and homework taking up valuable time from children. ” The outcome of this debate is incredibly clear. The resolution is negated.

Keep in mind I cannot respond to any of Con's dropped contentions.Point 1My opponent seemingly defeats his own argument. In the last round he said exactly this: "Here is a remind of my counter plan: Homework should be given in moderate quantity (in short).This is about homework QUANTITY (ie. how much homework is given) NOT homework QUALITY (ie. how beneficial it is)."And yet when explaining why my sources are allegedly irrelevant, he says:"She falsely states that I must prove that homework assigned then vs. now is different in quantity... All I need to do is show that the systems of education have changed since then because that affects everything. If homework is different in regards to difficulty (for example), then higher quantity is not as necessary if it’s harder." In the first statement he says that he is arguing QUANTITY is what matters in assessing homework. And then in the second statement he says DIFFICULTY is what's relevant and quantity isn't relevant at all. I'm sure I am not the only one confused by Con's statements, and once again, I will not have the opportunity to respond.To repeat my position, students have had roughly the same amount of HW quantity over the last 30 years. Con does not deny this - nor has Con proven that a DIFFERENCE in education standards over the last 30 years means a difference one way or the other (easier or harder) let alone a difference in the quality of HW assignments. Moreover, I argued that Con had not proven that his studies account for more of the population than the ones I have presented. If he cannot, then we have no reason whatsoever to believe that the pro-HW studies he cites (noting that quantity of homework is most important -- which I've argued against) are any more valid. He dropped this contention and has not proven that his studies represent a larger sample size.I pointed out that my study examined data of more than 18,000 students to uncover explanations for academic performance. Con suggests we have to use the entire world population of children as a measure which is absurd. Out of 1.9 billion children, 1 billion of them live in destitute poverty [1]. These children, especially in the third world, can't even eat or drink and millions die from starvation daily -- yet Con suggests we should factor them into the population of students who benefit from homework, when they have never seen a school in their life. That is an abusive standard no judge would take seriously. Quite obviously we are discussing homework in the West (especially the U.S.) where public education and the subsequent standards is the norm. Thus 18K is a good sample size for research. Con has not even tried to present us with an estimate of the number of students his cited studies cover, let alone present research that accounts for a larger size. Some studies in his favor have "hundreds" yet I invite Con to prove his studies are more relevant in size, date and scope [2, 3]. One study in his favor had a sample size of around 1,300 students -- or about 1/18th of the population my sources covered. In short, Con has dug himself a hole in trying to attack the credibility of my sources and studies; he has not proven his are any more valid. In the last round I decided to move on from this and noted it would appear SOME cases show that homework could be beneficial (accounting for a lot of different variables). Of course, that is completely irrelevant to the rest of my argument. I've pointed out that not everything that is beneficial ought to be required as well as suggested the potential negatives of HW outweigh the potential positives. Indeed that is the crux of my position in this debate. 1A. I pointed out that even if HW can sometimes be beneficial, Con is only saying that *beneficial* homework be required - not all homework. Yet he cannot ensure the HW assigned will be beneficial. He responded with accusations of straw mans when in fact he fails to see the absurdity of this objection. If Con is not saying that only BENEFICIAL homework be required, then he is advocating that even NON-beneficial homework be required. Why would Con advocate non-beneficial homework?! That would be punishment with no substance or positive effect. Therefore it is only logical to assume Con is only advocating BENEFICIAL homework. If he would like to challenge this, I guess he can...1B. It would appear Con does want to challenge this lol. He writes, "Again, this seems to be a misinterpretation of the counter plan. I never mentioned that it had to be beneficial, nor did I say that beneficial things have to be mandatory." So here we can see that Con even supports HW that is not beneficial, meaning he has no good reason (positive benefits) to support HW at all. And furthermore, Con skirts 1B as if it is a meaningless statement when in fact it is the entire basis of my argument. Please extend all of my 1B points -- I pointed out why not all things that are beneficial should be required. Ergo, even if homework were beneficial, it need not be mandatory. Con thinks HW (despite being so problematic) should just be imposed whether it has benefits or not, which is an even more ridiculous position than I think anyone expected him to take. Point 2Con accuses me of not refuting the counter plan which is false. His counter plan is simply "less homework" which I have argued, especially in Point 2. "Con argues that by reducing HW time, the problems of HW won't exist. But while they might be less significant, they would still exist. Even 1 hour of HW per night interferes with 1 hour of family or recreational time. Furthermore, Con cannot prove that all students spend the same amount of time on homework..." which proves I did address his counter plan of less HW time. My opponent says that it's okay for students to spend different amounts of time on HW, which fails to address my point on an undue burden for slow learners or those who take longer to do assignments. This means additional stress and imposition for those students on recreational and rest time, which Con glosses over as being addressed by special classes/assignments but this cannot be proven or enforced. Even students in special classes learn at a different pace from each other. Con asked for sources proving that parents do their kid's homework. I presented the studies; Con dropped this point and said "Well kids should be doing it themselves." Sure, but extend my argument that they are often NOT doing it themselves based on my statistics. Con must concede this point; instead he suggests this simply doesn't matter. Obviously when parents do their kid's assignments, it places burden on the parents and provides no utility to the child while still creating work for teachers. Once again - whereas some parents have the time and resources to dedicate to HW monitoring and assistance, other parents do not have the opportunity to be as involved. Thus a shoddy HW response might reflect poorly on the child unfairly. Many students (especially in low-income areas) specifically have a hard time completing their assignments.In response, Con says "since there will be a lower homework quantity, this means that these people will not be overwhelmed with homework" which clearly doesn't address my points at all regarding lack of resources, not just time. Con also says that the states account for financial factors in HW assignments and cited this source from the UK -- yet not a single line from that source said anything about poverty affecting assigned work or HW. I invite my opponent to copy and paste the line from that source which proves his point here [4]. I have no reason to accept it thus far. And besides, people within the same school can still come from vastly different financial backgrounds. Con states, "If [students] do not understand [HW] and get all of the questions wrong (for example), then it is the teacher’s duty to correct the student and explain the homework to them." However teachers do not give students more help if they have trouble with homework - a factor cited in Con's previous source from the CPE [5]. Con dropped that even when good HW is assigned, it is the student's approach that is critical. However teachers cannot monitor or control how students approach their HW. Con also dropped that his citations don't account for today's HW distractions. Research shows that students today are not grasping as much of the homework material even when they complete it, because they are distracted by social media and don't retain the information.Point 3Con says "She makes a an argument riddled with fallacies. She claims that homework cuts into time for anything." That is not fallacious but a logical fact. If you spend time on X (homework) you cannot spend time on Y (anything else) that requires significant attention. That's called the law of non-contradiction. Just because school provides some activities doesn't mean it provides the same activities or amount of time/attention on those activities as parents or kids would like. Con notes that school, work, etc. cut into people's time and yet I am not advocating those be abolished. I explained how homework provides a "second shift" of work that kids should not have to face. Please extend my arguments on parents not being subjected to this burden and having options here; Con dropped it and I will not be able to respond.Point 4Con says that HW "counts for nothing" yet HW is often graded. Con says I have provided "no evidence" of cheating. See explanations regarding points 12-15 in the last round. He only contested 1 of those sources. One is a forum - the rest are academic - and he ignores that parents doing HW is cheating which he admits happens. He dropped every one of my arguments on copying and using the internet to cheat as well. Con also dropped the negative effects of HW's "drill and kill" methodolgy and its impact on learning. PLEASE EXTEND MY LAST ROUND'S CONCLUSION.Thanks!SOURCES: http://www.debate.org...

For many different reasons, there are parents out there who feel that public, or even private schools, aren"t the right environments for their children to thrive in education. People who feel strongly about this matter often opt to homeschool their kids. Firstly, you make the decision about what your children learn. You have total control over what subjects your children are learning. Secondly, you make the decisions about how your children learn. There is no way a school classroom can tailor its teaching style for each child. Yet each child differs. As a home schooling parent, you can teach your child in the style that best fits him or her, and you can tweak your teaching style as needed. Thirdly, you get to choose the curriculum. You can decide how many books, worksheets, crafts, and so forth that your student does. You can reject or accept aspects of various curricula and/or design your own. And finally, your child gets one-on-one instruction. Time and again, studies have shown that children learn well with individual instruction.

Ya know, if you wanted help with homework, you could AT LEAST have gone through the courtesy of putting forth an attempt to debate me in exchange.

In my opinion, the American education system is negatively impacting the mental health of students within the past decade. I make this claim based on 3 primary premises, the amount of homework given, the lack of support/education pertaining to mental illnesses and, the pressures of standardized tests. These main components of the American education system is causing too much stress on the students and without the proper resources and tools to help the students cope, it is causing a rise in mental health issues.