What Types of Homework Assignments Are Commonly Given to Students for Practice?

What Types of Homework Assignments Are Commonly Given to Students for Practice?

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Who invented homework? This question terrorizes students worldwide. On the one hand, homework helps students work independently. They learn proper time management and practical application of their knowledge. On the other hand, it steals a lot of time and effort. Some educators want to ban it, while others regard it as a must in the world of education.

What types of homework are there? Who invented them? What is the purpose of homework? Find the answers in this useful article.

The History of Homework Creation

One should know several facts about homework. Ancient Rome is the foundation place of home assignments. Pliny, the teacher, believed that problem-solving assignments could enhance his students’ subject awareness. 

Thus, Roberto Nevilis, another teacher, decided to use it only as a punishment in 1905. He created the so-called negative flash mob that gave positive results. Other educators liked his idea but in the context of a perfect brain stimulator. 

Today, even promoted companies make their employees deal with constant self-education. Research-based assignments develop one’s creativity, persistence, endurance, and attentiveness. The evolution of assignments is impressive. This is their brief history.

  • Middle Ages. The main homework concerned the memorizing of texts. Only the privileged had access to education.
  • The Industrial Revolution. It was the beginning of the practice assignment creation. More children got access to education thanks to governmental law. Countries needed a workforce and assigned tasks that improved practical skills and self-discipline.  
  • 20th century. Most education theorists criticized traditional tasks that did not connect with children’s interests and talents. So, this criticism gave a start to serious changes.
  • The Cold War Period. A competition between the Soviet Union and the USA demanded the enhancement of the system of education. Each country needed a perfect math homework doer to join the steaming progress. Calculation and creativity were of the highest concern. 
  • The early 21st century. Finally, all educators understood that the quality of the finished assignment was more important than the quantity of assigned tasks.  
  • Today. Educators should consider the purpose and necessity of each task. There must be a perfect balance between the volume and aims it reaches. 

These days, some educational programs want to cancel homework for juniors.  Yet, not everyone understands why homework should be banned. Despite these contradictions, homework remains a significant part of modern education. 

Why Do Teachers Assign Homework?

There are two reasons why teachers assign homework – memorize information (theoretical) and practice (practical). However, one can subcategorize these assignments depending on their purpose.

  • Practice tasks for the application of practice skills
  • Research assignments to teach students to investigate the topic deeply 
  • Reading homework helps students develop strong reading skills and expand their vocabulary
  • Revisions and reviews to spot the core message of texts
  • Experiments to develop statistics and learn practical knowledge application
  • Creative homework to develop imagination and creativity 

Students should remember information and be ready to apply it. Everything depends on the reason. For example, the superintendent, Derrick Meador, stresses the value of academic assignments. He highlights their necessity for all students. What is especially important for effective practice is that they must have a precise goal.

What is the difference between practical and theoretical assignments? This is a comparison table with samples. 

Subject Theoretical assignment Practical assignment
Biology Reading and analyzing paragraph §15 about the process of flower growing Growing a flower and observing/describing each step in detail
English Learning how to write and format essays using MLA style Writing an essay following the requirements
Physics Reading information about Ohm’s Law Solving problems applying the Ohm’s Law formula and theoretical knowledge
Literature Learning a theory about allusion Searching for Allusion in “Romeo and Juliet” by W. Shakespeare

A professional essay writing service does not underestimate the role and complexity of any of the types. Still, practical assignments are hard. They need a sustainable knowledge basis. Otherwise, one will not be able to find the best and right solution for assigned homework. 

What Does a Practical Assignment Require?

Theoretical homework is easy to understand. Students need to memorize something, copy texts, or do something similar. Practical assignments require more attention. To complete it successfully, a student must keep to the following tips:

  • Reading requirements attentively. It is necessary to read each requirement so as not to miss a thing.
  • Keeping notes. Time-consuming projects can be messy. One should jot down interesting ideas and organize them.
  • Research. If a task requires research, one should investigate sources and write down the bibliography information to avoid plagiarism.
  • Example studying. Speaking about writing or Mathematical problems, one should study samples. These are perfect patterns that help to avoid stereotypical mistakes like formatting. 
  • The process. One should perform homework following all requirements.
  • Checking. It is necessary to ensure there are no mistakes (formatting, language, stylistic) 

Besides, teachers evaluate homework and practice using such criteria as age, performance time, and value. One should not assign too complex tasks that demand many hours to 10-year-old students.

Moreover, such assignments must be valuable. They must either affect students’ final score or exam grades. The received knowledge must help them with quizzes or broaden their outlook. Teachers should also consider their frequency. As a rule, an average 7th-grade student should have up to 400 home assignments a year. 

What Is the Role of Homework in a Student’s Life

To sum up, precise and goal-oriented tasks develop different things. First, they teach students to deal with rough information perception and developing algorithms. Second, it helps children enhance their knowledge. Due to that, one spends less time on its performance without the need to pay to get your homework done. Third, it allows one’s brain to be in tonus and teaches proper time management. Finally, it lets one “store” information and retrieve it when necessary.

Nevertheless, not all tutors assign smart tasks. In this case, one can ask an expert to do my homework for me, and professional agencies will assist immediately. 

Sources:

  1. Should Homework be a Necessary Part of Students’ Grades? The Penndulum. https://phspenndulum.org/6577/editorials/should-homework-be-a-necessary-part-of-students-grades/ 
  2. Libretexts. (2021, August 16). 2.1: Practice Assignment 1. Humanities LibreTexts. https://human.libretexts.org/Courses/Diablo_Valley_College/1st-year_College_English_Intensive_for_Multilingual_Students_(Kadi)/02%3A_Argument_Assignments/2.01%3A_Practice_Assignment_1 
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Shawn Salazar
Shawn Salazar
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Writing has always been my passion. In 2020, I took a significant step towards fulfilling my dream by pursuing a Creative Writing and Journalism diploma. After graduating with a degree in English, I began contributing to the blog of the essay writing service Essaywritercheap.org. I also teach English to international students at an ESL school.

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