The question of whether or not to give homework to students is probably as old as the hills. Despite the age of the question and the many hours that have been devoted to debating this controversial topic, there doesn’t yet appear to be any conclusive answer.
Some are sure that it is a great idea and any opposition doesn’t understand or appreciate its supreme value and benefits. Others are on the completely opposite end of the spectrum and believe that homework accounts for a significant percentage of student negativity regarding school.
And then there are those who see both the pros and cons. Since the jury is still out on this critical yet delicate issue, it seems that it may be best to present some of the pros and cons and let you come to your own conclusions.
What are Some of the Pros of Teletherapy Homework?
It has been shown that completing remote therapy homework helps to make a more responsible student as it helps the student to learn time management skills.
Working on homework inculcates in children perseverance. Often during the teletherapy session, the student will not master all of the skills and therefore needs the time to practice over and again to gain mastery.
The ability to consistently complete and submit teletherapy homework on time raises the self-esteem of the child which has immense benefits beyond their therapeutic success.
Homework has the benefit of helping the child to become and stay organized. It forces the student to plan and break large tasks into smaller more manageable parts.
Let’s not forget perhaps the most obvious benefit of homework in that it gives the child another opportunity to review material from the session.
A lesser-known benefit of homework is that the teletherapy clinician can better gauge precisely what the student is absorbing and not absorbing which helps the clinician to modify the next session for maximum benefit strategically.
Homework teaches students to pace themselves more naturally. They learn not to rush, and that problematic tasks take time to complete.
What are Some of The Cons of Teletherapy Homework?
Although it is rare, there may be times when a remote therapy clinician will use homework as a form of punishment or repression. It could be that the therapist was frustrated with the child’s lack of effort or attitude and is seeking to “teach the child a lesson.” In such a case homework will be counterproductive.
An honest mistake that some teletherapy clinicians make is that they don’t realize how much homework the child already is burdened with from school. Piling on the homework will rob the child of the necessary time to relax and play. This is sure to reflect poorly in the homework and create a bad feeling negatively.
Sometimes doing extra work outside of the session won’t affect a noticeable improvement for the student and will be seen by the child as unnecessary. This may boomerang in the next session when the children will be resistant to the new material and promote a feeling about the therapist that “she just piles it on!”.
What is the Answer?
The prudent path is for the teletherapy clinician to assign homework that will help the child- very carefully!. And once that homework has been completed as assigned, it would be wise for the child to be handsomely rewarded for his/her efforts. This will encourage the child to be more enthusiastic about the next assignment and about the therapist who is assigning it.
What Do You Think?
