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Primary education: listening and observing
Primary education: listening and observing

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1.2 Homework: beneficial or boring?

Who do you think should decide what kind of homework, and how much homework, children get: government, headteachers, teachers, parents or children themselves?

Activity 1 What do children tell us about homework?

Timing: Allow about 15 minutes

In the video that you’re about to watch, children tell you what they think.

As you watch and listen, jot down their ideas.

The video is on the following page of the Newsround website [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] . It is the second video on the webpage and is called ‘What do you think of homework?’.

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Discussion

The children have positive and negative views about their homework. They dislike it because it puts them under pressure and it can be stressful. Homework also takes away from leisure activities and time with family. But they also acknowledge that homework is beneficial because it helps them to feel more confident that they understand their school work, and it might help children who are struggling with school learning.

One boy notes that homework should be more fun and interesting to do. In the next activity you will look at some examples of creative homework.