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Overcoming Bias Commenter's avatar

Most teachers I know don't want to assign homework, but get grief from parents if they don't. I also know teachers who've been accused of not working for not assigning homework. Often, the only time my students ever had homework is because they mucked about in class and didn't finish it then.

Also homework takes on the role of seat work. Seat work has been frowned upon for about a decade now. The populous want me pestering/lecturing/engaging my students (a.k.a.working) at all times. Most people think the time teachers spend sitting in class watching students work is teachers being lazy. Therefore, teachers don't do that, and students have to do all that essay writing, reading, and quiet thinking at home. (For the record letting students work quietly is mind numbing and the only part of my job that is worse is the never ending marking and meetings)

It's often more social pressures in the educational/parental environment that result in homework. Most teaching courses in my country don't recommend or are against homework. Most teachers (that I know) are against homework, even math homework.

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mugasofer's avatar

"Also, developing homework assignments in non-math subjects which actually are educational is clearly hard. (Otherwise, such homework would already exist...unless you think they suppress it intentionally.)"

Since, as Robin points out, education systems are not exactly jumping on this sort of research, my guess is they haven't tried very much.

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