There have been many studies by scientists and many inquiries from parents and students about the merits of homework and whether students should be forced to do it. Does
it help a student’s brain? Here are seven reasons why homework is good for the brain:
1. The Repetition Allows You to Memorize Concepts More Easily
Homework assignments are all about repetition. They provide a similar type of problem over and over, giving you the space to figure out solutions. By completing similar problems over and over again, you are forcing your brain to become accustomed to them. This is learning. Your tools your brain uses to solve these problems are being sharpened by the repetition. So, when it comes time to call this information to mind (without the help of notes), you should have no problem because you have done similar problems numerous times.
2. Practice Makes Perfect
If you want to get a handle on a topic or expand your intellectual horizons, you need to practice. Becoming smarter is just like learning any other skills; the only way to do it is to keep at it and practice as much as possible. Just like every great painter has painted a picture of a dog hundreds of times, if you want to get smarter, you must complete banal, tedious homework until your brain can no longer take it. Your brain will move at a much quicker pace once you trick it into thinking yours ahead of the game.
3. It Helps Solidify Hard Concepts
Everybody has had a day in school where they paid close attention to their teachers, took diligent notes, and still left the class feeling a bit lost. It happens. We humans (and our brains) are fallible. The only way to get a handle on these concepts is to put them into practice. You will need the aid of your textbook, notebook, and possibly a friend or tutor, but by seeing all of the information laid out and having practice questions there to hone the knowledge, it will help you solidify the confusing concepts through the form of practice.
4. Homework Helps Develop Muscle Memory
When one talks about muscle memory, it is mostly referring to how one’s body reacts to a particular scenario more than once or how one will react in a sports scenario. But, the brain is a muscle as well, so homework can ingrain a mental muscle memory into a student. Like I mentioned previously, repetition gives you the tool to recall information in a time of need. That is because your brain has been molded into remembering how to solve a particular problem. This is the beginning of shaping your muscle memory for your mind.
5. It Reinforces What You Already Know
Most of the time when students complain about having to do homework, it is because they feel that they already know the information they have to practice. But, your brain can always use a little sharpening and a reinforcement of topics you believe you already know. If you think you do something and decide to ignore it and not do homework on it, there is an excellent chance that during a quiz or test, you will forget how to do the problem. You will not have developed the muscle memory for that problem or idea because you did not do the homework.
6. Homework Hones Your Problem-Solving Skills
Homework is all about problem-solving. You are giving a page of problems and some directions, but it is mostly up to you as to how you would like to solve these problems. Homework is an exercise in how to solve a problem. There are many different routes you can take to solve an algebraic equation (for example) that you figure out as you go along. By practicing this with homework, you can apply what you have practiced in a real-world situation. You will have honed that skill, so it will be easier to call upon in a tense, real-world setting.
7. Your Brain Will Make Connections Based on Different Pieces of Homework
A lot of people may think that you have pockets of information stored away in your brain, but the truly smart find a way to connect all of their knowledge. By completing homework from different subjects back-to-back, you will begin to make those connections between all of your pieces of information. This will lead to you having a much richer intellect and quicker mind, as you can call upon subjects you are good at to help solve a problem in a subject you are not good at. By having information connected, your brain will be much more engaged in anything you could be doing.