MUET Writing Question 2

Last month, I had the opportunity to tutor for a MUET candidate. It was a great learning experience, not only for him (so I hope), but for me as well. Reminded me of how I used to be able to write lol.
I thought it would be useful to share this essay here on this blog.
We discussed the prompt together, and this is the essay that I came up with. 

Should homework be banned for primary school students?

            School is an institution serving to equip the future generations with knowledge and life skills, both invaluable and necessary, through education. Students are expected to be physically present for the execution of an academic session, with occasional homework assigned for after-school completion. Homework is an additional task handed out by the teachers to the students, be it written, brainstorming, or arts, among others, and is typically graded. School work can serve as an enjoyable learning opportunity, especially for the primary school students whose ages range from 7 to 12 years old, through which it encourages them to self-discover and explore knowledge outside of the classroom. Therefore, homework for primary school students as medium of learning reinforcement, for increased productivity, and for motor skills enhancement should not be completely banned, as its benefits outweigh the risks.

            Homework for primary school students serves as a medium of learning reinforcement. Learning reinforcement is an essential process aims to consolidate a student’s memory and learning capability on a particular topic after it is covered by the teacher during a formal academic session. Conducting a task repeatedly is proven to strengthen an individual’s memory, including that of a pupil in the age range mentioned, that is, 7 to 12 years old. Given enough time and trials, this repetition would eventually be incorporated into the student’s fast thinking system, turning their skill intuitive and requires less, if not none, of mental strain to solve a specific problem. This is especially true for Mathematics as a subject where repeated exercise is the key to fast and accurate problem solving. For example, assigning multiplication problems as homework to a Standard 3 pupil allows him to take his time at home while revisiting the same concepts from multiple perspectives. Developing his own way of skill mastery is the best way for him to understand the concept as well. Recalling and repetition will strengthen his multiplication skill, as learning reinforcement has finally taken place.

            In addition, homework contributes to increased productivity of the students, the teachers, as well as the parents. With the students spending their time working on the assignments, it is less likely for their valuable free time to be wasted. Instead, they are occupied and being productive even during the after-school hours. Besides, the teachers also benefit from this, through which the graded assignments provided an overview of the students’ current mastery and understanding on a topic. From there onwards, teachers can plan the upcoming lessons ahead as it would suit the students’ performance. Parents, on the other hand, can also actively participate in their children’s assignment by providing guidance and help. Other than having contributing to its completion, the parents-children bond will also be strengthened through such activity. Healthy relationship builds an emotionally healthy nurturing child. It is apparent that homework increases the productivity of all parties, and therefore should not be banned.

            Besides, school work also enhances student’s motor skills through their self-exploration. Hands-on activities such as drawing and coloring help to develop a student’s psychomotor ability, including the skill as simple as holding a pencil. This is especially crucial in an era where children are exposed to gadgets at early age, getting used to swiping the screen instead of interacting with nature and stunting their motor skills. With such activities, however, the stunted development can be remedied, and let the students get creative along the process. Science assignment, for example, allows for nature exploration and interaction. Touching surfaces with different textures such as wood, leaves, and rocks, stimulates their sensory network. The stimulation further encourages critical thinking and language development, the skills desirable as they grow older.

            In conclusion, homework should not be perceived as a burden to students. Instead, it brings out various benefits for their intellect, emotion, psychology, and motor skills. Homework reinforces learning, increases productivity, and sharpen their motor skills, an act which holistically develops an individual at such a young age. Therefore, I believe it should not be banned for primary school pupils.