The Schoolfield

How Homework Benefits Students: A Few Ideas To Get Motivated

It's common to see homework as punishment inflicted by the education system. In the early years of a child's education, take home assignments aren't usually called homework. Whether it's intentional or not, it usually works to condition the future student to prepare for when it is called homework.

When it gets to that point, habits have formed and comfort zones are established. Getting motivated to do homework isn't usually second nature as initially intended. Maybe the student is prone to distractions and finds little benefit in homework and little understanding into why they should do it. The idea here however is to change the student's perspective to see how homework benefits students, included with a few basic helpful ideas to get them motivated.

How Much Work Is Homework?

The perspective depends on the type of homework required of the student. If they are falling behind in their classes, a lack of motivation is to blame. But the motivation comes from different circumstances, usually of the student's preference.

Here are number of basic traditional reasons given for why they should do their homework:

• To do better than the other
• To succeed
• To graduate

Each of these reasons – if they're not put in the right context – look like there's a lot of work to achieve. But these are often used as reasons to motivate the student and unless the student understands what those reasons mean to them, it applies for pressure and motivates them even less. It looks like a lot more work.

So this generalization is better handled in small bites.

Three Ways To Get Motivated

Just like there are different factors that play into why a student isn't motivated, there are other factors that play into getting motivated as well. These are mental and physical alike. Here are three way to get motivated for homework.

• Relieve Stress.
• If there's anything that's stressing the student out at home or anywhere else, they must look at what they're stressed about and determine if it's worth it. Usually it is not. Other times it's easier to engage in the following activity regularly around their homework.
• • Exercise
  • Nap
  • Breathing Exercises / Meditation
• Be Aware: Awareness is a big thing these days. Being 'present' helps to manage what's important and it always provides a new outlook for those who make the effort. By being aware, the student follows their own physical and mental reactions to their daily routine. It inspires a new way to get motivated.
• Charge Up: Motivational speaker seminars, unconventional meetings, rallies, etc; big group activities usually have ways to charge people up for an event. It's likely a few or all of the suggestions above with a willing effort to 'knock out' that homework.

Motivated To Learn

If one were to look at the overall effort of the education system, it is to meet the student halfway with knowledge. The student who has the natural instinct to ask questions about the world around them. How things work. That alone is motivation.

In this highly accelerated age, instructors and their classes are teaching many students at once and have little time to spend with those who fall behind. But the student can get motivated with their subject by finding something interesting in it, because the interest continues outside of the classroom.

Learning and the curiosity to learn is natural. Getting motivated to ask questions to which there are always answers to is part of everyone's effort whether they know it or not.