#68. Is daily homework necessary for students?
For students the only good homework is no homework. This has been a truism for as long as schools have existed. However, the practice of newly acquired knowledge and the preparation for new lessons are essential parts of the learning process. Teachers understand this and give assignments accordingly. Nevertheless, there is such thing as too much homework. Whether daily homework is useful or not depends on the age of the students and the subjects in which the work is assigned, and teachers also have to take into account the possible negative effects of overwork.
The age of a student or, better yet, the stage of the personal development of a student has to be considered when deciding on the amount of homework assigned. Elementary school students respond differently to daily homework than senior school students. They are more limited in their ability to concentrate on a subject and take in knowledge. These are skills that are developed over time. In addition, they will need to learn other important lessons, for example how to interact socially and behave in a group of their peers. Thus, instead of daily homework, these students need time to play with their friends.
The need for daily homework also differs from subject to subject. For example, in the areas of mathematics and languages continuous engagement with the subject matter is necessary, because it allows a student to internalize important concepts and mechanisms. In the field of history, on the other hand, it is more important that students grasp greater concepts. Memorizing dates and places is important, surely, but, if forgotten, these can always be looked up in the textbook. In these subjects daily homework is not only unnecessary but it might discourage students from taking an interest in the topic.
After all, learning is largely a voluntary activity, and teachers have to consider the possibility that too much homework will frustrate the students. As a result, students might become less interested in the subject or less willing to learn. Consequently, the good intentions of the teacher could very well have the opposite effect and a student will learn less.
68. 日常家庭作业对于学生是否必要？
对学生来说，最好的作业就是没有作业。这种说法从学校存在的那一天就有了。但是，练习新学到的知识、预习新课是学习过程中重要的组成部分。教师都知道这一点，并以此给学生们布置作业。但是，作业太多也是一个问题。家庭作业是否有用取决于学生的年龄和作业所属的课程。在布置作业时，教师应考虑作业太多带来的负面作用。
在给学生布置作业时，必须考虑学生的年龄，或者说是学生的发展阶段。低年级的学生对作业的反应与高年级学生不一样。他们把精力集中在一门课程上获取知识的能力还比较低。这些能力是随着年龄的增长而提高的。此外，他们需要时间学习其他事情，例如，怎样和社会打交道、怎样和同伴相处等。因此，这些学生需要时间和伙伴们玩耍，而不是写作业。
家庭作业的多少也应因学科的不同而不同。例如，数学和语言课程需要经常练习，只有这样，学生才能把重要的概念和技巧变成自己的。而历史课程中，学生需要更多地掌握重要的概念。背诵事件发生的时间和地点当然非常重要，但是如果忘记了，查阅书本就能找到。在这样的课程中，家庭作业不仅仅是没有必要的，它还可能让学生因此而丧失了对这门课程的兴趣。
毕竟，学习是个主动的活动，教师应考虑作业太多可能使学生厌烦。结果，学生可能变得对这门课不感兴趣或者不愿学习了。因此，教师的好意产生了相反的后果，学生反而学得更少了。
- truism ［ˈtru:ˌizm］ n. 公认的真理
- acquire ［əˈkwaiə］ v. 获得，学到
- take into account 重视；考虑
- overwork ［ˌəuvəˈwə:k］ n. 过度操劳；加班
- in addition 另外
- interact ［ˌintərˈækt］ v. 互相作用，互动
- mathematics ［ˌmæθəˈmætiks］ n. 数学
- continuous ［kənˈtinjuəs］ adj. 连续的，持续的
- internalize ［inˈtə:nəˌlaiz］ v. 使内在化
- mechanism ［ˈmekəˌnizəm］ n. 机构，机制