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What’s the Right Amount of Homework?

Decades of research show that homework has some benefits, especially for students in middle and high school—but there are risks to assigning too much.

Many teachers and parents believe that homework helps students build study skills and review concepts learned in class. Others see homework as disruptive and unnecessary, leading to burnout and turning kids off to school. Decades of research show that the issue is more nuanced and complex than most people think: Homework is beneficial, but only to a degree. Students in high school gain the most, while younger kids benefit much less.

The National PTA and the National Education Association support the “ 10-minute homework guideline ”—a nightly 10 minutes of homework per grade level. But many teachers and parents are quick to point out that what matters is the quality of the homework assigned and how well it meets students’ needs, not the amount of time spent on it.

The guideline doesn’t account for students who may need to spend more—or less—time on assignments. In class, teachers can make adjustments to support struggling students, but at home, an assignment that takes one student 30 minutes to complete may take another twice as much time—often for reasons beyond their control. And homework can widen the achievement gap, putting students from low-income households and students with learning disabilities at a disadvantage.

However, the 10-minute guideline is useful in setting a limit: When kids spend too much time on homework, there are real consequences to consider.

Small Benefits for Elementary Students

As young children begin school, the focus should be on cultivating a love of learning, and assigning too much homework can undermine that goal. And young students often don’t have the study skills to benefit fully from homework, so it may be a poor use of time (Cooper, 1989 ; Cooper et al., 2006 ; Marzano & Pickering, 2007 ). A more effective activity may be nightly reading, especially if parents are involved. The benefits of reading are clear: If students aren’t proficient readers by the end of third grade, they’re less likely to succeed academically and graduate from high school (Fiester, 2013 ).

For second-grade teacher Jacqueline Fiorentino, the minor benefits of homework did not outweigh the potential drawback of turning young children against school at an early age, so she experimented with dropping mandatory homework. “Something surprising happened: They started doing more work at home,” Fiorentino writes . “This inspiring group of 8-year-olds used their newfound free time to explore subjects and topics of interest to them.” She encouraged her students to read at home and offered optional homework to extend classroom lessons and help them review material.

Moderate Benefits for Middle School Students

As students mature and develop the study skills necessary to delve deeply into a topic—and to retain what they learn—they also benefit more from homework. Nightly assignments can help prepare them for scholarly work, and research shows that homework can have moderate benefits for middle school students (Cooper et al., 2006 ). Recent research also shows that online math homework, which can be designed to adapt to students’ levels of understanding, can significantly boost test scores (Roschelle et al., 2016 ).

There are risks to assigning too much, however: A 2015 study found that when middle school students were assigned more than 90 to 100 minutes of daily homework, their math and science test scores began to decline (Fernández-Alonso, Suárez-Álvarez, & Muñiz, 2015 ). Crossing that upper limit can drain student motivation and focus. The researchers recommend that “homework should present a certain level of challenge or difficulty, without being so challenging that it discourages effort.” Teachers should avoid low-effort, repetitive assignments, and assign homework “with the aim of instilling work habits and promoting autonomous, self-directed learning.”

In other words, it’s the quality of homework that matters, not the quantity. Brian Sztabnik, a veteran middle and high school English teacher, suggests that teachers take a step back and ask themselves these five questions :

• How long will it take to complete?
• Have all learners been considered?
• Will an assignment encourage future success?
• Will an assignment place material in a context the classroom cannot?
• Does an assignment offer support when a teacher is not there?

More Benefits for High School Students, but Risks as Well

By the time they reach high school, students should be well on their way to becoming independent learners, so homework does provide a boost to learning at this age, as long as it isn’t overwhelming (Cooper et al., 2006 ; Marzano & Pickering, 2007 ). When students spend too much time on homework—more than two hours each night—it takes up valuable time to rest and spend time with family and friends. A 2013 study found that high school students can experience serious mental and physical health problems, from higher stress levels to sleep deprivation, when assigned too much homework (Galloway, Conner, & Pope, 2013 ).

Homework in high school should always relate to the lesson and be doable without any assistance, and feedback should be clear and explicit.

Teachers should also keep in mind that not all students have equal opportunities to finish their homework at home, so incomplete homework may not be a true reflection of their learning—it may be more a result of issues they face outside of school. They may be hindered by issues such as lack of a quiet space at home, resources such as a computer or broadband connectivity, or parental support (OECD, 2014 ). In such cases, giving low homework scores may be unfair.

Since the quantities of time discussed here are totals, teachers in middle and high school should be aware of how much homework other teachers are assigning. It may seem reasonable to assign 30 minutes of daily homework, but across six subjects, that’s three hours—far above a reasonable amount even for a high school senior. Psychologist Maurice Elias sees this as a common mistake: Individual teachers create homework policies that in aggregate can overwhelm students. He suggests that teachers work together to develop a school-wide homework policy and make it a key topic of back-to-school night and the first parent-teacher conferences of the school year.

Parents Play a Key Role

Homework can be a powerful tool to help parents become more involved in their child’s learning (Walker et al., 2004 ). It can provide insights into a child’s strengths and interests, and can also encourage conversations about a child’s life at school. If a parent has positive attitudes toward homework, their children are more likely to share those same values, promoting academic success.

But it’s also possible for parents to be overbearing, putting too much emphasis on test scores or grades, which can be disruptive for children (Madjar, Shklar, & Moshe, 2015 ). Parents should avoid being overly intrusive or controlling—students report feeling less motivated to learn when they don’t have enough space and autonomy to do their homework (Orkin, May, & Wolf, 2017 ; Patall, Cooper, & Robinson, 2008 ; Silinskas & Kikas, 2017 ). So while homework can encourage parents to be more involved with their kids, it’s important to not make it a source of conflict.

11 Surprising Homework Statistics, Facts & Data

The age-old question of whether homework is good or bad for students is unanswerable because there are so many “ it depends ” factors.

For example, it depends on the age of the child, the type of homework being assigned, and even the child’s needs.

There are also many conflicting reports on whether homework is good or bad. This is a topic that largely relies on data interpretation for the researcher to come to their conclusions.

To cut through some of the fog, below I’ve outlined some great homework statistics that can help us understand the effects of homework on children.

Homework Statistics List

1. 45% of parents think homework is too easy for their children.

A study by the Center for American Progress found that parents are almost twice as likely to believe their children’s homework is too easy than to disagree with that statement.

Here are the figures for math homework:

• 46% of parents think their child’s math homework is too easy.
• 25% of parents think their child’s math homework is not too easy.
• 29% of parents offered no opinion.

Here are the figures for language arts homework:

• 44% of parents think their child’s language arts homework is too easy.
• 28% of parents think their child’s language arts homework is not too easy.
• 28% of parents offered no opinion.

These findings are based on online surveys of 372 parents of school-aged children conducted in 2018.

2. 93% of Fourth Grade Children Worldwide are Assigned Homework

The prestigious worldwide math assessment Trends in International Maths and Science Study (TIMSS) took a survey of worldwide homework trends in 2007. Their study concluded that 93% of fourth-grade children are regularly assigned homework, while just 7% never or rarely have homework assigned.

3. 17% of Teens Regularly Miss Homework due to Lack of High-Speed Internet Access

A 2018 Pew Research poll of 743 US teens found that 17%, or almost 2 in every 5 students, regularly struggled to complete homework because they didn’t have reliable access to the internet.

This figure rose to 25% of Black American teens and 24% of teens whose families have an income of less than $30,000 per year.

4. Parents Spend 6.7 Hours Per Week on their Children’s Homework

A 2018 study of 27,500 parents around the world found that the average amount of time parents spend on homework with their child is 6.7 hours per week. Furthermore, 25% of parents spend more than 7 hours per week on their child’s homework.

American parents spend slightly below average at 6.2 hours per week, while Indian parents spend 12 hours per week and Japanese parents spend 2.6 hours per week.

5. Students in High-Performing High Schools Spend on Average 3.1 Hours per night Doing Homework

A study by Galloway, Conner & Pope (2013) conducted a sample of 4,317 students from 10 high-performing high schools in upper-middle-class California. 

Across these high-performing schools, students self-reported that they did 3.1 hours per night of homework.

Graduates from those schools also ended up going on to college 93% of the time.

6. One to Two Hours is the Optimal Duration for Homework

A 2012 peer-reviewed study in the High School Journal found that students who conducted between one and two hours achieved higher results in tests than any other group.

However, the authors were quick to highlight that this “t is an oversimplification of a much more complex problem.” I’m inclined to agree. The greater variable is likely the quality of the homework than time spent on it.

Nevertheless, one result was unequivocal: that some homework is better than none at all : “students who complete any amount of homework earn higher test scores than their peers who do not complete homework.”

7. 74% of Teens cite Homework as a Source of Stress

A study by the Better Sleep Council found that homework is a source of stress for 74% of students. Only school grades, at 75%, rated higher in the study.

That figure rises for girls, with 80% of girls citing homework as a source of stress.

Similarly, the study by Galloway, Conner & Pope (2013) found that 56% of students cite homework as a “primary stressor” in their lives.

8. US Teens Spend more than 15 Hours per Week on Homework

The same study by the Better Sleep Council also found that US teens spend over 2 hours per school night on homework, and overall this added up to over 15 hours per week.

Surprisingly, 4% of US teens say they do more than 6 hours of homework per night. That’s almost as much homework as there are hours in the school day.

The only activity that teens self-reported as doing more than homework was engaging in electronics, which included using phones, playing video games, and watching TV.

9. The 10-Minute Rule

The National Education Association (USA) endorses the concept of doing 10 minutes of homework per night per grade.

For example, if you are in 3rd grade, you should do 30 minutes of homework per night. If you are in 4th grade, you should do 40 minutes of homework per night.

However, this ‘rule’ appears not to be based in sound research. Nevertheless, it is true that homework benefits (no matter the quality of the homework) will likely wane after 2 hours (120 minutes) per night, which would be the NEA guidelines’ peak in grade 12.

10. 21.9% of Parents are Too Busy for their Children’s Homework

An online poll of nearly 300 parents found that 21.9% are too busy to review their children’s homework. On top of this, 31.6% of parents do not look at their children’s homework because their children do not want their help. For these parents, their children’s unwillingness to accept their support is a key source of frustration.

11. 46.5% of Parents find Homework too Hard

The same online poll of parents of children from grades 1 to 12 also found that many parents struggle to help their children with homework because parents find it confusing themselves. Unfortunately, the study did not ask the age of the students so more data is required here to get a full picture of the issue.

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Interpreting the Data

Unfortunately, homework is one of those topics that can be interpreted by different people pursuing differing agendas. All studies of homework have a wide range of variables, such as:

• What age were the children in the study?
• What was the homework they were assigned?
• What tools were available to them?
• What were the cultural attitudes to homework and how did they impact the study?
• Is the study replicable?

The more questions we ask about the data, the more we realize that it’s hard to come to firm conclusions about the pros and cons of homework .

Furthermore, questions about the opportunity cost of homework remain. Even if homework is good for children’s test scores, is it worthwhile if the children consequently do less exercise or experience more stress?

Thus, this ends up becoming a largely qualitative exercise. If parents and teachers zoom in on an individual child’s needs, they’ll be able to more effectively understand how much homework a child needs as well as the type of homework they should be assigned.

Related: Funny Homework Excuses

The debate over whether homework should be banned will not be resolved with these homework statistics. But, these facts and figures can help you to pursue a position in a school debate on the topic – and with that, I hope your debate goes well and you develop some great debating skills!

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 5 Top Tips for Succeeding at University
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 50 Durable Goods Examples
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 100 Consumer Goods Examples
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 30 Globalization Pros and Cons

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, how to do homework: 15 expert tips and tricks.

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Everyone struggles with homework sometimes, but if getting your homework done has become a chronic issue for you, then you may need a little extra help. That’s why we’ve written this article all about how to do homework. Once you’re finished reading it, you’ll know how to do homework (and have tons of new ways to motivate yourself to do homework)!

We’ve broken this article down into a few major sections. You’ll find:

• A diagnostic test to help you figure out why you’re struggling with homework
• A discussion of the four major homework problems students face, along with expert tips for addressing them
• A bonus section with tips for how to do homework fast

By the end of this article, you’ll be prepared to tackle whatever homework assignments your teachers throw at you .

So let’s get started!

How to Do Homework: Figure Out Your Struggles 

Sometimes it feels like everything is standing between you and getting your homework done. But the truth is, most people only have one or two major roadblocks that are keeping them from getting their homework done well and on time. 

The best way to figure out how to get motivated to do homework starts with pinpointing the issues that are affecting your ability to get your assignments done. That’s why we’ve developed a short quiz to help you identify the areas where you’re struggling. 

Take the quiz below and record your answers on your phone or on a scrap piece of paper. Keep in mind there are no wrong answers! 

1. You’ve just been assigned an essay in your English class that’s due at the end of the week. What’s the first thing you do?

A. Keep it in mind, even though you won’t start it until the day before it’s due  B. Open up your planner. You’ve got to figure out when you’ll write your paper since you have band practice, a speech tournament, and your little sister’s dance recital this week, too.  C. Groan out loud. Another essay? You could barely get yourself to write the last one!  D. Start thinking about your essay topic, which makes you think about your art project that’s due the same day, which reminds you that your favorite artist might have just posted to Instagram...so you better check your feed right now. 

2. Your mom asked you to pick up your room before she gets home from work. You’ve just gotten home from school. You decide you’ll tackle your chores: 

A. Five minutes before your mom walks through the front door. As long as it gets done, who cares when you start?  B. As soon as you get home from your shift at the local grocery store.  C. After you give yourself a 15-minute pep talk about how you need to get to work.  D. You won’t get it done. Between texts from your friends, trying to watch your favorite Netflix show, and playing with your dog, you just lost track of time! 

3. You’ve signed up to wash dogs at the Humane Society to help earn money for your senior class trip. You: 

A. Show up ten minutes late. You put off leaving your house until the last minute, then got stuck in unexpected traffic on the way to the shelter.  B. Have to call and cancel at the last minute. You forgot you’d already agreed to babysit your cousin and bake cupcakes for tomorrow’s bake sale.  C. Actually arrive fifteen minutes early with extra brushes and bandanas you picked up at the store. You’re passionate about animals, so you’re excited to help out! D. Show up on time, but only get three dogs washed. You couldn’t help it: you just kept getting distracted by how cute they were!

4. You have an hour of downtime, so you decide you’re going to watch an episode of The Great British Baking Show. You: 

A. Scroll through your social media feeds for twenty minutes before hitting play, which means you’re not able to finish the whole episode. Ugh! You really wanted to see who was sent home!  B. Watch fifteen minutes until you remember you’re supposed to pick up your sister from band practice before heading to your part-time job. No GBBO for you!  C. You finish one episode, then decide to watch another even though you’ve got SAT studying to do. It’s just more fun to watch people make scones.  D. Start the episode, but only catch bits and pieces of it because you’re reading Twitter, cleaning out your backpack, and eating a snack at the same time.

5. Your teacher asks you to stay after class because you’ve missed turning in two homework assignments in a row. When she asks you what’s wrong, you say: 

A. You planned to do your assignments during lunch, but you ran out of time. You decided it would be better to turn in nothing at all than submit unfinished work.  B. You really wanted to get the assignments done, but between your extracurriculars, family commitments, and your part-time job, your homework fell through the cracks.  C. You have a hard time psyching yourself to tackle the assignments. You just can’t seem to find the motivation to work on them once you get home.  D. You tried to do them, but you had a hard time focusing. By the time you realized you hadn’t gotten anything done, it was already time to turn them in. 

Like we said earlier, there are no right or wrong answers to this quiz (though your results will be better if you answered as honestly as possible). Here’s how your answers break down: 

• If your answers were mostly As, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is procrastination. 
• If your answers were mostly Bs, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is time management. 
• If your answers were mostly Cs, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is motivation. 
• If your answers were mostly Ds, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is getting distracted. 

Now that you’ve identified why you’re having a hard time getting your homework done, we can help you figure out how to fix it! Scroll down to find your core problem area to learn more about how you can start to address it. 

And one more thing: you’re really struggling with homework, it’s a good idea to read through every section below. You may find some additional tips that will help make homework less intimidating. 

How to Do Homework When You’re a Procrastinator  

Merriam Webster defines “procrastinate” as “to put off intentionally and habitually.” In other words, procrastination is when you choose to do something at the last minute on a regular basis. If you’ve ever found yourself pulling an all-nighter, trying to finish an assignment between periods, or sprinting to turn in a paper minutes before a deadline, you’ve experienced the effects of procrastination. 

If you’re a chronic procrastinator, you’re in good company. In fact, one study found that 70% to 95% of undergraduate students procrastinate when it comes to doing their homework. Unfortunately, procrastination can negatively impact your grades. Researchers have found that procrastination can lower your grade on an assignment by as much as five points ...which might not sound serious until you realize that can mean the difference between a B- and a C+. 

Procrastination can also negatively affect your health by increasing your stress levels , which can lead to other health conditions like insomnia, a weakened immune system, and even heart conditions. Getting a handle on procrastination can not only improve your grades, it can make you feel better, too! 

The big thing to understand about procrastination is that it’s not the result of laziness. Laziness is defined as being “disinclined to activity or exertion.” In other words, being lazy is all about doing nothing. But a s this Psychology Today article explains , procrastinators don’t put things off because they don’t want to work. Instead, procrastinators tend to postpone tasks they don’t want to do in favor of tasks that they perceive as either more important or more fun. Put another way, procrastinators want to do things...as long as it’s not their homework! 

3 Tips f or Conquering Procrastination 

Because putting off doing homework is a common problem, there are lots of good tactics for addressing procrastination. Keep reading for our three expert tips that will get your homework habits back on track in no time. 

#1: Create a Reward System

Like we mentioned earlier, procrastination happens when you prioritize other activities over getting your homework done. Many times, this happens because homework...well, just isn’t enjoyable. But you can add some fun back into the process by rewarding yourself for getting your work done. 

Here’s what we mean: let’s say you decide that every time you get your homework done before the day it’s due, you’ll give yourself a point. For every five points you earn, you’ll treat yourself to your favorite dessert: a chocolate cupcake! Now you have an extra (delicious!) incentive to motivate you to leave procrastination in the dust. 

If you’re not into cupcakes, don’t worry. Your reward can be anything that motivates you . Maybe it’s hanging out with your best friend or an extra ten minutes of video game time. As long as you’re choosing something that makes homework worth doing, you’ll be successful. 

#2: Have a Homework Accountability Partner 

If you’re having trouble getting yourself to start your homework ahead of time, it may be a good idea to call in reinforcements . Find a friend or classmate you can trust and explain to them that you’re trying to change your homework habits. Ask them if they’d be willing to text you to make sure you’re doing your homework and check in with you once a week to see if you’re meeting your anti-procrastination goals. 

Sharing your goals can make them feel more real, and an accountability partner can help hold you responsible for your decisions. For example, let’s say you’re tempted to put off your science lab write-up until the morning before it’s due. But you know that your accountability partner is going to text you about it tomorrow...and you don’t want to fess up that you haven’t started your assignment. A homework accountability partner can give you the extra support and incentive you need to keep your homework habits on track. 

#3: Create Your Own Due Dates 

If you’re a life-long procrastinator, you might find that changing the habit is harder than you expected. In that case, you might try using procrastination to your advantage! If you just can’t seem to stop doing your work at the last minute, try setting your own due dates for assignments that range from a day to a week before the assignment is actually due. 

Here’s what we mean. Let’s say you have a math worksheet that’s been assigned on Tuesday and is due on Friday. In your planner, you can write down the due date as Thursday instead. You may still put off your homework assignment until the last minute...but in this case, the “last minute” is a day before the assignment’s real due date . This little hack can trick your procrastination-addicted brain into planning ahead! 

If you feel like Kevin Hart in this meme, then our tips for doing homework when you're busy are for you. 

How to Do Homework When You’re too Busy

If you’re aiming to go to a top-tier college , you’re going to have a full plate. Because college admissions is getting more competitive, it’s important that you’re maintaining your grades , studying hard for your standardized tests , and participating in extracurriculars so your application stands out. A packed schedule can get even more hectic once you add family obligations or a part-time job to the mix. 

If you feel like you’re being pulled in a million directions at once, you’re not alone. Recent research has found that stress—and more severe stress-related conditions like anxiety and depression— are a major problem for high school students . In fact, one study from the American Psychological Association found that during the school year, students’ stress levels are higher than those of the adults around them. 

For students, homework is a major contributor to their overall stress levels . Many high schoolers have multiple hours of homework every night , and figuring out how to fit it into an already-packed schedule can seem impossible. 

3 Tips for Fitting Homework Into Your Busy Schedule

While it might feel like you have literally no time left in your schedule, there are still ways to make sure you’re able to get your homework done and meet your other commitments. Here are our expert homework tips for even the busiest of students. 

#1: Make a Prioritized To-Do List 

You probably already have a to-do list to keep yourself on track. The next step is to prioritize the items on your to-do list so you can see what items need your attention right away. 

Here’s how it works: at the beginning of each day, sit down and make a list of all the items you need to get done before you go to bed. This includes your homework, but it should also take into account any practices, chores, events, or job shifts you may have. Once you get everything listed out, it’s time to prioritize them using the labels A, B, and C. Here’s what those labels mean:

• A Tasks : tasks that have to get done—like showing up at work or turning in an assignment—get an A. 
• B Tasks : these are tasks that you would like to get done by the end of the day but aren’t as time sensitive. For example, studying for a test you have next week could be a B-level task. It’s still important, but it doesn’t have to be done right away.
• C Tasks: these are tasks that aren’t very important and/or have no real consequences if you don’t get them done immediately. For instance, if you’re hoping to clean out your closet but it’s not an assigned chore from your parents, you could label that to-do item with a C.

Prioritizing your to-do list helps you visualize which items need your immediate attention, and which items you can leave for later. A prioritized to-do list ensures that you’re spending your time efficiently and effectively, which helps you make room in your schedule for homework. So even though you might really want to start making decorations for Homecoming (a B task), you’ll know that finishing your reading log (an A task) is more important. 

#2: Use a Planner With Time Labels

Your planner is probably packed with notes, events, and assignments already. (And if you’re not using a planner, it’s time to start!) But planners can do more for you than just remind you when an assignment is due. If you’re using a planner with time labels, it can help you visualize how you need to spend your day.

A planner with time labels breaks your day down into chunks, and you assign tasks to each chunk of time. For example, you can make a note of your class schedule with assignments, block out time to study, and make sure you know when you need to be at practice. Once you know which tasks take priority, you can add them to any empty spaces in your day. 

Planning out how you spend your time not only helps you use it wisely, it can help you feel less overwhelmed, too . We’re big fans of planners that include a task list ( like this one ) or have room for notes ( like this one ). 

#3: Set Reminders on Your Phone 

If you need a little extra nudge to make sure you’re getting your homework done on time, it’s a good idea to set some reminders on your phone. You don’t need a fancy app, either. You can use your alarm app to have it go off at specific times throughout the day to remind you to do your homework. This works especially well if you have a set homework time scheduled. So if you’ve decided you’re doing homework at 6:00 pm, you can set an alarm to remind you to bust out your books and get to work. 

If you use your phone as your planner, you may have the option to add alerts, emails, or notifications to scheduled events . Many calendar apps, including the one that comes with your phone, have built-in reminders that you can customize to meet your needs. So if you block off time to do your homework from 4:30 to 6:00 pm, you can set a reminder that will pop up on your phone when it’s time to get started. 

This dog isn't judging your lack of motivation...but your teacher might. Keep reading for tips to help you motivate yourself to do your homework.

How to Do Homework When You’re Unmotivated 

At first glance, it may seem like procrastination and being unmotivated are the same thing. After all, both of these issues usually result in you putting off your homework until the very last minute. 

But there’s one key difference: many procrastinators are working, they’re just prioritizing work differently. They know they’re going to start their homework...they’re just going to do it later. 

Conversely, people who are unmotivated to do homework just can’t find the willpower to tackle their assignments. Procrastinators know they’ll at least attempt the homework at the last minute, whereas people who are unmotivated struggle with convincing themselves to do it at a ll. For procrastinators, the stress comes from the inevitable time crunch. For unmotivated people, the stress comes from trying to convince themselves to do something they don’t want to do in the first place. 

Here are some common reasons students are unmotivated in doing homework : 

• Assignments are too easy, too hard, or seemingly pointless 
• Students aren’t interested in (or passionate about) the subject matter
• Students are intimidated by the work and/or feels like they don’t understand the assignment 
• Homework isn’t fun, and students would rather spend their time on things that they enjoy 

To sum it up: people who lack motivation to do their homework are more likely to not do it at all, or to spend more time worrying about doing their homework than...well, actually doing it.

3 Tips for How to Get Motivated to Do Homework

The key to getting homework done when you’re unmotivated is to figure out what does motivate you, then apply those things to homework. It sounds tricky...but it’s pretty simple once you get the hang of it! Here are our three expert tips for motivating yourself to do your homework. 

#1: Use Incremental Incentives

When you’re not motivated, it’s important to give yourself small rewards to stay focused on finishing the task at hand. The trick is to keep the incentives small and to reward yourself often. For example, maybe you’re reading a good book in your free time. For every ten minutes you spend on your homework, you get to read five pages of your book. Like we mentioned earlier, make sure you’re choosing a reward that works for you! 

So why does this technique work? Using small rewards more often allows you to experience small wins for getting your work done. Every time you make it to one of your tiny reward points, you get to celebrate your success, which gives your brain a boost of dopamine . Dopamine helps you stay motivated and also creates a feeling of satisfaction when you complete your homework !  

#2: Form a Homework Group 

If you’re having trouble motivating yourself, it’s okay to turn to others for support. Creating a homework group can help with this. Bring together a group of your friends or classmates, and pick one time a week where you meet and work on homework together. You don’t have to be in the same class, or even taking the same subjects— the goal is to encourage one another to start (and finish!) your assignments. 

Another added benefit of a homework group is that you can help one another if you’re struggling to understand the material covered in your classes. This is especially helpful if your lack of motivation comes from being intimidated by your assignments. Asking your friends for help may feel less scary than talking to your teacher...and once you get a handle on the material, your homework may become less frightening, too. 

#3: Change Up Your Environment 

If you find that you’re totally unmotivated, it may help if you find a new place to do your homework. For example, if you’ve been struggling to get your homework done at home, try spending an extra hour in the library after school instead. The change of scenery can limit your distractions and give you the energy you need to get your work done. 

If you’re stuck doing homework at home, you can still use this tip. For instance, maybe you’ve always done your homework sitting on your bed. Try relocating somewhere else, like your kitchen table, for a few weeks. You may find that setting up a new “homework spot” in your house gives you a motivational lift and helps you get your work done. 

Social media can be a huge problem when it comes to doing homework. We have advice for helping you unplug and regain focus.

How to Do Homework When You’re Easily Distracted

We live in an always-on world, and there are tons of things clamoring for our attention. From friends and family to pop culture and social media, it seems like there’s always something (or someone!) distracting us from the things we need to do.

The 24/7 world we live in has affected our ability to focus on tasks for prolonged periods of time. Research has shown that over the past decade, an average person’s attention span has gone from 12 seconds to eight seconds . And when we do lose focus, i t takes people a long time to get back on task . One study found that it can take as long as 23 minutes to get back to work once we’ve been distracte d. No wonder it can take hours to get your homework done! 

3 Tips to Improve Your Focus

If you have a hard time focusing when you’re doing your homework, it’s a good idea to try and eliminate as many distractions as possible. Here are three expert tips for blocking out the noise so you can focus on getting your homework done. 

#1: Create a Distraction-Free Environment

Pick a place where you’ll do your homework every day, and make it as distraction-free as possible. Try to find a location where there won’t be tons of noise, and limit your access to screens while you’re doing your homework. Put together a focus-oriented playlist (or choose one on your favorite streaming service), and put your headphones on while you work. 

You may find that other people, like your friends and family, are your biggest distraction. If that’s the case, try setting up some homework boundaries. Let them know when you’ll be working on homework every day, and ask them if they’ll help you keep a quiet environment. They’ll be happy to lend a hand! 

#2: Limit Your Access to Technology 

We know, we know...this tip isn’t fun, but it does work. For homework that doesn’t require a computer, like handouts or worksheets, it’s best to put all your technology away . Turn off your television, put your phone and laptop in your backpack, and silence notifications on any wearable tech you may be sporting. If you listen to music while you work, that’s fine...but make sure you have a playlist set up so you’re not shuffling through songs once you get started on your homework. 

If your homework requires your laptop or tablet, it can be harder to limit your access to distractions. But it’s not impossible! T here are apps you can download that will block certain websites while you’re working so that you’re not tempted to scroll through Twitter or check your Facebook feed. Silence notifications and text messages on your computer, and don’t open your email account unless you absolutely have to. And if you don’t need access to the internet to complete your assignments, turn off your WiFi. Cutting out the online chatter is a great way to make sure you’re getting your homework done. 

#3: Set a Timer (the Pomodoro Technique)

Have you ever heard of the Pomodoro technique ? It’s a productivity hack that uses a timer to help you focus!

Here’s how it works: first, set a timer for 25 minutes. This is going to be your work time. During this 25 minutes, all you can do is work on whatever homework assignment you have in front of you. No email, no text messaging, no phone calls—just homework. When that timer goes off, you get to take a 5 minute break. Every time you go through one of these cycles, it’s called a “pomodoro.” For every four pomodoros you complete, you can take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes.

The pomodoro technique works through a combination of boundary setting and rewards. First, it gives you a finite amount of time to focus, so you know that you only have to work really hard for 25 minutes. Once you’ve done that, you’re rewarded with a short break where you can do whatever you want. Additionally, tracking how many pomodoros you complete can help you see how long you’re really working on your homework. (Once you start using our focus tips, you may find it doesn’t take as long as you thought!)

Two Bonus Tips for How to Do Homework Fast

Even if you’re doing everything right, there will be times when you just need to get your homework done as fast as possible. (Why do teachers always have projects due in the same week? The world may never know.)

The problem with speeding through homework is that it’s easy to make mistakes. While turning in an assignment is always better than not submitting anything at all, you want to make sure that you’re not compromising quality for speed. Simply put, the goal is to get your homework done quickly and still make a good grade on the assignment! 

Here are our two bonus tips for getting a decent grade on your homework assignments , even when you’re in a time crunch. 

#1: Do the Easy Parts First 

This is especially true if you’re working on a handout with multiple questions. Before you start working on the assignment, read through all the questions and problems. As you do, make a mark beside the questions you think are “easy” to answer . 

Once you’ve finished going through the whole assignment, you can answer these questions first. Getting the easy questions out of the way as quickly as possible lets you spend more time on the trickier portions of your homework, which will maximize your assignment grade. 

(Quick note: this is also a good strategy to use on timed assignments and tests, like the SAT and the ACT !) 

#2: Pay Attention in Class 

Homework gets a lot easier when you’re actively learning the material. Teachers aren’t giving you homework because they’re mean or trying to ruin your weekend... it’s because they want you to really understand the course material. Homework is designed to reinforce what you’re already learning in class so you’ll be ready to tackle harder concepts later.

When you pay attention in class, ask questions, and take good notes, you’re absorbing the information you’ll need to succeed on your homework assignments. (You’re stuck in class anyway, so you might as well make the most of it!) Not only will paying attention in class make your homework less confusing, it will also help it go much faster, too.

What’s Next?

If you’re looking to improve your productivity beyond homework, a good place to begin is with time management. After all, we only have so much time in a day...so it’s important to get the most out of it! To get you started, check out this list of the 12 best time management techniques that you can start using today.

You may have read this article because homework struggles have been affecting your GPA. Now that you’re on the path to homework success, it’s time to start being proactive about raising your grades. This article teaches you everything you need to know about raising your GPA so you can

Now you know how to get motivated to do homework...but what about your study habits? Studying is just as critical to getting good grades, and ultimately getting into a good college . We can teach you how to study bette r in high school. (We’ve also got tons of resources to help you study for your ACT and SAT exams , too!)

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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How Much Homework Is Too Much for Our Teens?

Here's what educators and parents can do to help kids find the right balance between school and home.

Does Your Teen Have Too Much Homework?

Today’s teens are under a lot of pressure.

They're under pressure to succeed, to win, to be the best and to get into the top colleges. With so much pressure, is it any wonder today’s youth report being under as much stress as their parents? In fact, during the school year, teens say they experience stress levels higher than those reported by adults, according to a previous American Psychological Association "Stress in America" survey.

Odds are if you ask a teen what's got them so worked up, the subject of school will come up. School can cause a lot of stress, which can lead to other serious problems, like sleep deprivation . According to the National Sleep Foundation, teens need between eight and 10 hours of sleep each night, but only 15 percent are even getting close to that amount. During the school week, most teens only get about six hours of zzz’s a night, and some of that sleep deficit may be attributed to homework.

When it comes to school, many adults would rather not trade places with a teen. Think about it. They get up at the crack of dawn and get on the bus when it’s pitch dark outside. They put in a full day sitting in hours of classes (sometimes four to seven different classes daily), only to get more work dumped on them to do at home. To top it off, many kids have after-school obligations, such as extracurricular activities including clubs and sports , and some have to work. After a long day, they finally get home to do even more work – schoolwork.

[Read: What Parents Should Know About Teen Depression .]

Homework is not only a source of stress for students, but it can also be a hassle for parents. If you are the parent of a kid who strives to be “perfect," then you know all too well how much time your child spends making sure every bit of homework is complete, even if it means pulling an all-nighter. On the flip side, if you’re the parent of a child who decided that school ends when the last bell rings, then you know how exhausting that homework tug-of-war can be. And heaven forbid if you’re that parent who is at their wit's end because your child excels on tests and quizzes but fails to turn in assignments. The woes of academics can go well beyond the confines of the school building and right into the home.

This is the time of year when many students and parents feel the burden of the academic load. Following spring break, many schools across the nation head into the final stretch of the year. As a result, some teachers increase the amount of homework they give. The assignments aren’t punishment, although to students and parents who are having to constantly stay on top of their kids' schoolwork, they can sure seem that way.

From a teacher’s perspective, the assignments are meant to help students better understand the course content and prepare for upcoming exams. Some schools have state-mandated end of grade or final tests. In those states these tests can account for 20 percent of a student’s final grade. So teachers want to make sure that they cover the entire curriculum before that exam. Aside from state-mandated tests, some high school students are enrolled in advanced placement or international baccalaureate college-level courses that have final tests given a month or more before the end of the term. In order to cover all of the content, teachers must maintain an accelerated pace. All of this means more out of class assignments.

Given the challenges kids face, there are a few questions parents and educators should consider:

Is homework necessary?

Many teens may give a quick "no" to this question, but the verdict is still out. Research supports both sides of the argument. Personally, I would say, yes, some homework is necessary, but it must be purposeful. If it’s busy work, then it’s a waste of time. Homework should be a supplemental teaching tool. Too often, some youth go home completely lost as they haven’t grasped concepts covered in class and they may become frustrated and overwhelmed.

For a parent who has been in this situation, you know how frustrating this can be, especially if it’s a subject that you haven’t encountered in a while. Homework can serve a purpose such as improving grades, increasing test scores and instilling a good work ethic. Purposeful homework can come in the form of individualizing assignments based on students’ needs or helping students practice newly acquired skills.

Homework should not be used to extend class time to cover more material. If your child is constantly coming home having to learn the material before doing the assignments, then it’s time to contact the teacher and set up a conference. Listen when kids express their concerns (like if they say they're expected to know concepts not taught in class) as they will provide clues about what’s happening or not happening in the classroom. Plus, getting to the root of the problem can help with keeping the peace at home too, as an irritable and grumpy teen can disrupt harmonious family dynamics .

[Read: What Makes Teens 'Most Likely to Succeed?' ]

How much is too much?

According to the National PTA and the National Education Association, students should only be doing about 10 minutes of homework per night per grade level. But teens are doing a lot more than that, according to a poll of high school students by the organization Statistic Brain . In that poll teens reported spending, on average, more than three hours on homework each school night, with 11th graders spending more time on homework than any other grade level. By contrast, some polls have shown that U.S. high school students report doing about seven hours of homework per week.

Much of a student's workload boils down to the courses they take (such as advanced or college prep classes), the teaching philosophy of educators and the student’s commitment to doing the work. Regardless, research has shown that doing more than two hours of homework per night does not benefit high school students. Having lots of homework to do every day makes it difficult for teens to have any downtime , let alone family time .

How do we respond to students' needs?

As an educator and parent, I can honestly say that oftentimes there is a mismatch in what teachers perceive as only taking 15 minutes and what really takes 45 minutes to complete. If you too find this to be the case, then reach out to your child's teacher and find out why the assignments are taking longer than anticipated for your child to complete.

Also, ask the teacher about whether faculty communicate regularly with one another about large upcoming assignments. Whether it’s setting up a shared school-wide assignment calendar or collaborating across curriculums during faculty meetings, educators need to discuss upcoming tests and projects, so students don’t end up with lots of assignments all competing for their attention and time at once. Inevitably, a student is going to get slammed occasionally, but if they have good rapport with their teachers, they will feel comfortable enough to reach out and see if alternative options are available. And as a parent, you can encourage your kid to have that dialogue with the teacher.

Often teens would rather blend into the class than stand out. That’s unfortunate because research has shown time and time again that positive teacher-student relationships are strong predictors of student engagement and achievement. By and large, most teachers appreciate students advocating for themselves and will go the extra mile to help them out.

Can there be a balance between home and school?

Students can strike a balance between school and home, but parents will have to help them find it. They need your guidance to learn how to better manage their time, get organized and prioritize tasks, which are all important life skills. Equally important is developing good study habits. Some students may need tutoring or coaching to help them learn new material or how to take notes and study. Also, don’t forget the importance of parent-teacher communication. Most educators want nothing more than for their students to succeed in their courses.

Learning should be fun, not mundane and cumbersome. Homework should only be given if its purposeful and in moderation. Equally important to homework is engaging in activities, socializing with friends and spending time with the family.

[See: 10 Concerns Parents Have About Their Kids' Health .]

Most adults don’t work a full-time job and then go home and do three more hours of work, and neither should your child. It's not easy learning to balance everything, especially if you're a teen. If your child is spending several hours on homework each night, don't hesitate to reach out to teachers and, if need be, school officials. Collectively, we can all work together to help our children de-stress and find the right balance between school and home.

12 Questions You Should Ask Your Kids at Dinner

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How to Get Your Homework Done Fast

Last Updated: March 2, 2024 Fact Checked

Staying Focused

Getting organized, staying motivated, expert q&a.

This article was co-authored by Jake Adams . Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,151,517 times.

Doing homework can be both time-consuming and frustrating, and you probably want to do more with your free time than just homework. When you have a lot of work to do, it can be tough to work efficiently. By staying focused, organizing and planning, and motivating yourself, you can get your homework done in a timely manner and move onto more fun and exciting activities. But you should start with putting away all distractions such as your devices unless you need them.They are normally the main distraction. You should also work in a quiet place so you are not attempted to go and do something else. For example, you should not work near your TV because you will be tempted to go and watch it.

• Download website-blocking apps such as Freedom or SelfControl to stay focused while using your computer for homework. Some, such as the Chrome extension Strict Workflow, even have the added bonus of preventing you from cancelling the timer once it has started.

• If one subject or type of assignment is taking much more time than the others, you may want to ask for a little extra help in that area from your teacher or parent.
• If you get distracted or go off-task, don't make excuses for yourself. (e.g. "I won't be able to focus until I do this anyway." or "I'm sure it will only take a minute or two."

• Consider consolidating your multiple different subject folders and notebooks into one big binder separated by tab dividers. This way, all of your schoolwork will be in one place.

• Decide how much time you want to spend on your homework collectively.
• Make a list of all the different tasks you need to finish.
• Estimate how much time you’ll be able to spend on each task to finish your homework when you want to.
• Work straight through your list and cross tasks off as you go. [7] X Research source

• A ten page essay that’s due in a week that you haven’t started should be labeled an “A” or “B” while a short five question worksheet due in three days may be labeled a “C”.
• Make sure you don't wait until the last second to get assignments done.

• Try eating celery sticks and apple slices with peanut butter.

Supercharge Your Studying with this Expert Series

Reader Videos

Share a quick video tip and help bring articles to life with your friendly advice. Your insights could make a real difference and help millions of people!

• Wear something very comfortable while you work. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• Make sure to hand in all assignments on time. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• Try using a planner to help you remember the tasks that you need to complete. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

Tips from our Readers

• If you set a timer, it can motivate you to get your homework done more quickly. Be sure to take a 2-5 minute break in between. For example, if you're going to do an assignment that you expect to take 30 minutes, set a timer for 15 minutes. Take a 2-minute break when the timer goes off, then set your timer again for 15 minutes.
• It can be good to have friends over if they help motivate you and are interested in getting their homework done quickly as well. They might be a distraction at times but it can also be easier to work when there are people around you who are working too.
• If you drink something cold during your breaks it can help make you more alert so that you'll finish faster. It might also help to do it at night rather than during the day so you feel more time pressure.
• Try to get your homework done as much as you can in school. You could do it during a flex or study hall. If your teacher gives you time in class to work on it, use it.

• Take your time. If you rush through your homework and don’t try your best, you might end up getting a bad grade. Thanks Helpful 176 Not Helpful 19

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• ↑ http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/creating-ideal-homework-environment-for-kids-with-adhd-0913164
• ↑ http://info.achs.edu/blog/never-do-homework-in-bed-3-reasons-why
• ↑ https://childmind.org/article/strategies-to-make-homework-go-more-smoothly/
• ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/take-charge-of-distractions/
• ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/homework.html
• ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/homework.html
• ↑ https://ofy.org/blog/homework-hacks-8-tips-get-done-faster/
• ↑ Jake Adams. Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist. Expert Interview. 20 May 2020.

About This Article

To get your homework done fast, work in a comfortable, well-lit area that doesn't have any distractions. Also, try setting a timer with however many minutes you want to finish your homework in so you can glance at it as you work and see if you're spending too much time on something. You can also make a to-do list before you get started so you don't waste any time figuring out what you need to be working on. To stay motivated, have a snack and some water nearby, and reward yourself with a fun activity once all your homework is done. To learn how to get organized so it's easier to do your homework, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How Much Homework Is Enough? Depends Who You Ask

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Editor’s note: This is an adapted excerpt from You, Your Child, and School: Navigate Your Way to the Best Education ( Viking)—the latest book by author and speaker Sir Ken Robinson (co-authored with Lou Aronica), published in March. For years, Robinson has been known for his radical work on rekindling creativity and passion in schools, including three bestselling books (also with Aronica) on the topic. His TED Talk “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” holds the record for the most-viewed TED talk of all time, with more than 50 million views. While Robinson’s latest book is geared toward parents, it also offers educators a window into the kinds of education concerns parents have for their children, including on the quality and quantity of homework.

The amount of homework young people are given varies a lot from school to school and from grade to grade. In some schools and grades, children have no homework at all. In others, they may have 18 hours or more of homework every week. In the United States, the accepted guideline, which is supported by both the National Education Association and the National Parent Teacher Association, is the 10-minute rule: Children should have no more than 10 minutes of homework each day for each grade reached. In 1st grade, children should have 10 minutes of daily homework; in 2nd grade, 20 minutes; and so on to the 12th grade, when on average they should have 120 minutes of homework each day, which is about 10 hours a week. It doesn’t always work out that way.

In 2013, the University of Phoenix College of Education commissioned a survey of how much homework teachers typically give their students. From kindergarten to 5th grade, it was just under three hours per week; from 6th to 8th grade, it was 3.2 hours; and from 9th to 12th grade, it was 3.5 hours.

There are two points to note. First, these are the amounts given by individual teachers. To estimate the total time children are expected to spend on homework, you need to multiply these hours by the number of teachers they work with. High school students who work with five teachers in different curriculum areas may find themselves with 17.5 hours or more of homework a week, which is the equivalent of a part-time job. The other factor is that these are teachers’ estimates of the time that homework should take. The time that individual children spend on it will be more or less than that, according to their abilities and interests. One child may casually dash off a piece of homework in half the time that another will spend laboring through in a cold sweat.

Do students have more homework these days than previous generations? Given all the variables, it’s difficult to say. Some studies suggest they do. In 2007, a study from the National Center for Education Statistics found that, on average, high school students spent around seven hours a week on homework. A similar study in 1994 put the average at less than five hours a week. Mind you, I [Robinson] was in high school in England in the 1960s and spent a lot more time than that—though maybe that was to do with my own ability. One way of judging this is to look at how much homework your own children are given and compare it to what you had at the same age.

Many parents find it difficult to help their children with subjects they’ve not studied themselves for a long time, if at all.

There’s also much debate about the value of homework. Supporters argue that it benefits children, teachers, and parents in several ways:

• Children learn to deepen their understanding of specific content, to cover content at their own pace, to become more independent learners, to develop problem-solving and time-management skills, and to relate what they learn in school to outside activities.
• Teachers can see how well their students understand the lessons; evaluate students’ individual progress, strengths, and weaknesses; and cover more content in class.
• Parents can engage practically in their children’s education, see firsthand what their children are being taught in school, and understand more clearly how they’re getting on—what they find easy and what they struggle with in school.

Want to know more about Sir Ken Robinson? Check out our Q&A with him.

Q&A With Sir Ken Robinson

Ashley Norris is assistant dean at the University of Phoenix College of Education. Commenting on her university’s survey, she says, “Homework helps build confidence, responsibility, and problem-solving skills that can set students up for success in high school, college, and in the workplace.”

That may be so, but many parents find it difficult to help their children with subjects they’ve not studied themselves for a long time, if at all. Families have busy lives, and it can be hard for parents to find time to help with homework alongside everything else they have to cope with. Norris is convinced it’s worth the effort, especially, she says, because in many schools, the nature of homework is changing. One influence is the growing popularity of the so-called flipped classroom.

In the stereotypical classroom, the teacher spends time in class presenting material to the students. Their homework consists of assignments based on that material. In the flipped classroom, the teacher provides the students with presentational materials—videos, slides, lecture notes—which the students review at home and then bring questions and ideas to school where they work on them collaboratively with the teacher and other students. As Norris notes, in this approach, homework extends the boundaries of the classroom and reframes how time in school can be used more productively, allowing students to “collaborate on learning, learn from each other, maybe critique [each other’s work], and share those experiences.”

Even so, many parents and educators are increasingly concerned that homework, in whatever form it takes, is a bridge too far in the pressured lives of children and their families. It takes away from essential time for their children to relax and unwind after school, to play, to be young, and to be together as a family. On top of that, the benefits of homework are often asserted, but they’re not consistent, and they’re certainly not guaranteed.

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How Much Homework is Too Much?

When redesigning a course or putting together a new course, faculty often struggle with how much homework and readings to assign. Too little homework and students might not be prepared for the class sessions or be able to adequately practice basic skills or produce sufficient in-depth work to properly master the learning goals of the course. Too much and some students may feel overwhelmed and find it difficult to keep up or have to sacrifice work in other courses.

A common rule of thumb is that students should study three hours for each credit hour of the course, but this isn’t definitive. Universities might recommend that students spend anywhere from two or three hours of study or as much as six to nine hours of study or more for each course credit hour. A 2014 study found that, nationwide, college students self reported spending about 17 hours each week on homework, reading and assignments. Studies of high school students show that too much homework can produce diminishing returns on student learning, so finding the right balance can be difficult.

There are no hard and fast rules about the amount of readings and homework that faculty assign. It will vary according to the university, the department, the level of the classes, and even other external factors that impact students in your course. (Duke’s faculty handbook addresses many facets of courses, such as absences, but not the typical amount of homework specifically.)

To consider the perspective of a typical student that might be similar to the situations faced at Duke, Harvard posted a blog entry by one of their students aimed at giving students new to the university about what they could expect. There are lots of readings, of course, but time has to be spent on completing problem sets, sometimes elaborate multimedia or research projects, responding to discussion posts and writing essays. Your class is one of several, and students have to balance the needs of your class with others and with clubs, special projects, volunteer work or other activities they’re involved with as part of their overall experience.

The Rice Center for Teaching Excellence has some online calculators for estimating class workload that can help you get a general understanding of the time it may take for a student to read a particular number of pages of material at different levels or to complete essays or other types of homework.

To narrow down your decision-making about homework when redesigning or creating your own course, you might consider situational factors that may influence the amount of homework that’s appropriate.

Connection with your learning goals

Is the homework clearly connected with the learning goals of your students for a particular class session or week in the course? Students will find homework beneficial and valuable if they feel that it is meaningful . If you think students might see readings or assignments as busy work, think about ways to modify the homework to make a clearer connection with what is happening in class. Resist the temptation to assign something because the students need to know it. Ask yourself if they will actually use it immediately in the course or if the material or exercises should be relegated to supplementary material.

Levels of performance

The type of readings and homework given to first year students will be very different from those given to more experienced individuals in higher-level courses. If you’re unsure if your readings or other work might be too easy (or too complex) for students in your course, ask a colleague in your department or at another university to give feedback on your assignment. If former students in the course (or a similar course) are available, ask them for feedback on a sample reading or assignment.

Common practices

What are the common practices in your department or discipline? Some departments, with particular classes, may have general guidelines or best practices you can keep in mind when assigning homework.

External factors

What type of typical student will be taking your course? If it’s a course preparing for a major or within an area of study, are there other courses with heavy workloads they might be taking at the same time? Are they completing projects, research, or community work that might make it difficult for them to keep up with a heavy homework load for your course?

Students who speak English as a second language, are first generation students, or who may be having to work to support themselves as they take courses may need support to get the most out of homework. Detailed instructions for the homework, along with outlining your learning goals and how the assignment connects the course, can help students understand how the readings and assignments fit into their studies. A reading guide, with questions prompts or background, can help students gain a better understanding of a reading. Resources to look up unfamiliar cultural references or terms can make readings and assignments less overwhelming.

If you would like more ideas about planning homework and assignments for your course or more information and guidance on course design and assessment, contact Duke Learning Innovation to speak with one of our consultants .

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Overwhelmed with homework? Can’t seem to stay on top of it all? We know the feeling. At times, it can feel difficult, or perhaps even impossible, to tackle all of your homework, deadlines, assignments, and studying. After all, you’re probably participating in multiple extracurriculars, working, volunteering, and taking care of family responsibilities. You might even be worrying about applying to college. So how can you learn to handle all of your homework while remaining sane?

By setting good studying habits now, you will be setting yourself up to become a better student in the future. There’s no better time to begin improving yourself as a student than right now—you’ll also give yourself a fresh start for college and beyond. Keep reading for tips and tricks on how to finally get a handle on all your homework!

Create a study space

It can be difficult — or even impossible—to study if the environment in which you are studying is distracting you. If you try to do your homework in your bedroom or at a friend’s house, you might find it impossible to focus. After all, who wouldn’t be distracted in these scenarios?

Instead of doing your homework on your laptop while lying in bed, try sitting up at a desk in a quiet room. Be sure you have all the supplies that you need, like pencils, pens, paper, your school worksheets, a calculator, and a ruler. You don’t need to create a ridiculously high-tech study room, this just needs to be a place that will help you feel productive and that won’t distract you.

Be sure to eat a healthy snack before you do your homework so that you don’t get distracted by your grumbling stomach. Consider eating something that isn’t too sugary or fatty, rather, you should eat something with protein or with fruits and vegetables that will give you lots of energy over a longer period of time.

If you don’t have a sufficient study space at home, consider visiting a local library or coffee shop to do your work. These spaces will usually be filled with other people who are doing work as well, which can be a useful motivational tool!

It’s always a good idea to take a moment to think about your deadlines and the time commitment that is required for each of your assignments. Try to tackle the biggest and most strenuous assignments first, keeping in mind the due dates for each.

Remember to be realistic . For instance, if you have a 10 page paper due on Friday, don’t wait until Thursday night to start writing it. Instead, you should make a plan to tackle approximately 3 or 4 pages of your per day, which means that you should start on Sunday or Monday. Be sure to also leave a buffer day so that you can edit your paper, proofread it and cite your sources!

Your plans for completing your homework might vary based on your ability and/or level of familiarity with the subject or assignment. This is totally ok, and the more familiar you are with your own abilities, the better! Whatever you do, just make sure that you don’t end up lying to yourself about deadlines. Don’t tell yourself that you can slack off and tackle a ridiculous workload at the last minute—you can’t!

In terms of planning, it might also help you to make a schedule, a google calendar, a to do list or a weekly plan. Many people like being able to see the amount of free time they have available laid out visually so that they can plan when they will get all of their homework done!

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Develop a routine

Developing a routine can help you become more effective at doing your homework. Try to do your homework at the same time each day, or at a similar time each week. Devote a certain amount of hours to a certain assignment that you have, and stick to this amount of time.

Forming a routine will help you build good habits, and it will also help you get into the  routine of reviewing the new information that you learned in your classes each day!

It is much easier to break off little pieces of your assignments and do them over time rather than cramming them in at the last minute. The same thing goes with studying; if you develop a routine, then you will end up retaining more information, whereas cramming at the last minute will make it much more difficult for you to remember anything!

Learn your own learning style

Everyone learns a little bit differently, and it’s important that you get to know yourself and your own learning style: are you a visual learner? Auditory? Kinesthetic? A mixture?

You can try finding out which type of learner you are through online quizzes, or perhaps you’ve already determined what type you are in school. You might also figure it out through trial and error—perhaps flashcards don’t help you retain important information, but writing an outline of the chapter or unit in your textbook does. Don’t be afraid to try out new methods of studying; you never know what will work for you!

Try to determine the circumstances under which you study best: in the library? At your desk? At the kitchen table? Do you work well under pressure, or do you prefer to finish your assignments well before the deadline? Do you study more effectively late at night, or early in the morning? Take note of your own tendencies, and again, don’t be afraid to experiment and try out new methods.

Understanding the best ways in which you can learn will also be a great head start for college—just remember to be patient and kind to yourself throughout this process of discovery.

Ask for help

If you’re really stuck on a certain assignment, try asking for help from someone you trust: a friend, a classmate, an older sibling, a parent…

If you’re still stuck even after receiving help from your loved ones, consider asking your teacher for help. You might even consider staying to talk to your teacher after school to make sure you really understand the assignment! After all, learning your limitations and figuring out who to turn to when you’re stuck is another really wonderful step to take before starting college!

Take breaks

It doesn’t matter who you are, no one is able to study or do homework effectively for 12 hours straight. The average human attention span is around 30 minutes, so if you feel yourself starting to get distracted, don’t hesitate to get up from your seat and take a quick break!

Try going for a jog, making yourself a healthy snack, practicing playing an instrument, sending a text to a friend—just be sure to get back to work once you’re done!

If you find that you’re going to have to work for a particularly long period of time, be sure to take breaks periodically and set up rewards for yourself. Use these rewards to motivate yourself to focus your full attention on the task at hand up until your next break. For instance, you might say to yourself, “if I study calc for 3 hours, then I can take a 30 minute break by watching an episode of my favorite tv show….” There’s nothing wrong with rewarding yourself as long as you use these breaks to keep yourself motivated and focused.

Having a lot of homework can feel difficult and overwhelming, but you can use these feelings to motivate yourself. Getting a handle on this workload will also help you prepare for college!

Overall, the more you are able to understand yourself and your study habits, the more successful you will be. Take the time to learn how to build yourself the perfect study space, how to motivate yourself, and how to work under circumstances that will allow you to be the most productive. Your bad habits can always be transformed into good habits, you just need to be willing to take that first step.

For more tips and information on studying, check out these blog posts:

10 Real World Study Tips to Improve Processing and Retention

How to Organize a High School Study Session

CollegeVine’s Top Six Study Tips for High School Students

5 Ways to Actively Learn During Class

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Homework Time Calculator

Homework Time (hours/day):

Introduction

As students, educators, and parents, we often grapple with the challenge of managing homework effectively. The “Homework Time Calculator” is a helpful tool designed to streamline this process. It allows you to estimate the time required to complete a set of assignments, helping students plan their study sessions efficiently and strike a balance between academic work and other activities. By providing a realistic understanding of the time commitment, this calculator is a valuable resource for students and parents looking to optimize study routines.

The Homework Time Calculator uses a straightforward formula to estimate the total time needed for completing multiple assignments:

Total Time (in minutes) = ∑(Individual Assignment Times)

In this formula:

• “Total Time” represents the combined time needed for all assignments.
• “∑” denotes the summation symbol, meaning you add up the times for each individual assignment.
• “Individual Assignment Times” are the estimated durations for each homework task.

To use this calculator effectively, you simply input the estimated time for each assignment, and the calculator handles the summation for you.

How to Use?

Using the Homework Time Calculator is a simple process. Here’s how to make the most of it:

• Input Times : Begin by entering the estimated time required for each homework assignment in the provided fields. You can add as many assignments as needed.
• Calculate : After entering the times for all assignments, click the “Calculate” button.
• Results : The calculator will instantly display the total time required to complete all the assignments.
• Adjust as Necessary : If you find that the total time exceeds your available study time, you can make adjustments by reallocating time or prioritizing tasks accordingly.

Suppose a student has three homework assignments to complete:

• Math Worksheet – Estimated time: 30 minutes
• History Reading – Estimated time: 45 minutes
• Science Project – Estimated time: 90 minutes

To calculate the total time required to complete these assignments:

• Input Times : Enter 30 minutes for the Math Worksheet, 45 minutes for History Reading, and 90 minutes for the Science Project.
• Calculate : Click the “Calculate” button.

The calculator will display a total time of 165 minutes, which is equivalent to 2 hours and 45 minutes. This information can help the student plan their study session effectively, ensuring they allocate enough time to complete all assignments.

1. Can I use this calculator for long-term project planning?

The Homework Time Calculator is best suited for estimating the time required to complete individual homework assignments. For long-term project planning, it’s advisable to break down the project into smaller tasks and use the calculator to estimate the time for each subtask.

2. Is this calculator suitable for all grade levels?

Yes, the Homework Time Calculator is suitable for students of all grade levels, from elementary to college. It can be adjusted to accommodate different homework loads and time estimations.

3. What if I complete assignments faster or slower than the estimated time?

The estimated times are meant as a guide. You can adjust the times to reflect your personal study pace. If you consistently complete assignments faster or slower, consider updating your estimates for more accurate planning.

Conclusion:

The Homework Time Calculator is a valuable tool for students and parents who want to improve their homework management and time allocation. By providing a clear estimate of the time required for each assignment and the total time needed, this calculator enables students to plan their study sessions effectively, avoid last-minute rushes, and strike a balance between their academic responsibilities and other activities. It promotes better time management skills and, ultimately, better academic performance. Try it out to enhance your homework routines and make the most of your study time.

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The New York Times

The learning network | do you have too much homework.

Do You Have Too Much Homework?

Questions about issues in the news for students 13 and older.

• See all Student Opinion »

Some schools and school districts are taking a hard look at how much homework is assigned and how valuable it is for student learning. How much homework do you have, on average, each night? Is it a burden for you? Does it mostly help you learn the material and skills you are being taught? Does some of it seem like “busy work”?

Winnie Hu reports on a “homework revolution,” in which some schools and districts are rethinking their policies on and approaches to homework:

Galloway is part of a wave of districts across the nation trying to remake homework amid concerns that high-stakes testing and competition for college have fueled a nightly grind that is stressing out children and depriving them of play and rest, yet doing little to raise achievement, particularly in elementary grades. “There is simply no proof that most homework as we know it improves school performance,” said Vicki Abeles, a mother of three from California, whose documentary “Race to Nowhere,” about burned-out students caught in a pressure-cooker educational system, has helped reignite the antihomework movement. “And by expecting kids to work a ‘second shift’ in what should be their downtime, the presence of schoolwork at home is negatively affecting the health of our young people and the quality of family time.” So teachers at Mango Elementary School in Fontana, Calif., are replacing homework with “goal work” that is specific to individual student’s needs and that can be completed in class or at home at his or her own pace. The Pleasanton School District, north of San Jose, Calif., is proposing this month to cut homework times by nearly half and prohibit weekend assignments in elementary grades because, as one administrator said, “parents want their kids back.” Ridgewood High School in New Jersey introduced a homework-free winter break in December. Schools in Tampa, Fla., and Bleckley County, Ga., have instituted “no homework nights” throughout the year. And the two-year-old Brooklyn School of Inquiry, a program for gifted and talented elementary students, has made homework optional: it is neither graded nor counted toward progress reports. “I think people confuse homework with rigor,” said Donna Taylor, the Brooklyn School’s principal, who views homework for children under 11 as primarily benefiting parents by helping them feel connected to the classroom.

Students: Tell us about your homework. How much time do you spend per night on assignments? Do your homework assignments tend to reinforce your learning in class, or does it generally feel like a useless requirement? Have any of your teachers changed their homework policies or limit the homework they assign? Do you ever have optional or individualized homework? If it were up to you, what would your school’s homework policy be, and why?

Students 13 and older are invited to comment below. Please use only your first name. For privacy policy reasons, we will not publish student comments that include a last name.

Comments are no longer being accepted.

I’m a 9th grade student at BCA and the homework amount is awful. For the entire year of social studies, you know those long charts in the textbook, yeah, I had to copy each and every one for homework. Homework? More like a torture course. I didn’t have any time for myself because I had those charts, had to read chapters of a book for English, with Math, and I had no time for anything. I came home at 4pm and finished homework by 2am. We couldn’t go to dinners because I had too much homework. I couldn’t talk to my mom, dad or sister. Every time I asked them something the first thing they go is “did you finish your homework?” And I didn’t. Even my sister was acting like my mom after a while. So yes. I think I have too much homework. And no. It doesn’t really help (unless it’s learning how to use math formulas). I just copied everything i saw without any of the actual information being absorbed just to be done with the work. Homework ruined my life.

Alright, well it depends on what kind of homework you get. At my middle school, I get math homework everyday, but it’s not the kind of homework from which you don’tlearn anything. They are problems where we apply what we learned in class. I never get Texas History homework and when I do, it’s just reviews for our test. In Science our only homework is the occsional project. Of course, we have to work hard on those, so it takes some time, but we don’t get projects everyday. The only class where I think the homework is overdone is LA (language arts). Since I am in the gifted class, all we do is project after project after project. And they all require hard work (staying up till 12, creativity, etc.) Just because we are gifted, our teacher thinks we should be able to produce oustanding out-of -the-box work on every single project. I never actually learned anything in LA. During our persuasive unit, we did a mock presidential election, which I thought was great, but she never had us exclusively work on persuasion. Of course, it was there, in fact it was the most prevalent aspect, but we never did anything to build on our technique of persuasion. The whole year, our LA teacher has taught us how to get by on 6 hours of sleep, drai our brains dry of creative, outstanding, huge projects, and write reader’s responses.

So in MY middle school, homework really depends on how YOU decide to have it. We have a good amount of homework (I wouldn’t say it was THAT much) but it really depended on if you finished it in school… if if you wanted to keep it as HOMEwork…

I usually have homework at night. Studying spellings words is a given. Other homework is really stuff I didn’t finish in class. My teachers try to not assign homework when there is a school-wide event in the evening. Because of a learning disability, my teachers either modify my homework or let me turn things in that would be late for others, but not for me. I have awesome teachers and go to a great school! //www.hammonsmarketing.com/health

The homework quantities at my Catholic high school are, I believe, on the reasonable end of a lot. Most students spend between one and three hours each night, depending on the courses and teachers. However, a survey found that most of us get very little sleep and that half of the freshmen and two thirds of sophmores and juniors had suffered physically because of stress. The reason for this is the extra curricular activities. When my parents were younger, one could get into very good colleges without being the star of the sports team or school orchestera. Now, students are pressured to excel in as many activities as possible. More than 75% of the students in my school are on at least one sports team, many of which practice from the end of school until as late as 8pm. I play four instruments and participate in debate and the community service club. Other students have jobs, or have responsibilities at home. When someone is practicing music or sports, or working for five hours every night, one to three hours of homework becomes a much greater burden than it would otherwise be.

I agree with Brina, homework ruined my life as well. Our school gives out so much, and I am only in 7th Grade!!!!! I know I’m in honors, so I shouldn’t complain, but we should be getting harder work, not more work!!!!! Each teacher claims they only give about 20 minutes of homework a night, but in reality, its like an hour. I’m usually working from the time I get home 4:20 until at least midnight. It’s just too much! I should really be getting more sleep than I am already getting- it’s just not healthy to get 6-7 hours of sleep each night. There was not one night this school year (besides Fridays) that I was not studying or doing homework while in dinner or even out to eat! The teachers also never consider all the evening activities typical middle schoolers would have… It’s just such a pain to have to carry all that homework pressure around when you have to go somewhere or play a sport. As a matter of fact, my little brother longs greatly for us to play legos together (remember them? from the carefree days?), but I just dont have time! In addition, I don’t obtain any knowledge as well from doing homework. I’m a type of learner that once I see it and practice it a few times in class or review it a few times, it’s in my head. I don’t need some type of review to remember it. I feel homework should just be something that if someone feels they need to do it, they should to review. I can’t believe I actually have time to write this review- actually, I don’t- I have two projects due, from the same class, with only 2 1/2 days of school left! This is unfair- I have so much work due, and I’m literally scrambling around, making sure I did all of my work, until the last day of school It’s just insane. Please do something about it.

I’m happy people are finally seriously analyzing the excessive homework situation and determining whether it actually helps kids learn and retain or not. I work at a Montessori Middle School where the only homework assigned is work the students couldn’t finish during the week. Usually, as long as kids are on task at school, they get the rest of their time to do things they love by themselves or with their families.

Montessori schools are an interesting voice in this type of debate. //www.waterfrontmontessori.blogspot.com

At my old school, I got a lot more homework. At my new prep school, I get less. The difference: I spend much more time on my homework at my current school because it is harder. I feel as if I actually accomplish something with the harder homework, even if it means I don’t go to bed until 2 every night (it’s junior year it’s not that far from the norm).

I’m a student from Indiana. I go to a public school, and at my school I get about 1 to 2 hours of homework per night. When I have in-school projects, I usually have about 2 to 3 hours because I try to do them at home. But, on average, I get my homework done by 5. Compared to many of you, I have little homework. I also do extra work to help me understand the material better. Because of this, I am doing very well in my school, but other students in my school aren’t doing so well. I found out that, on average, they do about ½ to an hour of homework per day. I’ve also noticed that they rush through it and don’t try to understand it. Then, they found out that this little amount of work affects them a lot by lowering their grade, and also, they don’t understand the material. But they don’t do anything about it and continue these ways. I think that schools should keep the same amount of homework, or maybe increase the amount of homework. Of course, some might say, “If we give them more work, won’t they rush through that as well?” To prevent this, homework should be harder to do so that students can’t rush through it. For example, teachers can give questions that aren’t hard, but take a long time to do. I say that homework shouldn’t be greatly reduced or eliminated because if the schools do reduce or eliminate homework, students’ grades might slowly drop. I think that having more homework will help me get smarter and maintain my grades, rather than having no homework and starting to fail.

I’m a freshman in high-school and usually I have 1-2 hours of homework everyday. There is not a day where I don’t have homework. (I have all Pre-AP classes.) If I have a project(s), then I have 4-5 hours of homework.

I am in 8th grade, in advanced classes, and in 2 honors classes for high school credits. For Algebra 1 honors I get 1-2 hours of homework each night. It’s crazy, and I am good at math. My friends that are okay at math take 3-4 hours a night for that class. My mom e-mailed the teacher about the homework madness and he said,”I am just teaching and giving to the state standards(Florida).” If that is the standards then I have no life.

I am a junior at CNG in Bogota, Colombia. I have been in the school all my life, and homework had never been an issue. I used to spend about 1 hour each night doing homework and for me it was very relaxed. But this year I don’t know what happened to our school and I am getting excessive amounts of homework. Now i spend from 2-3 hours doing homework each night and when I’m done I’m exhausted and go straight to bed and have no time to do anything else. To make matters worse i feel most of the homework assignments that are given to me don’t help me reinforce my learning in class. It is just extra work that should be done at school. I don’t think that students should leave school to get to their houses and do more work. In my case the homework assignments I have force me to go to bed at very late hours of the night. This is not healthy for a student because the next day they won’t work as well as if they had slept for the recommended 7-8 hours. I’ve had to cancel some extracurricular activities many times this year because of the excessive amount of homework I have this year. “I think people confuse homework with rigor,” said Donna Taylor. The statement given by Donna Taylor in Winnie Hu’s article is very true. Some teachers do confuse homework with rigor and therefore give their students tons of homework. Finally I would like to say that I think my school should change their homework policy and give us less homework. Homework is supposed to help us not make us suffer and get stressed.

When I was a freshman, I hardly had any homework (besides algebra II which didn’t take too long anyways). I even had all honors classes. Now that I’m a sophomore, I’m taking AP U.S. history, pre-calc, band, american lit, spanish II, and honors chemistry. The only homework I regularly get is AP history. I get about an hour and a half per night for that class, but it is a college level course. The other classes are hit and miss for homework.

This answer is obvious, its YES! I am an eighth grader at a public school, and I seriously think the teachers there think we do not have any social lives. I have hours of homework. And it is only middle school. All this stuff we do not even need to know! I occasionally just cry because I really want to hang out with my friends so bad, but I have to do homework. I want to play with my pets, but too much homework. I want to do a lot of things, but always too much homework. There should be a rule, only 20 minutes of homework allowed per night!

Yes. It’s ridiculous. On average i get about 10-14 pieces of homework a week. This results in me having to spend around 2-3 hours monday to friday doing homework, and 1-2 hours on saturday and sunday. School isn’t just 9-4 monday to friday anymore, it’s 9-9 monday-sunday.

I usually have at least 3 hours of homework a night, no including projects and studying. I feel that this is too much. I’m often up until 11 at night doing it and I have to get up a 5:30 for school. Last year, I had a huge project dumped on my and I don’t think I slept at all that night. Maybe 2 hours. Tops. I got pretty sick from it. I don’t know. My body just shut down. It wouldn’t move and I was soo cold as I remember. I went to the doctor’s and that was that, I guess. I feel that some work is busywork, but not all. I like doing labs and answering those questions. I find almost ALL math homework to be busywork. It’s REALLY easy, but SO TIME-CONSUMING. It’ll take me an hour to do 30 problems because I have to show all the work and the process, etc. History and English questions CAN reinforce the learning. I don’t think it always does, but in some cases, yes.

I am in the 10th grade and i get about 50 problems in geometry 3 pages of notes in chemistry (we have to write our own notes in chemistry for homework) 15 questions in world history and a 3 page essay in AP english all in one night i just think that is way to much homework for one night i get out of school at 3:05 and have to go to bed at about 10:00 thats just like six hours to do all that homework plus i still have to do chores and eat and stuff so realy we only get like four hours a day to do all this homework and my geometry teacher says and i quote “I DONT GIVE A DAMN IF YOU WHERE AT THE HOSPITAL, IF YOU WERE SICK, OR SOMEONE DIED YOU NEED TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK NO EXCEPTIONS” she also does not accept late work finish missed testsor anything and if she forgets to grade a test or something its ok for her grading papers is her homework but its ok for her! if i did not have to deall with all the stress of homework i think i would do better in school.

The main problem that occurs with homework is that teacher are oblivios to exactly how long it takes to accomplish. I spend a longer amount of time on homework because I am a prefectionist and so a question that would take an average person 10 min would take me 15- 20. Now, If I got say, 9-12 assignments a week (each assighnment taking aproximatly 1 hr to accomplish) it would be alright. However, I have been getting 3 hr. long projects and 14 other assignments due in a week. I start my homework at 4:00 and don’t stop untill 6:30 and I’m only in 7th grade. Many people I know in highschool don’t get as much as I do. I belive that before a teacher assignes homework they should make shore that it doesn’t take more than an hour and that all of their homework combined for a week doesn’t take more than 9hrs. Though ‘young’ and ‘immature’ children do have lives outside of school.

A little homework isn’t such a bad thing. Problem is, I haven’t been given “a little homework” since sixth grade. The main thing I see is teachers giving homework because they think it helps us learn. When they give us things to do that we’ve never done even in class that we are graded on, 20 minutes of homework can easily turn into 1 or 2 hours of research online. They give homework because they’re expected to, not because it actually does anything.

Also, the teachers seem to think that their class takes precedence over every other class. In honors, I expect reasonable homework, not busy work. We go to school for 8 hours right after we wake up. We go home and get homework that takes us 10 hours straight… sorry, not going to work out. Every teacher sees an hour of their homework as one hour of homework. Multiply that times 7, guys. even better, add a job, sports and clubs (which are all required to get into a decent college.) into the mix. and you mock us and give us detentions for being tired in the morning and hungry before lunch… what’s sleep? I’ve never tried it. Dinner? I think I had that once. All I know is work. I live weekend to weekend, summer to summer.

Ever wonder why kids hate school? because it destroys us. breaks us down. It’s something we shouldn’t take for granted, but it’s so hard to feel like it’s doing us good when it feels so bad. All we have to look forward to is getting out of there. But if we ever say we hate school, that makes us ungrateful slackers, melodramatic whiners and rotten teenagers that want to laze around doing nothing all day.

So hard to be a student these days.

Im a sophomore and there is a plethora amount of homework its crazy especially from Ap World History in which im always getting projects and english sometimes i stay up late till 12 am and then continue my homework at school during breakfast sometimes students in grade levels below mine have to stay after school and during school for something that was called “wallstreet” and now is called”college prep”so you can imagine how many times some students have to stay after school for homework especially those in more advanced classes than the others like I am.

I’ve been on the accelerated track at my high school, and homework has never been an issue for me up until my junior year. I feel as though lately my homework load has more than doubled and frankly I don’t see the full use of it. Being a teenager, school is obviously a huge priority, but I feel that it shouldn’t take away from high school experiences. I have a job, and I do participate in a competitive sport, and I would like to be able to handle it all. What always ends up throwing me off is that 12 page outline for biology, or those verb translations for italian. I feel like nowadays every teenager has to two of three things; good grades, an active social life, and a healthy amount of sleep. Farewell, sleep.

yes!i think some teachers give students to much home work.they should relize we have six other periods were we get work.i think some teachers should not give as much work as they do.

I think my school is good right now because the students don’t get alot of ho9mework because it’s all mostly classwork so the teachers can help us out and everything. There are some teachers that do give alot of homework sometimes but it’s only if your behind or need to catch up really fast.

In my opinion,Ithink I get too much homework sometimes.Sometimes it’s so difficult my mom can’t figure it out.Once,I had to spend 2hours on one math assignment!Since I’m a seventh grader,the required amount is a little over an hour.For L.A.,I usually need to read for 20 minutes.But with my brain processing tests,I’m advanced in reading.(but I already know that).Since I have ADD,it makes it harder.I have to spend 90 min. On hw.It should be illegal.

What's Next

How many hours a week do you spend studying?

It seems like the conventional wisdom of 50 hours a week is the most common answer (not sure if this includes actual class time), but I also came across a study stating that the average college student will study for only 17 hours a week. What is your personal take on this question?

When my kids were in high school, the rule of thumb was for each teacher to assign 1/2 hour of homework per-night-per-class. With five core classes (Math, Science, English, History and Foreign Language), that amounted to 2.5 hours of homework per night. However, some teachers assigned more, so it really came out to about 3 hours of homework a night or 15 hours a week for just those core classes – that’s actual time spent studying . . . WITHOUT distractions like responding to text messages, checking facebook, snapchat, instagram, etc. That also did not include extra studying for tests, mid-terms, or finals, writing a paper, or homework for an additional class such as Computer Science. If I had to average it all out, they probably spent about 20-25 hours per week studying, including time spent on the weekends, but not actual class time. FWIW: When my kids got to college, they spent far LESS time studying at HY than they did in high school.

Just a quick clarifier: how much time do you spend studying per week at Harvard University as an undergrad (freshmaan) specifically? Thanks!

Got it. Please note LAST SENTENCE of post #1 . My daughter spent less time studying at Harvard than she did in high school, specifically that quantifies to less than 20 hours a week, not including time spent in class. Ditto with my son at Yale. In fact, I would guess both spent MORE time working at their term-time job and/or extracurricular activities than studying – and both graduated with honors.

I guess it depends on the classes taken. My freshman son has a ton of homework and a ton of studying all year long pretty much. He never had to do so much work in high school. Is he complaining? Maybe a little. But we suffer the most as he rarely has time to call and talk to us. Text every now and then is all that we get.

Like so many other questions, the answer is “It depends.” If the course load contains Math 55 and Physics 16, then the amount of time spent outside of class will be significantly higher than a schedule containing a Freshman Seminar (which can be a high or low workload depending on the instructor) and an easy gen ed class.

I’m rather surprised that @gibby ’s kids had relatively little HW at their high-powered HS. My HS was probably closer to 4 hours/night. My college workload is about the same, maybe a little higher, but by choice I’ve almost always taken more than 4 classes/semester, although some had lighter requirements than others.

You do what’s required to meet and exceed expectations, not focus on an hours count. It strikes me as an unusual concern.

I’m a student at H and probably spend single digits every week, unless it is a reading week. I have a pretty good GPA somewhere around 3.8/3.9 after this semester. Non-STEM student though

Two hours a week on each class? Really?

It really depends on the student, their course load, and their studying style, if you will. My S did not study much in HS – he did the homework and wrote papers, but that was it. Before AP exams, he reviewed old exams. At Harvard, he did more or less the same, but the difference was that his math and engineering classes required problem sets that were not difficult, but very time consuming just to write the code and complete the assignments. For other classes, it depends how quickly you read and if you have to reread several times.

You should know that this is the same for most selective colleges and Harvard is not more difficult than any other top school.

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Understanding and Estimating Instructional Time and Homework

Introduction.

What counts as “class time” — especially when you are adapting a course to a new format like hybrid or online? How do you structure time to maximize engagement and (in online or hybrid situations) get the most out of synchronous or in-person time? Here we explain the relationship between instructional time, homework, and credit hours, so you can understand what Champlain and our accreditors require. We also discuss some options for instructional time that may be very different from what you would do in the classroom.

Credit Hours, Instructional Time, and Out-of-Class Work

Students’ class loads are measured in credit hours; a typical full-time load at Champlain is 15 hours, usually equaling five three-hour classes, although this may vary. The number of credit hours associated with a course is determined by the number of hours it “meets” per week — that is, the amount of instructional time. (This will vary for capstones, internships, and some other course types.)

Most faculty who teach in person are not used to thinking about instructional time. Instead, we think about the hours that we are in the classroom with our students each week. But we can learn from Champlain College Online and other online or blended modes of learning that instructional time can take different forms, many of which might not involve synchronous or in-person interaction.

The key characteristic of instructional time is interaction between instructor and students. The New England Commission on Higher Education (NECHE), Champlain’s accreditor, requires that we provide quality learning experiences that include “ regular, substantive academic interaction ” between instructor and students. Regular interaction means that the faculty member connects with students fairly frequently, in a way that students can grow to expect. Substantive interaction means that the faculty-student interaction is academic in nature and initiated by the instructor.

Therefore, in a hybrid or online course, instructional time is the total hours your students spend in synchronous activities AND asynchronous instructional equivalents like watching recorded lectures, taking quizzes via Canvas, participating in discussion forums, and activities you might normally do as a group, such as a virtual field trip or service project.

According to NECHE, alongside instructional time each week, students should spend approximately twice the number of hours they spend “in class” doing work for that class. That is, if a course is worth three credits (about two and a half hours of instructional time), on average students should be doing approximately five hours of preparation and out-of-class assignments each week, for a total of seven and a half hours of time committed to that course. Rice University’s Center for Teaching Excellence provides an interactive tool for estimating out-of-class student time commitments.

For more information on how this math works, please see Albright College’s explanation of Carnegie Units and credit hours .

Planning Online or Hybrid Instructional Time Equivalents

In the classroom, we know what constitutes instructional time: things we do when we are physically present with students. In fully online situations, we must consider the amount of time students are expected to spend on asynchronous instructional equivalents. In hybrid situations, we must carefully consider the mix of in-person and virtual interaction to calculate instructional time.

Virtual instructional time can involve adaptations of in-person instruction. It can also involve different kinds of activities. Some strategies for interactive, engaging instruction that does not take place through videoconference lecturing include:

Possible Adaptations of In-Person Instruction

• Recorded lecture
• Synchronous small group discussions, critiques, labs, projects, etc.
• Asynchronous discussion forums
• Quizzes and tests delivered via Canvas
• Guest speaker virtual “visit” or webinar
• Library education sessions or consultations with a research librarian (currently offered virtually)

Possible Instructional Time Innovations

• One-on-one or small-group synchronous conversations with the instructor (similar to the tutorial system )
• Individual real-world experiences shared through reflection or discussion (e.g., plant observation walk, interviewing a professional in the field, service learning, etc)
• Virtual tours and field trips
• Lecture-style slides, or written instructor-created content that would normally be delivered via lecture in class
• Collaborative whiteboard, brainstorming, and/or problem-solving activities (synchronous or asynchronous)
• Collaborative reading and annotation using a tool like Hypothesis or Perusall
• Remote/virtual labs
• Low-stakes surveys, quizzes, or check-ins
• Peer review (synchronous or asynchronous)
• Contributing to and commenting on a virtual gallery

There are many options! This list is not intended to be exhaustive. When deciding on instructional time activities, you should focus on options that are highly interactive (student-faculty and/or student-student) and/or focus on experiences like labs, field trips, interviews, or service learning.

Estimating Workloads

This wide range of strategies is great, and it raises an important question: how long does it take students to do these things? How do you get the amount of instructional time equivalents to roughly mirror the number of hours you would spend in a classroom with your students, when you students are completing tasks on their own time and may not work at the same speed?

First of all, something to consider: students generally work a lot less hard when they are sitting in a classroom taking part in an all-class discussion than they do when everyone is required to contribute a discussion post or two on Canvas. A group lab may be less work than a virtual one. The great thing about this is that your instruction can become much richer as students branch out into the things that most pique their interest. However, be aware that asynchronous instructional time can be much more mental labor and organizational work than some forms of classroom instruction, and so your students may be working harder for the same amount of instructional time, or may be spending more time than you think. Create your prompts, assignments, and grading schemes in a way that acknowledges this increased effort.

Pragmatically, here are some estimated amounts of time students might spend doing common virtual learning tasks. (We’re skipping over tasks that have a clearer time commitment like lecture videos and timed quizzes.)

• Discussion posts: minimum of 30 minutes for a 250-word/one-paragraph post and skimming other posts. Direct responses to other students’ posts may take a little less time.
• Blog post: approximately 30 minutes for a 250-word reflection post. If you require research or longer posts, allot at least an hour.
• Case study activities: account for reading time as well as writing time, which will vary widely depending on the exercise. An optimal adult reader who reads visually, does not have reading-related disabilities, and is fluent in English can read about 300 words per minute with no new concepts. For new concepts, writing for an academic audience (eg. journal articles), special genres of writing (e.g. legal cases), or texts you want students to analyze deeply, estimate 150 words per minute. Allow writing time as above. Thus a case study analysis based on a news article–which is a great option for a discussion forum!–with a 250-word response might take 30-45 minutes. On the other hand, analysis of a fifteen-page journal article with a 250-word response could easily take an hour and a half or more.
• Independently arranged interview, field trip, or service learning experience: make sure to add an estimate of the time it takes to arrange an experience (if students are doing that work) to the experience itself.

These suggested times may seem slow to you–but remember, you are estimating based on the speed of an average student.

We also provide a resource on strategies for balancing synchronous and asynchronous teaching , as well as some slides with examples of how to balance and estimate synchronous and asynchronous instructional time equivalents in different types of classes.

Works Consulted

Other institutions’ approaches.

• Course Workload Estimator , Rice University Center for Teaching Excellence
• Credit and Contact Hour and Instructional Equivalencies Guidelines , Valdosta State University
• Guidelines for Instructional Time Equivalencies Across Formats/Assignment of Credit Hours , Misericordia University
• Instructional Equivalencies Chart , Albright College

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How Much Time Should Be Spent on Homework?

At the elementary level homework should be brief, at your child’s ability level and involve frequent, voluntary and high interest activities. Young students require high levels of feedback and/or supervision to help them complete assignments correctly. Accurate homework completion is influenced by your child’s ability, the difficulty of the task, and the amount of feedback your child receives. When assigning homework, your child’s teachers may struggle to create a balance at this age between ability, task difficulty and feedback. Unfortunately, there are no simple guiding principles.

We can assure you, however, that your input and feedback on a nightly basis is an essential component in helping your child benefit from the homework experience.

What is the recommended time in elementary school?

In first through third grade, students should receive one to three assignments per week, taking them no more than fifteen to twenty minutes. In fourth through sixth grade, students should receive two to four assignments per week, lasting between fifteen and forty-five minutes. At this age, the primarily goal of homework is to help your child develop the independent work and learning skills that will become critical in the higher grades. In the upper grades, the more time spent on homework the greater the achievement gains.

What is the recommended time in middle and high school?

For students in middle and high school grades there are greater overall benefits from time engaged in practicing and thinking about school work. These benefits do not appear to depend as much upon immediate supervision or feedback as they do for elementary students. In seventh through ninth grade we recommend students receive three to five sets of assignments per week, lasting between forty-five and seventy-five minutes per set. In high school students will receive four to five sets of homework per week, taking them between seventy-five and 150 minutes per set to complete.

As children progress through school, homework and the amount of time engaged in homework increases in importance. Due to the significance of homework at the older age levels, it is not surprising that there is more homework assigned. Furthermore, homework is always assigned in college preparatory classes and assigned at least three quarters of the time in special education and vocational training classes. Thus at any age, homework may indicate our academic expectations of children.

Regardless of the amount of homework assigned, many students unsuccessful or struggling in school spend less rather than more time engaged in homework. It is not surprising that students spending less time completing homework may eventually not achieve as consistently as those who complete their homework.

Does this mean that time devoted to homework is the key component necessary for achievement?

We are not completely certain. Some American educators have concluded that if students in America spent as much time doing homework as students in Asian countries they might perform academically as well. It is tempting to assume such a cause and effect relationship.

However, this relationship appears to be an overly simple conclusion. We know that homework is important as one of several influential factors in school success. However, other variables, including student ability, achievement, motivation and teaching quality influence the time students spend with homework tasks. Many students and their parents have told us they experience less difficulty being motivated and completing homework in classes in which they enjoyed the subject, the instruction, the assignments and the teachers.

The benefits from homework are the greatest for students completing the most homework and doing so correctly. Thus, students who devote time to homework are probably on a path to improved achievement. This path also includes higher quality instruction, greater achievement motivation and better skill levels.

Authors: Dr. Sam Goldstein and Dr. Sydney Zentall

Homework: To give and how much to give, that is the question

So, how much homework do you give per night? How do you determine what is the best amount? In addition to the impact that homework has on academic achievement, Christian teachers also are thinking about the impact of homework on the total well-being of students and their families. What about homework’s intrusion into precious family time? What about the student with slow processing who takes twice the time as other students to complete assignments? What about a parent’s choice to engage their child in other types of learning or work outside of the normal school day hours, essentially eliminating time to complete homework? These questions require the Christian teachers’ consideration because our role is to assist parents in the education of their children. Biblically, the parents “make the call,” so to speak.

Research informs one area of decision-making regarding homework. That area is the connection between academic achievement and the amount of time a student spends doing homework. Harris Cooper reviewed more than 60 research studies on homework between 1987 and 2003 and drew some conclusions which may be helpful. [1] Here is a brief summary of the meta-analysis of the research on homework: 1. The amount of homework assigned to students should be different based on the grade of the student.

• Elementary: homework does not increase academic performance, but can positively contribute to establishing work habits.  Recommended: grade in school times 10 minutes = time spent on homework (a student in fifth grade would be 5 x 10=50 minutes a night)
• Middle School:   Recommended:  90-120 minutes average per night
• High School:   every 30 minutes of additional homework per night yields a 5% increase in the student’s GPA up to a point.  Recommended: 120-180 minutes per night

• Read and write

Practise your writing by answering the questions and telling us what you think about homework.

• Do you get homework from your school?
• How much homework do you do each week?
• Does anybody help you with your homework?
• Do you like doing homework?

I also have Homework. And I get a lot of Homework. Do you have ani Homework to do? If you do tel me all about it.

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I have so many homework to tomorrow an i so sad:(

English courses for children aged 6-17

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