Kyle Benacquisto

Period: 7th

Duke Today Staff. “Duke Study: Homework Helps Students Succeed in School, As Long as

There Isn't Too Much.” Duke Today, 7 Mar. 2007,

today.duke.edu/2006/03/homework.html.

 In research led by Harris Cooper, there is shown to be a direct correlation between

homework and positive test production.
 In the same study, it is shown that too much homework can be detrimental to a student’s
success.
 In Cooper’s research, they discovered that the optimal amount of homework is ten
minutes for each grade that they’ve been in, for example fifty minutes for a fifth grader.
 The reason more homework is more beneficial for older children is because younger
children typically lack the attention span to focus on anymore work.
 Cooper believes that the homework for younger kids may be used more to prepare them
in their study habits rather than provide immediate improvements in their grades,
 Cooper says younger children’s homework should be less laborious and incorporate their
interests outside of their school work.
 "Even for high school students, overloading them with homework is not associated with
higher grades" (Duke Today Staff, 1).
 "The bottom line really is all kids should be doing homework, but the amount and type
should vary according to their developmental level and home circumstances. Homework
for young students should be short, lead to success without much struggle, occasionally
involve parents and, when possible, use out-of-school activities that kids enjoy, such as
their sports teams or high-interest reading" (Duke Today Staff, 1).
 Cooper has also gone on record saying there are current limitations in in research on the
homework, including their wealth class, overall ability, and even their race.

This source provides insight not only the importance of homework, but how to maximize
children’s potential with the precise amount of it, to provide teachers and parents with data.
 Kyle Benacquisto
Period: 7th

Robinson, Ken. Do Schools Kill Creativity? Do Schools Kill Creativity?, TED, Feb. 2006,

www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity?referrer=playlist-

re_imagining_school.

 Higher education is one of the things that people use to form opinions on others, like that
of religion and race.
 Robinson views education as a tool for people to grasp the future.
 Robinson says the hard thing of education is that we are supposed to be preparing people
for the future, but we don’t know what the future will look like.
 Robinson states that education suppresses students’ talents that they possess by trying to
make their lessons apply to everyone.
 Robinson likens the importance of creativity to literacy.
 Robinson says young education is so important because children will take a chance
because they don’t have a fear of being wrong.
 Robinson says students more worried about being wrong rather than being right.
 “We are educating people out of their creative capacities” (Robinson)
 “We get educated out of creativity” (Robinson)
 Robinson says every education system everywhere ranks their subjects on a hierarchy,
and the same subjects are always on top.
 Robinson believes that the point system at schools doesn’t nurture those who learn or see
things differently than other, but rather restrict them from fully indulging in their
creativity.
 Subjects that are more related to work from when education started in the early 19th
century, like science or math, are put higher on the hierarchy.

Schools, despite their purpose to be the nurturement of young children’s minds, have actually
limited and hurt the developing minds of these people by focusing on obtaining high marks
rather than actually engaging in intelligent thought.
 Kyle Benacquisto
Period: 7th

Sana, Faria, et al. “Laptop Multitasking Hinders Classroom Learning for Both Users and Nearby

Peers.” Computers & Education, Pergamon, 30 Oct. 2012,

www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131512002254.

 Multitasking is now a societal norm, and is an aspect of our everyday life.

 Research has showed that our brains can only handle computing a set amount of
information, thus limiting the effect of multitasking in class.
 As we divide our attention, we decrease the quality and the amount of information we are
able to store.
 Experimental studies have shown that divided attention reduces the efficiency of all tasks
being performed.
 The constant environmental shifts at school between educational and non-educational
divides students’ attention.
 Laptops only worsen a student’s focus in class, allowing them an outlet to the outside
world.
 99% of students possess their own laptop in college
 65% of students bring their laptop to school.
 Laptops may increase the productivity during notetaking and other activities, but it also
gives students an outlet to distract themselves.
 It was found in a study that students who take notes on paper make better grades than
those who take notes on laptops.
 “Our experiments were applied in nature and, as a result, do not make major
contributions to multitasking or attention theory. However, the results are consistent with
theory, namely that the degree of attention that is allotted to a task is directly related to
the quality and quantity of information processed” (Sana 1)
 “In order to effectively integrate technology into classrooms, we must continue to
examine the consequences—both positive and negative—of technology use on learning.”
(Sana 1)

The main idea of this study is that laptops, and technology in general, while they add elements to
learning that allows people to expand their respective knowledge, they also impede on the
learning experience by giving students outlets to divide their attention.