Homework has long been a cornerstone of formal education, seen as a bridge between the classroom and independent learning. Yet, as educational systems evolve, the question of whether homework still serves its intended purpose deserves renewed scrutiny.

At its best, homework encourages responsibility and self-discipline. When thoughtfully designed, it can reinforce classroom learning and foster critical thinking. However, the routine assignment of homework often prioritises quantity over quality. Many students spend hours completing repetitive tasks that test endurance rather than understanding. This can blur the line between productive practice and academic fatigue.

Recent research in educational psychology suggests that excessive homework contributes to stress, sleep deprivation, and declining intrinsic motivation. Students begin to view learning as a chore rather than a process of curiosity and mastery. Moreover, homework assumes that every student has equal access to quiet study spaces, digital tools, and parental support – assumptions that are often untrue. The result is a widening gap between those with resources and those without.

A growing number of educators are advocating for “purposeful homework”: short, targeted exercises that extend classroom inquiry instead of repeating it. Others experiment with project-based alternatives that promote collaboration and reflection. The key is alignment – homework should directly connect to learning goals and offer meaningful feedback rather than act as a ritual of compliance.

Education should not measure diligence by the number of hours spent at a desk after school. It should measure growth through engagement, comprehension, and the ability to apply knowledge beyond the classroom. Rethinking homework is not about removing challenge; it is about redefining what meaningful learning looks like in a world where time and attention are increasingly scarce.

Oliver Fletcher

Today, I had the chance to pause and think about what I’ve learned so far as a tutor.
Over time, I’ve realised that tutoring is as much about building confidence as it is about teaching content. A lot of students may already have the knowledge, but are held back by their own self-doubt. I’ve noticed that a simple reminder like “you’re on the right track” can make a huge difference. It’s amazing how reassurance can encourage a student to keep going, instead of giving up too quickly. Once they feel supported, they’re far more open to trying, making mistakes, and ultimately learning from them.
Another strategy I’ve found really helpful is guiding students to find their own errors rather than immediately correcting them myself. For example, instead of pointing out where they went wrong, I’ll ask: “Does this answer look reasonable to you?” or “Can you check that step again?” Often, they’ll catch the mistake themselves, which not only deepens their understanding but also develops critical thinking skills. When students get into the habit of spotting and fixing their own errors, they become more independent learners, which is a skill that will benefit them beyond tutoring sessions.
I’ve also noticed that this process helps boost their confidence. Realising, “I found the mistake and fixed it” is far more empowering than being told, “This is wrong.” It shows them they are capable of self-correcting and problem-solving, which naturally builds resilience.
At the end of the day, I’ve found the most progress happens when students are challenged, but also feel supported. Creating that balance between encouragement and independence has been key in helping them grow more confident and motivated in their learning journey.

Katreen Diab

There’s sort of an irony in exam prep: the more you re-read your notes, the more confident you feel – but the more unprepared you actually are.

This trap has a name: the illusion of mastery. When you repeatedly go over the same notes or highlighted textbook pages, your brain recognises the information. That sense of familiarity feels reassuring – like, “Oh yes, I know this!” But this familiarity isn’t actually memory. You don’t truly know something until you can recall it without cues.

Psychologists have studied this. One famous experiment showed that students who simply re-read material felt more confident before tests but performed significantly worse than those who practiced retrieval – like testing themselves, writing summaries from memory, or explaining concepts aloud.

The problem is, our brains are wired to crave ease. Rereading feels smooth, while self-testing feels uncomfortable and difficult – you’re constantly reminded of what you don’t know. But that discomfort is exactly where learning happens.

So, what should you do instead?
– Close your notes and write everything you can remember. Then check gaps.
– Revisit topics over several days rather than cramming in one.
– Mix question types and topics

Think of re-reading like watching someone else work out – it looks productive, but you’re not building the muscle. Real learning feels effortful. Next time you catch yourself peacefully scrolling through your highlighted notes, remember: that confidence might be the biggest test illusion of all.

Oliver Fletcher

I observed a Year 8 math session where the student and tutor discussed what the student was doing in class to know what to focus on in the session. They focused on the topics of measures of spread and triangle angles such as co-interior, vertically opposite and corresponding etc. The tutor asked the student to do a few questions from the textbook to show the level of his knowledge and what he needs to work on. This also allowed the student to active recall what was learnt in school and building on that when approaching questions. The student was encouraged to do full working out and reasoning in his answers which is important in terms of figuring out angles with different reasons (e.g angles on a straight line = 180 degrees). This builds useful habits when approaching questions, allowing the student to gain the maximum marks available. After knowing what to focus on, the tutor pointed out questions to do during the session and helped the student when needed. By focusing on the topics that the student needs help with especially, it builds the student’s confidence to approach the questions and also solidifies and builds on previous and recent knowledge learnt. The tutor helped the student with proper reasoning and working out for questions and identifying the angles present in the questions. This builds up the student’s knowledge and confidence in approaching questions, as well getting used to the concept of the format of working out and the reasonings and angles present. More practice allows the student to also become faster in approaching these types of questions and allows more exposure to different types of questions in the topics. The tutor also helped break down worded diagram questions that the student had difficulty interpreting, allowing the student to know how to approach those tricky diagram and word problems.

Cynthia Lam

The HSC Business Studies syllabus is huge, and trying to memorise it all can feel overwhelming. There are so many definitions, case studies and frameworks that it’s easy to get lost in the details. But you don’t need to memorise every single word to do well. What matters is understanding how the syllabus is structured, what the examiners are looking for, and how to study in a way that actually sticks.

Start by breaking the syllabus into the four main topics: Operations, Marketing, Finance and Human Resources. Within each one, pay attention to the verbs like explain, analyse, discuss and evaluate. These tell you what kind of understanding you need to show in the exam. Then, link each dot point to a real business example. It’s much easier to remember “Qantas reducing costs through technology” than just “cost leadership strategies.”

When you study, focus on active recall instead of just rereading notes. Make flashcards, teach a concept out loud or draw mind maps from memory. Do past papers and short answers that match the syllabus points so your brain gets used to retrieving information under exam conditions. Colour coding or simple acronyms can also help, like remembering the key influences on business decisions as “PEG-L”: political, economic, geographical and legal.

Most importantly, be consistent. Reviewing a small part of the syllabus each day is far more effective than cramming the night before. Keep refining and condensing your notes as your understanding improves.

Once you see how the syllabus fits together, memorising becomes much easier. You start to understand the bigger picture of how businesses work and how the different topics connect.

Emily Mackay

When tutoring Year 2 students, it’s important to keep them engaged so they stay excited about learning. At this age, students are curious, energetic, and eager to explore the world, which makes it the perfect time to foster a love of learning. Here are some fun and effective ways to keep Year 2 students engaged during tutoring:
Make Learning Fun with Games
Year 2 students love games! Incorporate educational games like memory matching, word bingo, or timed quizzes to make learning feel like a fun challenge. Games help reinforce concepts while keeping students engaged.
Use Hands-On Activities
Use objects, drawings, or even playdough to illustrate lessons. For example, use blocks to teach math or draw pictures to help with reading comprehension. Hands-on activities make abstract concepts more concrete and fun to explore.
Relate Lessons to Their Interests
Find out what excites them – whether it’s animals, space, or superheroes – and weave their interests into the lesson. When lessons are connected to things they love, they’re more likely to stay interested and motivated.
Celebrate Small Wins
Encourage students with positive reinforcement. Celebrate each little achievement, whether it’s completing a worksheet or mastering a new skill. Small wins build their confidence and keep them motivated.
By making learning enjoyable, hands-on, and tailored to their interests, Year 2 students will stay engaged and excited about their learning journey!

Anthea Preketes

I observed an observation where the tutor was teaching the student about the reproductive system. They went over the content in the textbook, breaking down the information. They first went over hormones, going over important terms and definitions before moving onto mammalian reproduction where important terms and definitions were also discussed. The tutor wrote down the key words and definitions on the whiteboard, and continually discussed definitions with the student to ensure active learning. Such as discussing the terms androgens and testosterone, and allowing the student to form the definition of spermatogenesis by themselves. On top of discussing important terms and definitions, the tutor also asked the student questions to get them actively thinking and using terms discussed. This allows the student to solidify the knowledge learnt and also apply the knowledge to know how to answer questions. They also discussed the hormones in males and females and the functions of them, such as oestrogen and progesterone. To help the student take in the dense information covered, active recall was used with the student explaining back terms to the tutor. They then moved on to the female reproductive cycle, discussing the ovarian cycle and menstrual cycle. The tutor would continuously encourage the student to connect different terms to different concepts, allowing the student to actively engage in the content and create schemas. Gonadotropic hormones were discussed such as follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and Luteinising hormones (LH) and their functions. Lactogenic hormones were also discussed such as prolactin which prepares breast tissue for milk production. The tutor also showed the student a graph/diagram in the textbook, and told the student to explain the graph to him. This allows the student to bring together all the knowledge he learnt in the lesson and connects it to a visual representation to solidify and active recall the knowledge related.

Cynthia Lam

Ever gotten an English essay back and seen in the feedback section, your teacher has written ‘needs more critical thinking’ or ‘unpack this idea more.’ Now, what exactly is that? Teachers mention critical thinking all the time and they are right, it is the key to success in many subjects such as English but what exactly is it? And how can we implement it correctly?

Critical thinking is all about asking ‘and why?’ It is taking a piece of information such as a quote from a text (like Shakespeare) and then asking why? Why is this quote important to your essay about how love is undermined by power? Why did you pick this quote to talk about love and power? Clearly it was important enough for you to include it so tell your marker why! In many English essays, marks come from how much you unpack a quote, not how many there are. Anyone can put a bunch of Shakespeare quotes into a paragraph, but a Band 5-6 student can successfully tell you why that quote is important in more than just one sentence.

But how exactly do we do this? Well it is all about the language you use. Incorporating a quote into a sentence about love and power like normal. But an extra important sentence that starts with ‘This demonstrates…. Or ‘This indicates….’ needs to be added. As you unpack a quote you should use more sentences that build to an idea or concept. These sentences should start with words like ‘Furthermore,’ and ‘Additionally,’ to really show the marker that you are continually building to a central idea for your paragraph. The final piece of resistance is to link this strong idea that you have built, to the author’s own purpose. Now that you have said what the quote says about love and power, ask yourself why Shakespeare specifically has made this comment. By using this structure you will begin to see that unpacking one quote can have 3-4 sentences to it and you can really see your ‘voice’ coming through as it is your ideas about Shakespeare’s quote, not just Shakespeare talking throughout your essay.

I really hope this helps to give some sort of structure to the concept of ‘unpacking.’ Sometimes it feels like an abstract concept that teachers talk about all the time but critical thinking is really key to your essays and when done correctly can really elevate responses into the higher bands.

Alana O’Sullivan

The session, provided me valuable insight into effective teaching strategies and student engagement. The session focused on maths primary school. The tutor immediately identified the learners skills and misconceptions he had when looking at his calculations (looking at times tables). The student showed focus and clear respect for the tutor throughout the lesson. The lesson began with the tutor checking over the students revision wok in his workbook (looking through working out and answers). Throughout the lesson, the tutor continuously asking open-ended questions like “Can you tell me how you worked that out?” This encourages the student to verbalise what they are thinking. When the student made a mistake, the tutor didn’t immediately correct them, but they offered prompting. The student then had t learn through guided discovery. The tutor spoke a lot about ‘steps’ and looking at the next step ahead. This helped aid the student to think about their thinking. When moving to English, the tutor further provided positive reinforcement to the student to help build confidence and motivation when completing an activity where they identify errors such as spelling (climbed, had a missing ‘b’ or the placement of speech marks). The tutor showed an effective strategy where the student used a highlighting techniques in the activity when identify the common errors. The student physically visualises their work.

Emilia Labos

During my time at First Education I have had a variety of students across various subjects, but the one thing that has consistently stood out to me during the process is the importance of student-led sessions.

The importance of this practice arose when I was in high school and was a tutee myself. During my sessions, I found it most beneficial when I was able to guide how the session was laid out, bringing forth the topics and questions I found most concerning and how I wanted it to be conveyed back to me. I found this very insightful as I was able to have control over my learning and have my mind put at ease when I could bring forth the topics that were concerning me the most.

Now, I have carried that over into the work I am doing throughout my time as the tutor. At the very beginning with my students, I always ask them what topics they find the hardest and how they tend to learn best. This would allow me to adapt my teaching, whether it be more visually utilising the whiteboard, verbal communication involving me explaining or working out the questions alongside the student allowing us to compare and see where the student went wrong. I have found this highly beneficial as I can better see how receptive the students are to different teaching methods and can see when they are being a more active listener.

This interest in how the sessions wants to go does not stop during the first few sessions, but it something I attempt to carry out consistently. This entails me continuously asking what topics they would like to work on and creating a schedule together that best helps prepare them for upcoming tests and assignments.

I believe that student-led learning is one of the most beneficial ways for students to learn, as it allows them to take control over their learning and solidify their confidence in asking for help and consolidating their understanding.

Edie Dennis