Any Fallacies in this argument?
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Original Question
I have recently just written an argument on a debate forum and it got voted as having a fallacy by someone. However, this particular person has voted almost all of my arguments as fallacies anyway as well other people he has disagreed with, and so I have come to the conclusion that he is either trolling or really doesn't understand fallacies at all. My argument is a few paragraphs and is as follows:
Homework in terms of Academic Achievement and Future Development
Several times I have noticed a common question being asked regarding homework and that is if it is beneficial at all. However, I will contend that is the wrong question to be asking first. Instead, We should be asking 'What is the right kind of homework that is beneficial in terms of academic achievement as well as future development.' Now, an answer to this question might be that 'the right kind of homework is no homework at all', and there will be reasons for this answer but my argument will be that homework is beneficial resting upon several factors. I will explore these determinants first, and then I will move onto the next part of the argument which will involve reasons given for the benefits of homework.
The right type of homework will depend on who the individual is such as their learning and language needs, their current place and level of education, the amount, and the quality of homework given. The right homework needs to be of an appropriate quantity that is suitable for the individual pupil being given the homework. For example, it would be improvident to give an elementary student the task of a dissertation. With that being said, several countries around the world will have educational boards that do take into account these considerations and will implement strategies for dealing with them. Once we recognize this we can then move on to explore other topics such as advantages in terms of academic achievement and future development.
With regard to academic achievement, it should ideally follow that revision homework (and yes, revision is homework) does improve grades at least for higher age groups. Furthermore, there are studies although not very many, that have produced results indicating that homework is an important determinant for achievement (The Impact of Homework on Student Achievement ). It has also been suggested that further research is needed to better assess whether or not homework is beneficial in younger age groups in terms of test scores (Does Homework Improve Academic Achievement? A ...).
With reference to future development, one of the benefits is better preparedness. As we climb through our academic years many of us will most likely face tougher challenges such as more assignments, essays, presentations, thesis, and more. Then, in our employment years, lots of us will be faced with overtime, long shifts, and other tougher challenges. Therefore, I consider it beneficial to give homework starting off from an earlier age (although appropriate age), starting off in small doses and then gradually increased throughout the academic years. This way, as we get older and go through different levels we are more prepared to handle these tasks.
There are many other benefits as well in addition to better preparedness for future prospects such as engagement with parents, clues into learning disabilities that can be recognized by parents, time management skills, more time to finish tasks, reduction of screen time, and so on. Now, some of the cons of homework that might be argued are that too much can be harmful, have detrimental health effects such as stress and sleep deprivation, disadvantaging low-income students, etc. However, I believe all of these factors can be mitigated and none of them really suffice to conclude that homework should be done away with.
So, a prerequisite before assigning homework should entail taking into account considerations such as individual needs and circumstances, as well as the quality and quantity of homework given. When these things are assessed the proposed cons such as detrimental health risks can be mitigated with appropriate strategies being implemented. That being said, there are several countries around the world that recognize this already and do their best to adhere to the advice given. Because these drawbacks can be dealt with I don't see them as being a good enough reason to ban homework, and nor do they refute the benefits that are seen as also demonstrated by various studies. I, therefore, conclude that homework when done right is indeed beneficial in terms of academic achievement as well as future development.
Note/s: Feedback on brevity as well as punctuation is appreciated. For example, am I overusing the comma? And are there any parts of this argument that could be more concise and exact? Thanks.
The guy that voted the fallacy gave the following response (but gave no reason fallacy votes:)
If homework was as effective as you said it was, the United States would be much higher on the education index:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_Index
Most of the nations above the United States have no homework, and have a higher expected years of schooling than the United States.
Experience trumps homework every time, and if you respond with 'they're 8th, it's good enough.', then you are missing the point. a country of the United States' economic stature (in this late-stage capitalistic age anyways) should be expected to have the resources to do well, and they don't. They also do not have the right approach.
And can you spot any fallacies in this response at all? Thanks.
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Hi Jack, perhaps you can summarize what argument(s) you are making? There is a lot in there and I am not clear where the argument is to check for fallacies.