I’m in a primary school so it’s not quite as important an issue because we don’t have phones in school, never have and don’t have anything designed around that.
But I know secondary teachers who have banned them and it’s immediately changed the dynamic in schools. No, it doesn’t solve every issue - social media companies have to do more, and parents have to stay vigilant. But teachers simply don’t have to deal with as many problems.
I do work in a school where we use iPads a fair bit, especially in the build-up to our SATs (end of year exams in the final primary school year). For those few weeks, the iPads helped with the exam prep but we could visibly see the lack of focus, attention and effort from the children in everything else. So, after the exams, we’ve locked them away. This week has been bliss.
I wasn’t sure where I stood on the debate but there are a huge amount of teachers saying phones have removed the biggest barrier to building connections with students and running effective lessons, while data suggest behaviour problems and punitive measures are less frequent, too. Some other issues may rise somewhat, but overall banning phones from schools is a must.
I’m sorry to be an old fogey about it but ‘we weren’t allowed them in my day’ and we were fine 😂
Actually, we are heading that primary schools are struggling with smartwatches! At least in many of our elementary schools in Northern California. We are seeing schools working on policies that now include watches and working with parents to change their behavior so that they are not texting and trying to communicate with their kids during the school day!
I don't know much about cell phones and I don't really like them (although I'm on one now, because all the other dads on the playground are talking about sports) but I've done some school events, talking to kids as a local author, and I have to say, looking around, it appears that 90% of a teacher's job is playing whack-a-mole, telling one student to put his phone away while all the other students secretly slide their own of their pockets...only to be caught, one by one. All the teacher faces the left side of the room, catching phone miscreants, the right side of the room goes hog wild, and then reverse. It's a seven-hour dance the students do with the teachers.
On the one hand, I still atavistically hate school, and celebrate any attempt to destroy its functions. On the other hand, it can't be good for any kid to play cat and mouse for half the waking hours every day.
I really appreciate this post and it is a crucial question to the conversation. We (our little team of 3 at ScreenSense) really want educators, administrators and parents to pause and think about what is right for their school community.
We just helped a small local high school figure out how to implement a phone-free school policy mid-year that the district board voted on. The board voted on it because someone proposed it - but did little research to find out why and how and gave the high-school no guidance or roadmap on how to implement it. And no additional funds. Just "make this happen" seems to be what these blanket bans are suggesting. It is a small rural high-school so there are some reasons why phones need to be more accessible to students. But with some help and guidance, I think they have landed on a good solution.
I agree that school phone bans are can be tricky and seeing them as the fast easy way to make a big change is not correct. I think we also need to make the distinction between elementary, middle and high school as implementing policies looks very different in each one.
And, I see the difference in schools that have a concrete bell-to-bell policy and the ones that don't. And to give kids, teens especially, the chance to re-connect and re-engage into life, into their lives, into their passions, it really helps to give them a space and time where devices are just not allowed. I see this with our own teens and their friends. I see the difference instantly when I say "Hey guys, devices off." and it's like the light goes on again.
You wrote - "It’s also difficult to see the upsides of a phone ban without a comprehensive tech policy." I think this is KEY.
The schools we see with the most effective personal device policies, where teachers are not fighting or spending so much energy enforcing it, where parents are supportive and proactively NOT engaging their students via text during the school day, where students who need devices for health reasons are given an exception, where policy infractions are seen as learning opportunities instead of being punished and students get why the policy is this way, are schools with a comprehensive approach to tech that comes from leadership and infuses the whole community. Unfortunately, so far, these are mostly independent schools who are able to make this kind of holistic change faster.
But, we are seeing more of our public schools engaging in the conversation. Asking the right questions, engaging parents, trying things out.
Making schools phone (and watch) free during the school day is one part of the puzzle. I think we can easily jump on it and put all our eggs in that basic because maybe it feels like a low hanging fruit (though it isn't) or a solution that is tangible and easier than teaching kids how to use tech wisely. In our community in Northern California, we are trying to educate all the adult stakeholders: parents, educators, administrators, pediatricians, camp directors, etc - so that we are working towards a collective goal, each in area that we have control over.
I’m in a primary school so it’s not quite as important an issue because we don’t have phones in school, never have and don’t have anything designed around that.
But I know secondary teachers who have banned them and it’s immediately changed the dynamic in schools. No, it doesn’t solve every issue - social media companies have to do more, and parents have to stay vigilant. But teachers simply don’t have to deal with as many problems.
I do work in a school where we use iPads a fair bit, especially in the build-up to our SATs (end of year exams in the final primary school year). For those few weeks, the iPads helped with the exam prep but we could visibly see the lack of focus, attention and effort from the children in everything else. So, after the exams, we’ve locked them away. This week has been bliss.
I wasn’t sure where I stood on the debate but there are a huge amount of teachers saying phones have removed the biggest barrier to building connections with students and running effective lessons, while data suggest behaviour problems and punitive measures are less frequent, too. Some other issues may rise somewhat, but overall banning phones from schools is a must.
I’m sorry to be an old fogey about it but ‘we weren’t allowed them in my day’ and we were fine 😂
It’s a must.
Actually, we are heading that primary schools are struggling with smartwatches! At least in many of our elementary schools in Northern California. We are seeing schools working on policies that now include watches and working with parents to change their behavior so that they are not texting and trying to communicate with their kids during the school day!
I don't know much about cell phones and I don't really like them (although I'm on one now, because all the other dads on the playground are talking about sports) but I've done some school events, talking to kids as a local author, and I have to say, looking around, it appears that 90% of a teacher's job is playing whack-a-mole, telling one student to put his phone away while all the other students secretly slide their own of their pockets...only to be caught, one by one. All the teacher faces the left side of the room, catching phone miscreants, the right side of the room goes hog wild, and then reverse. It's a seven-hour dance the students do with the teachers.
On the one hand, I still atavistically hate school, and celebrate any attempt to destroy its functions. On the other hand, it can't be good for any kid to play cat and mouse for half the waking hours every day.
I really appreciate this post and it is a crucial question to the conversation. We (our little team of 3 at ScreenSense) really want educators, administrators and parents to pause and think about what is right for their school community.
We just helped a small local high school figure out how to implement a phone-free school policy mid-year that the district board voted on. The board voted on it because someone proposed it - but did little research to find out why and how and gave the high-school no guidance or roadmap on how to implement it. And no additional funds. Just "make this happen" seems to be what these blanket bans are suggesting. It is a small rural high-school so there are some reasons why phones need to be more accessible to students. But with some help and guidance, I think they have landed on a good solution.
I agree that school phone bans are can be tricky and seeing them as the fast easy way to make a big change is not correct. I think we also need to make the distinction between elementary, middle and high school as implementing policies looks very different in each one.
And, I see the difference in schools that have a concrete bell-to-bell policy and the ones that don't. And to give kids, teens especially, the chance to re-connect and re-engage into life, into their lives, into their passions, it really helps to give them a space and time where devices are just not allowed. I see this with our own teens and their friends. I see the difference instantly when I say "Hey guys, devices off." and it's like the light goes on again.
You wrote - "It’s also difficult to see the upsides of a phone ban without a comprehensive tech policy." I think this is KEY.
The schools we see with the most effective personal device policies, where teachers are not fighting or spending so much energy enforcing it, where parents are supportive and proactively NOT engaging their students via text during the school day, where students who need devices for health reasons are given an exception, where policy infractions are seen as learning opportunities instead of being punished and students get why the policy is this way, are schools with a comprehensive approach to tech that comes from leadership and infuses the whole community. Unfortunately, so far, these are mostly independent schools who are able to make this kind of holistic change faster.
But, we are seeing more of our public schools engaging in the conversation. Asking the right questions, engaging parents, trying things out.
Making schools phone (and watch) free during the school day is one part of the puzzle. I think we can easily jump on it and put all our eggs in that basic because maybe it feels like a low hanging fruit (though it isn't) or a solution that is tangible and easier than teaching kids how to use tech wisely. In our community in Northern California, we are trying to educate all the adult stakeholders: parents, educators, administrators, pediatricians, camp directors, etc - so that we are working towards a collective goal, each in area that we have control over.