Ah, cell phones. Arguably one of the greatest blessings and curses of our lifetimes, right? While it's probably hard to imagine life without them at this point, and they're certainly invaluable in certain circumstances (especially smart phones -- hello GPS!), we all know how addictive and distracting they can be.
This is especially true when it comes to cell phones in classroom. The debate about cell phones in schools is raging, with many teachers divided on whether or not cell phones should be allowed on premise or in classrooms.
Are cell phones a distraction that greatly compromises learning? A valuable learning tool? An inevitability that we'll have to adapt to? Wherever you land on the debate, here is some of our best advice for managing cell phones in class.
First of all, there may be a school-wide policy on cell phone use that you'll have to follow, so check on this before created a class policy. Provided you're able to create your own policy, take some time to reflect on what makes the most sense for your classroom specifically. Here are a few factors to consider:
Once you've decided on a cell phone policy, you'll want to communicate it as clearly and directly as possible to both students and parents/guardians both verbally and in writing. You may even want to consider assigning a class contract regarding cell phone use that students sign to hold them accountable for inappropriate use.
It's easy to get frustrated about cell phone use in class and instinctively jump to scolding when it does happen. But here's the thing: depending on where you teach and what grade you teach, there's a good chance that most or all of your students will have a cell phone, and that they will be very accustomed to having it in their hands -- just like you! (Especially if they've been attending school virtually up until recently!)
Try opening up a friendly class discussion about cell phone or assigning a journal prompt about it. Ask your students if THEY feel cell phones are a distraction and if they feel too tempted to use them. Encourage honesty and genuine inquiry. Consider letting them help you decide on and develop the cell phone policy, trusting that they are good advocates for themselves and may be more likely to follow a policy they helped develop.
You can also ask your students if there are any ways that cell phones have become valuable learning tools for them and why they might be more comfortable being allowed to hang onto their cell phones in class. And be encouraged to ask them broader questions about their feelings about cell phones in general: what about cell phones causes stress? What about cell phones makes them feel safe?
Having a sense of your students' feelings about cell phone use will help develop a classroom culture rooted in open communication and help you shape your policy accordingly.
If you're going to allow cell phones in your classroom (as opposed to a zero-tolerance policy that involves leaving them in their locker or similar), how will you handle the logistics? Will you require students to store their cell phones somewhere like in a group bin or in a pouch on the side of their desk to be used only with permission or in the case of an emergency?
If you're feeling a bit more flexible than that, you could consider using some type of coding or flagging system for your classroom depending on the day (think about different colored beach flags to indicate swimming conditions).
For example, depending on your curriculum on a given day, maybe you put up a red "flag" of some sort to indicate that today will be a strictly "no cell phone" day and that students will be required to store them until the end of class. On another day, you may put up a yellow "flag" to indicate the cell phones can be out on students' desks but placed face-down and only used with permission. And on yet another day, you may put up a "green" flag that indicates that cell phones can be used freely in relation the work assigned so long as it is completed in a timely manner and students stay on task.
Obviously you can shift the parameters and implementation of these ideas, but there are definitely ways to get creative with communicating expectations about cell phone use in class.
Plenty of teachers have actually found that cell phones can be powerful learning tools, depending on the curriculum at hand. Here are just a few of the many ways cell phones can be used productively in class to foster more meaningful and engaged learning:
To encourage responsible cell phone use, you may even make some of your curriculum digital or utilize digital platforms that all of your students can access.
For better or worse, cell phones are here to stay and will presumably only get "smarter" and more integral to all of our lives. Your relationship to cell phones in your classroom will likely be more complicated than simply "no phones allowed" and will warrant some deep and meaningful reflection on what makes the most sense in context. And as technology evolves, remember to stay open-minded and willing to update your policies accordingly. Happy planning and good luck!