Cellphone management is heavily debated in K-12 education these days. Teachers gripe about its inherent distraction to the classroom learning environment. Recent findings from the Pew Research Center show that over 70 percent of high school teachers believe that cellphones are a major problem in their classrooms.
Over time, classrooms have grown more digitally intertwined—one reason why best practices for dealing with cellphones in classrooms are ambiguous.
Education Week has recently written a number of pieces on different aspects of the K-12 cellphone conversation. They detail how the frustration of dealing with the technologies’ presence has led to some teachers leaving the profession, and show what effective measures educators are taking to manage the technology, among other themes.
The reactions to many of those pieces have sparked a lot of conversations on social media. Here’s a roundup of some insightful responses.
Cellphone management issues
Many educators feel cellphones in classrooms are like a runaway train. They note the frustration of wasting instructional time to tell students to put the devices away, while others are at a loss on how to reengaging their distracted students.
“The ban doesn’t work. Too many kids to manage. They love to hide it and make a game out of it. It’s a no-win situation.”
- Karen H.
“The last few years have been exhausting! It’s like a constant game of whack-a-mole keeping those phones out of their hands and away. Most administrators don’t want to enforce ‘no cellphones,’ because of their fear of parents’ response.”
- Nikki M.
“There is no managing it. These kids are on phones 24/7 and [couldn’t] care less about any consequences.”
- Alex S.
“I just stopped subbing at an area school because cellphone usage was so endemic that students were totally immersed in their phones. Lessons and assignments were totally unimportant to the students.”
The success stories
Other educators have found ways to keep the negative influences of cellphones to a minimum in their classrooms. Establishing strict and clear policies from the get-go has proven to work for some. One of the most popular examples has been separating students physically from their phones, so there’s no temptation to reach for it during a lesson.
“Our state-mandated mobile phones are switched off and away across all schools. We rarely have issues.”
- Chris H.
“I have a ‘cellphone parking lot’ where my students are required to place their phones on silent ... I gave my students a choice to place their phones in the parking lot until class was over, or their phones could go to the office. Most chose the first option. I had to send a few phones to the office at first, but then they finally realized I was not messing around ... They learned that they could survive without their phones for a 57-minute class. Many enjoyed the interactions that took place without the phones. I set my phone in the parking lot too as an example to my students.”
- Lee K.
“I bought a cellphone station for $20, and students put their cellphones in it during class time. All it takes is consistency at the beginning of the semester.”
“My kids have to put cellphones in a ‘shoe holder’ on the back of the door as they enter the class. They each have a pocket to put it in. It works well.”
“I did not allow cellphones in my classroom for any reason. Never had an issue. Once or twice, a phone would ring. I took it. A parent had to come to retrieve it with the student in tow. Once or twice in 15 years. It’s doable.”
“I am a teacher in Tucson, and we made the decision as an ENTIRE school to enforce the district policy on cellphones. It’s been working for us for 2 1/2 years now. The phones have to be put away from the first bell, until the last bell, period. (Even at lunch.)”
“As a teacher I started using ‘cellphone grades’ that I call participation grades. If they use them at inappropriate times, I lower their grade and inform them publicly. This has worked really well, but it’s definitely against the rules, so don’t tell my principal.”
- Eric R.
“The only reason I had a cellphone problem was because I was not clear on the rules and consistent on the consequences. Once I was [clear], the problem was greatly reduced.”
Somewhere in the middle
Some teachers who have tried to limit cellphones’ influence in the classroom have had a tepid success rate. Many in this group claim that a lack of support from their administrations is behind the lackluster effectiveness. A few that have put the blame on parents, and others areputting students in the drivers’ seat.
“We tried to implement the district’s policy of ‘off and away’ (like kids would really turn them off) by mandating that they be put in ‘pocket’ charts (or other holders). We started the roll out—communicating with kids etc., and lo and behold the district all of a sudden had a ‘legal concern’ and it went out the window. We can request it, but not mandate it, so yep, kids still have their phones.”
- Erin H.
“I sub. Our local school district has a ‘no cellphone’ policy and it’s probably the most widely ignored rule in the district.”
- Paul N.
“My school doesn’t allow them in the classroom. It doesn’t work when many of the teachers do not enforce the rule. It doesn’t work when parents buy their children (even in kindergarten) watches that act as phones because ‘they aren’t phones, they are watches’ and proceed to message their child during the school day.”
“[The] problem is, whenever you read about some district implementing a ban on cellphones, the biggest complainers are the parents.”
- Shaun M.
“I don’t worry about it at all. I just tell them you can use it all you want. Don’t pay attention/don’t do your work/cheat, etc.— you won’t pass. Better to teach them how to use a phone and not abuse it.”
Some other resonant takes
Lastly, many educators have had their own takes on what should be the main focus of this issue. Stressing the need for a uniform adherence to cellphone policies by all teachers, emphasizing the importance of incorporating the technology into lessons, and bringing the focus inwards—towards one’s own teaching style—are some of the many popular sentiments.
“Banning phones only works if all teachers hold students accountable in their classroom AND administration has consequences. Parents need to hold their students accountable as well, and stop texting kids during class time.”
“Smartphones are ubiquitous because they are so useful. Many people reading this have been educated in the days when our only computer access in school was once or twice a week in a locked room. We were so much poorer for it; the decisions we made were so much worse for it. Why are we now trying to restrict access to computing power, out of a sheer reflex for control?”
“I would like to see policy that supports the use of phones as a teaching tool—it’s the one thing that unites teenagers. I’m sure the technology exists or can be created to [have] a ‘No Social Media’ environment once they’re in school. Rather than punishing kids for using them, embrace it!”
- Mark M.
“Teachers need to have a firm, fair, and consistent cellphone policy for their classroom … then build a relationship with their students and the families they serve. Then teach engaging, interesting, student-centered lessons that kids actually want to be a part of, [then] you won’t need tell kids to get off their cellphones.”
- Keith N.
“I have been teaching for 31 years. I began my career before cellphones were a part of every day life. To me, this comes down to one thing: classroom management ... cellphones are only a distraction to students if the teacher allows it to be.”
Check out the new EdWeek cellphone tracker to get up-to-date information on which states are requiring cellphone restrictions or bans in schools.
Explore our coverage around students’ use of cellphones in schools:
> Guide to setting a policy: Here’s a decisionmaking tool for educators to map out the different potential outcomes when putting cellphone policies in play.
> Cellphone bans and restrictions: See which states are requiring cellphone restrictions or bans in schools in our tracker. Explore our tracker.
> Nuisance or teaching tool? How teachers are turning an ubiquitous and growing class nuisance—the smartphone—into a tool for learning.
> Cellphone policies, explained: Education Week breaks down the different ways schools are addressing cellphone use, and the factors to weigh before adopting or changing the rules. Check out our explainer.
> Tips from teens & teachers: Teenagers offer 6 tips on how schools should manage students’ cellphone use, and educators share their tips on policing cellphone use in classrooms.
> Then & now: How the “sexting” panic previewed today’s debate about kids’ cellphone use.
