Phones
Suppose as a teacher, you walked into a staff meeting, and someone at the door asked you to place your cell phone or computer in a rack. How might you feel about that request?
Here’s another scenario: How might a presenter feel when they look out at their audience and see heads bent over, texting or typing as the presenter is trying to get a message across?
We all recognize it's a fast-paced, multitasking world, and teachers are extremely busy. You might be thinking, “If I can get a note off to Johnny's mom while sitting in this meeting , then it will save me time.”
What about your classroom? Do you allow your students to text and email during your instruction? If your answer is ”no”, then we have a problem. Most teachers set expectations for phone and computer use in their classrooms. Often you can see posted on classroom walls, a set of rules, such as, "NO ELECTRONICS." In response, students quickly learn to put their phones on vibrate, sign out, use the restroom, and disappear for 10 minutes to check messages and text friends.
As teachers, it seems we have created 2 sets of rules regarding electronic and cell phone use---one for teachers and one for and students! hmmmmm…..
I wonder how to establish an electronic & cell phone policy which honors both the teacher and learners in the classroom. When in the classroom, I tried to honor students by saying:
“If you have something going on at home, and your
mom is calling you, I understand that you need to take
that call. Could you please take the call in the hallway so as
not to disrupt the learning going on in the classroom?"
Quite frankly, by treating students as adults, I only had a handful of students who abused this privilege, and I dealt with these students on a case by case basis.
Always Learning,
Laura Robinson
