Sometimes it’s just as handy, a smartphone in the classroom. But there are still too many disadvantages.
Raoul du PreJanuary 26, 202320:46
The conversation about the smartphone at school, which has been heating up emotions in many teachers’ rooms for years, is slowly but surely promoted to national debate this winter. The key question: what are secondary schools doing themselves by allowing screens into their buildings and, in many cases, into classrooms?
Most schools have no or only half-hearted policies, much to the chagrin of a significant portion of the teaching staff who see the permanent presence of smartphones in and around classrooms as a major nuisance 麻烦事. The most common complaints: even if it is not allowed, students constantly look at their screens during lessons, at the expense of their concentration. And even if the devices have to be handed in at the door of the classroom, notifications and calls indirectly continue to demand attention.
Social interaction outside the classroom has changed beyond recognition. Anyone who ever visits a secondary school during recess will recognize the image of self-absorbed students, immersed in their screen, who sometimes hardly talk to each other anymore 任何一个在课间参观过中学的人都能认出这样的画面:学生们只顾着自己，沉浸在屏幕里，有时彼此之间几乎不再说话了– one student is more sensitive to it than the other.
On the other hand, the teachers also see the benefits. Those who cleverly integrate the smartphone into the lesson do grab the attention and meanwhile contribute to the development of digital skills. That is a valid argument, but a telephone ban at school can of course be accompanied by a temporary exemption for lessons where a screen is desired.
The absence of the Ministry of Education in this dispute is striking. The department, which for years was known for being involved in the entire process in detail by means of a circular (‘cleaning the tables once a week!’) is now so wary of the accusation of excessive regulation that it does not even want to participate in a conversation about a problem that directly affects the quality of education. ‘That’s a matter for the schools’, is what it sounds like from the Hoftoren in The Hague.
That remains to be seen. Because as long as lecturers are divided among themselves, many rectors hesitate to take the plunge 冒险尝试；采取决定性步骤. Schools also look at each other in the annual battle for the students. A telephone ban does not have a direct recruiting effect on many students. 电话禁令并没有对招生产生直接影响。Even without immediately issuing a national ban, Minister Wiersma could at least make an attempt to change the norm 尝试改变常规 and give school boards some guidance.
The example of Calvin College in Goes is convincing, which introduced a smartphone ban three years ago under the motto ‘at home or in the vault’. The resistance was great, among students and parents, who feared a step back in time. The school now speaks of a real ‘culture change’, teachers praise the improved concentration and focus in the classroom, there is plenty of chatting with each other in the auditorium again and polls among the students show that they too are predominantly happy with the peace in the classroom. class and the fun outside.
That is a lot of profit, for a measure that is so easy to take.
A ban on mobile phones in South Australian high schools will make it easier for students to focus on learning while also helping to cut bullying and harassment, Education Minister Blair Boyer says.
高中禁止使用手机将使学生更容易集中精力学习，同时也有助于减少欺凌和骚扰
Boyer has defended the move after criticism from the state opposition which says the government has been sloppy in delivering its promised policy.
The ban, similar to that in place in Victoria since 2020, will begin rolling out in some schools from the start of term one next week and should be in place across all public schools by term three.
“This ban will contribute to making sure that kids can actually focus on their learning 这项禁令将有助于确保孩子们能够真正专注于他们的学习,” Boyer said.
“It will contribute to reducing bullying and harassment and we are not budging one bit from our commitment to deliver it 我们对实现这一目标的承诺丝毫没有动摇.”
Under the rules, student phones must remain switched off or in flight mode, and out of reach all day including during breaks. 根据规定，学生的手机必须保持关机或飞行模式，整天都不能拿着，包括休息时间。
Schools may use lockers, special magnetic pouches or other ways to secure phones.学校可能会使用储物柜、特殊的磁袋或其他方法来保护手机。
Some exemptions will apply including students who may need their phones because of medical conditions.
Opposition education spokesman John Gardner said the government’s policy failed to deliver a “real ban”.
Gardner said it wouldn’t remove phones from classrooms and didn’t give schools any support to reduce the use of phones in school settings.
“This policy fails to deliver a real ban, but instead raises expectations and creates new complexity for schools, principals and teachers,” he said.
The opposition said the Education Department’s policy had always been that the students should not be permitted to use phones during lessons, unless for educational purposes, and that schools were encouraged to have a proactive 积极主动的 policy in relation to the use of mobile phones more broadly.
It said schools that wanted to invest in lockers or magnetically sealed pouches to further restrict phones were encouraged to do so.
Nearly all American teenagers have access to a smartphone, but studies show that too much screen time can have a negative effect on a child's mental health 过多的屏幕时间会对孩子的心理健康产生负面影响, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Schools are trying to help — by banning cellphones while class is in session.
Buxton School in rural Massachusetts banned smartphones for students and teachers in September. The students still have access to tablets and laptops during class, but the school's director, Franny Shuker-Haines, said she wanted to give them a break from the constant demands of technology.
She said the move is "allowing them to control when and where they decide to engage with these apps."
Students and teachers are allowed to bring phones that don't have internet access, but the school has found that kids don't use those as much, because they aren't as easy to use, or as enticing.
High school student Sabra Gouveia said, "even though sure I would enjoy scrolling through TikTok on my phone, I have more time to dedicate to like art specifically."
Studies have shown overuse of technology can lead to less sleep, disengagement from friends and family, emotional stunting and can cause depression and anxiety. 研究表明，过度使用科技产品会导致睡眠减少、与朋友和家人疏远、情绪发育迟缓，并可能导致抑郁和焦虑。
"Why are we giving kids stimulants during the day that disrupt all the good aspects of learning, particularly at a time where they have to develop their abstract thinking?" said psychologist Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair.
Adair says parents can play a role too at home by limiting screen time with parental controls, putting their own phones away and explaining why limits are important.父母也可以在家里发挥作用，通过家长控制来限制屏幕时间，把自己的手机放在一边，并解释为什么限制很重要。
Buxton School is part of a growing number of institutions banning smartphones. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 77% of public schools prohibit cellphones.
Since 2019, Forest Hills School District in Michigan has banned phones for its 9,000 students — even at lunch. High school social studies teacher Rick Kelbel said he believes every district can ban phones.
"No one has to worry about missing out on what's going on in their cellphone because everyone's off of it," he said. "I think all schools need a guideline in place to make that happen. 没有人会担心错过手机里发生的事情，因为每个人都不玩手机了。”“我认为所有学校都需要一个指导方针来实现这一点。”
