Roosevelt High Takes a Stand on Cell Phones
And it's, "Put them away in class."
A reader let me know this (bold mine):
The reader's student and others are not happy. I'm sure they aren't and I was told their question is, "Why does everyone have to suffer because some kids can't stop?"
I get that but the bigger question - which I'm sure the teachers and principal at Roosevelt thought about - is what value will it be to have cell phones out? I think the answer is "marginal."
Anyone with a cell phone (and I cop to it), will try to take a peek. At a text, at an email, at a website. Digital citizenship is an important 21st Century piece of knowledge to acquire.
I applaud the RHS staff for taking this bold step.
Anything new at your child's school?
A reader let me know this (bold mine):
As a technology forward school, Roosevelt High School wants to help to teach and promote appropriate digital citizenship. Our school staff has overwhelmingly agreed that a consistent school-wide policy to bar cell-phone use during class time will help students stay more present and engaged in their learning. The intent is to support students in their academic success, removing a major temptation and distraction, and promoting face to face social interaction and connection.
Beginning the ’18-19 school year, all classrooms at Roosevelt High School are cell phone free zones. Cell phones can be stored in backpacks either powered off or on silent or can be placed in teacher pouches on the wall of the classroom if your teacher provides one.
Please be advised that violations of this policy will result in progressive consequences.The kids can still have their phones for an emergency but they just can't have them out on their laps or desk.
The reader's student and others are not happy. I'm sure they aren't and I was told their question is, "Why does everyone have to suffer because some kids can't stop?"
I get that but the bigger question - which I'm sure the teachers and principal at Roosevelt thought about - is what value will it be to have cell phones out? I think the answer is "marginal."
Anyone with a cell phone (and I cop to it), will try to take a peek. At a text, at an email, at a website. Digital citizenship is an important 21st Century piece of knowledge to acquire.
I applaud the RHS staff for taking this bold step.
Anything new at your child's school?
Comments
I understand why high schools may want to have this type of cell phone policy, but I always worry when I see these kinds of absolute statements whether any one thought about the kids with IEPs who may need an exception. I'd love to see a sentence somewhere in the policy that acknowledges that some kids may need an exception for valid reasons. A school that includes that in their policy is signaling that they think about kids with differences when they set policy -- that is a key indicator of true inclusiveness.
IEP Mom
It would be less obtrusive than a phone, as it can vibrate for reminders and messages.
Froshmom
Technology can be a valuable tool for some students. The fact that most teachers don't do a good job monitoring its use in classrooms--I've known many teachers to be very lax about cell phone use in class, with students blatantly playing games in class--should not be call for an outright ban on technologies that are helpful to students who need extra help. So much for inclusiveness. This just throws up an additional hurdle in front of students who are often the ones struggling the most.
Are families of students whose IEPs and 504 plans allow for phone use going to have to sue the district to retain access to this support? Are these students going to be further singled out for their learning challenges?
sux
Split Enrollment
mixed
Luddite
Maybe the new policy at Roosevelt does mention that there are exceptions; if so, great. But, if not, this is why I brought up the concern.
IEP Mom
I’m sure there are other possible approaches as well, that don’t “out” those with learning disabilities. It’s not a matter of students “knowing that there are exceptions,” but rather of students knowing who needs the exceptions. Creating a system whereby others can request the same exceptions makes it less obvious and reduces stigma. Remember, some of those who need the exception also suffer from anxiety, so drawing attention to themselves isn’t likely to help—many would rather forego that part of their IEP/504 plan and suffer the academic consequences instead.
The “backwards” approach is to not consider the needs of all students, the potential impacts on all students, and alternatives that work for all.
sux
I think this is a great suggestion, and I would imagine that the policy could be modified to include it. Potentially people with children at Roosevelt who think their child needs their cell phone should ask them to approach their teacher and others suggest that modification?
I personally think the rule is an excellent one, and that modifications that make it work for everyone are great, but would be disturbed to see a back down from a good rule that has a growing body of evidence to back it up. There's substantial data suggesting that having cell phones out in the classroom is disruptive in the typical classroom with typical learners. For example, test scores in a college psychology class are lower, in a within subject study, when students have access to their phones/computers than when they don't: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/07/27/class-cellphone-and-laptop-use-lowers-exam-scores-new-study-shows. Lab studies show that having a cell phone out at all, rather than put away in a backpack can impair performance (need to look harder for this cite).
The mechanism of the results is complicated -- in general related to distraction, of the student and others, and potentially, for some individual students, the benefits outweigh the costs, but across subjects, there's a pretty clear consensus.
zb
zb
-Long Road
BHS mom
Well, you can either have teachers not having to police behavior - taking up valuable teaching and learning time to have to tell some students to cut it out - or you have a blanket policy of non-use.
I'm sure if there is a situation where a dictionary/thesaurus is useful, the teacher would allow everyone to use their phones for that activity. (Or, we actually have books in class for that use.)
As far as I know, this is a school-by-school policy.
Except, MW, not all classrooms do. Strangely, books don't seem a top priority. There are a lot of under resourced schools and classrooms in this district.
There were no dictionaries in my child's Language Arts class last year. "Research" starts with google. Spanish(or pick your world language)/English dictionaries are accessed online. Many readings are photocopies printed in miniscule, barely readable font (gotta save paper...).
As another mentioned, many teachers expect students to have a phone or other device available. And high speed internet at home. I would be excited if a no cell phone policy forced the district to adequately resource classrooms.
not kidding
FNH
In earlier grades, however, students have less power over their environments. I hate to see rules made based on what works for the majority, without consideration of how such decisions impact minority groups.
@ Melissa, nobody wants teachers to be constantly policing instead of teaching. But you know what? Some teachers don't have to constantly police--because they set clear rules and hold firm. The teachers who do have to keep dealing with it are in that boat because they are not dealing with the situation consistently and firmly. Students know what they can get away with in whose class. Let the students know you mean business and they'll stop messing around on their phones.
A blanket policy of non-use would be discrimination against students with learning disabilities. As well, some students who may benefit from cell phone or computer use in class don't have formally identified learning disabilities--either because their challenges don't quite rise to that level, or because they have not yet been evaluated/diagnosed. If such a student feels that using technology--appropriately--in class benefits them, they should be allowed to make that case to the teacher, who should have the freedom to let them try it and see how it goes. Let the student know that a single instance of using the tech for a purpose not relevant to the class means they'll lose that privilege for the rest of the year, and lose their device for the rest of the day--and that other teachers with whom they have such agreements will also be informed, so their privileges in those classes can also be terminated.
sux
Even as an adult, I am distracted when co-workers pull out their phones during meetings or continually look at them during conversations. It is rare to be at a movie, concert or school program where kids aren't focusing on what is in front of htem because they are constantly checking texts, instagram, etc. I believe that cell phones aren't the only solution.
RF
Fully agree with you. "There are a lot of under resourced schools and classrooms in this district." I have yet to find or hear about a school or a classroom that actually has all the resources needed find and buy a book for a high level Math class to donate to the school. It happened to be the class my kid has this year, so that's interesting. And historically, because there have been no books of any kind, but a lot of worksheets and non-connected materials, my kids have gone to Kahn Academy to get reviews or refreshes. It should not need to be this way. And not everyone has a smart phone or access, to RF's point above.
-Long Road
Should have read: ...resources needed. Last year I answered the school call to find and buy a book for a high level Math class to donate to the school.
and Khan Academy
-Long Road
If they are going to the restroom and not comfortable leaving the phone in the box they can take it with them, and the boxes latch pretty securely so it's obvious if anyone is getting into them when they shouldn't.
The box is working so well to get kids minds off phones that they've left them in class (my learning curve is to tell them to get their phones when they leave class). Having a phone in their pocket makes it so much more tempting to peek, and they never put them on silent as they should, but going in the box they think about it ringing and turn it off.
OuttaSeattle
If a few teachers complain about cell phones in class, those teachers will be encouraged to rethink their classroom management. If some students misuse their phones at school (sexting, cyberbullying, taking videos of classmates and posting w/o permission, making false accusations of serious crimes, etc.), that's for Admin and the families to handle (and sometimes the police).
For an entire school building to take a stand like Roosevelt has done...my guess is that either SOMETHING must have gone down last year that was the final straw, or that the day-to-day phone-related shenanigans was taking up a disproportionate percent of teachers' and admins' school day. Or both. I am confident that they weighed the pros and cons carefully, I'm SURE that they anticipated the backlash from parents, and came to a decision that the benefits outweighed the cons.
As a Roosevelt parent and as an SPS teacher, I support Roosevelt's decision, and I hope the Roosevelt community comes to accept it.
-- Teachy Teacherson
Omg they have said this every period for three days Elise I got it
It’s so extreme that you can no longer use them for useful, like taking picture of the textbooks in math from 2000, and we can’t take pictures of anything, take notes, set calendar days, use schoology, check our grades, and in science the poor teacher got some degree in college in how to integrate technology into teaching, and that was completely thrown out the window. It’s unnecessary, I feel like if you want to use your phone in class, it’s your choice to make school harder for yourself, but to combat that they make being organized in school a lot harder by taking away one of the most useful pieces of tech right now. But you know I’m just one of the students getting destroyed by technology."
Largely, I agree with him and I hope the black and white policy that throws away the benefits of technology in order to guard against the misuses does not last long.
Elise F.
I fully support the new RHS policy. Of course our kids can come up with ways that their devices are useful, but I think we can also come up with less disruptive alternatives. I'm sure they will work with students (like mine) who have IEPs or 504s.
Thrilled
-Caphill Parent
BHS mom
Flummoxed
sux
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0927537116300136
Thrilled
sux
Again, I will ask for clarification on this policy but I feel confident teachers will allow use by students with learning issues and allow a time to snapshot the whiteboard.
I wish I shared your confidence that teachers will be so understanding. Unfortunately, in our experience, that's not always the case. For example, how helpful do you think it will be when a teacher announces to the class that a so-and-so gets to use their phone in class because they have an IEP or a learning disability? How helpful will it be to have that announced when the student also suffers from anxiety? Teachers often really don't get it, and as we move more and more toward strict policies that draw outwardly distinct lines between students with different types of needs, this increases the likelihood of negative interactions. I think there are better ways to reduce the potential for phone distraction.
sux
The teacher just has to say, "there are a few exceptions to this rule and that's all I need to say." They don't have to single out anyone. Oh yea of little faith.
Okay, I'll bite. Like what?
Here's one idea, like I suggested earlier (do keep up?): Allow kids without learning difficulties to petition to use them if they can make a strong case for doing so, with a clear understanding (written agreement?) that if the phone becomes a distraction it is taken away while they are at school. If a student has developed a way to use the phone as an educational tool, let them do it--like they'll be able to do in college, which may be just around the corner. A mature, responsible student who has come up with ways to use tech as a valuable tool (e.g., listening to background music to help drown out the incessant talking of students when they are supposed to be working on something) should not be prevented from doing so because others won't pay attention.
And it's not an issue of faith. It's an issue of experience. It's natural to assume that teachers are nice and understanding and sensitive re: special learning needs, but many of us who have such students have frequently seen otherwise. Maybe it was better when your child(ren) were in school, I don't know-but teachers DO say hurtful things that call attention to students' special needs. Sad, but true.
sux
sux
Encourage kids to listen to music to drown out other kids talking? How about just getting those kids to stop talking? Kind of old-fashioned but it worked in my classes.
And yes, I do know about teachers not being sensitive to kids needs; I had it happen to my kid. But I think that every policy will need tweaking but not to the point where the teacher needs a chart to know who can and can't use their phone.
I love this policy. There are so many reasons this makes sense to me. But, in terms of the discussion we've been having -- it promotes inclusion of kids with learning differences who will now be able to use their devices in class without having a spotlight shining on them.
IEP Mom
-Long Road
Years ago,I wanted a cellphone jammer in my room. Kids threatened to get lawyers...
I wish these schools luck.
-TiredofPhones
I'm actually rather surprised that this would be a controversial policy.
zb
Most of those who take issue with the policy seem to be parents of students with learning disabilities, and the issue (for most) is not that students with technology supports in their learning plans will be denied access, but rather that they will be stigmatized as the exceptions to the rule (which may limit access in another way).
Additionally , they may use laptops or tablets—does anyone know if those are allowed for students without learning plans? Can a high school student without an IEP/504 plan use a personal laptop to take notes in class, or are disabled students the “exceptions” in that regard, too? My daughter really needs one, but won’t use it if it draws attention.
HS soon
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