Devices are becoming more and more a part of our daily lives. This also includes devices in the classroom, but when should there be a limit?

Some teachers have resorted to “phone jails” for students who “misuse” their phone during class. Is this appropriate?

I believe cell phone jails and or taking away students phones during class is over-exercising teacher authority over students. This includes taking away a single student’s phone when it is against class rules, or to take every students phones away before class.

There are many reasons why I think this is wrong. One of the biggest reasons is that it is taking away someone’s personal property. I believe this is not an appropriate way to approach a child who may be using their phone during class. Instead, the teacher could tell the student to put it back in their bag or have a chat with them after class.

I believe some teachers may forget/diminish why students use their phones in class. I think most teachers are under the assumption that students are bored in class and do not want to learn in class so that is why they go on their phones. However, students may actually have a legitimate reason to go on their phone during class. It may be due to a family circumstance, for example, regarding who may be picking them up after school, and more. This is not a reason for punishment.

Additionally, taking away students phones ruins the trust between students and educators because students are not deemed responsible enough to have their phones during class. It is a conflict when teachers have their phones out when they tell students they can not have them out.

Instead, I believe teachers should build trust with their students. I think if teachers tell students to keep their phones in their bag or on their desk flipped over where they can see them is more appropriate. If a student needs to make a text or phone call, they can leave the classroom to do so.

Hopefully, teachers will build trust with their students and create an adaptive environment for phones and other devices in the classroom. It is clear that handheld devices are not going anywhere in the near future, so we need to learn to adapt our learning environments to include them in appropriate ways.

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