One thing I've struggled with a lot this year is cell phones. My students act like I've asked them to remove a limb if I ask them to put the phone in a pocket. I've spent a lot of time pondering why it's such a big deal at my school.
*Is the phone their security and stability? Early in my marriage, my husband traveled a lot and I slept with the cordless handset in the bed. When I got creeped out, just hearing a dial tone reminded me I wasn't alone in the world. Are these kids - so many of whom go home to empty homes, or different homes each night - holding on to their phones as the constant in their lives?
*Are they addicted? Can they genuinely not resist the buzz, the flash, the beep that beckons to them and tells them that there is a message, a snap, a distraction waiting just a swipe away?
*Is it an escape? Is it just more comfortable when the math gets tough to slip into a conversation or a game?
*Or, as so many on the interwebs are quick to tell me, is it just that my class isn't interesting enough? If only my tasks were more relevant and engaging, I wouldn't have this problem?
One thing I've for sure decided ... any teacher in my building who says they don't have a phone problem is simply choosing to overlook it. (Which goes with my philosophy not to trust any teacher who says, "This is what works for me." Far better if they say, "this is what worked for me at least once...") Granted, some classes are more engaging, or filled with more committed students, but I am NOT the only one having this problem!
So, anyway, I had become exhausted by the phone phight, and unwilling to waste time handling anything, but remained unwilling to just let it go. I genuinely believe we all learn better if we focus, and that just wasn't happening. And I was oh-so-tired of students accusing me of trying to control them, making a big deal out of nothing, etc. So I wrote them a blog post, and asked them to post a private comment on Edmodo for homework. You can read it here,.
Now that you're back ... I got a LOT of really interesting responses. Many, many students were suprised by the research, promised to put away their phones (some stuck with it longer than others). A few, however, simply refused. You can't make me ...I have more important things happening that I have to know about ... I have a baby ... it's just not that deep. My favorite was "you are way more distracting calling us out than if you'd just leave us be."
I answered the kids' comments and often included a link to this very cool art project that examines how odd we look posed without our devices.
So... did it solve all my problems? No, but it changed the language in the classroom. When I asked a student to put her phone away, I was likely to have a friend elbow her and say "Yeah, don't get so distracted." or "For real. I'm sitting right here. Talk to me instead." It let me tell them to put their phones away without being authoritative. And while it didn't convince everybody, it did make the non-compliers seem like they were the ones being "extra."
I genuinely believe that changing the language in the room changes the dynamic, and having a common point from which to discuss things made a HUGE difference.
Do I wish I never had to ask? Sure. Am I planning to start with a similar blog post on Day One next year? Absolutely. With one addition. The following is my favorite analogy to your brain & your phone in math class. That first step is the math in front of you, and the bush is your phone. See what happens when you don't face your fears?
*Is the phone their security and stability? Early in my marriage, my husband traveled a lot and I slept with the cordless handset in the bed. When I got creeped out, just hearing a dial tone reminded me I wasn't alone in the world. Are these kids - so many of whom go home to empty homes, or different homes each night - holding on to their phones as the constant in their lives?
*Are they addicted? Can they genuinely not resist the buzz, the flash, the beep that beckons to them and tells them that there is a message, a snap, a distraction waiting just a swipe away?
*Is it an escape? Is it just more comfortable when the math gets tough to slip into a conversation or a game?
*Or, as so many on the interwebs are quick to tell me, is it just that my class isn't interesting enough? If only my tasks were more relevant and engaging, I wouldn't have this problem?
One thing I've for sure decided ... any teacher in my building who says they don't have a phone problem is simply choosing to overlook it. (Which goes with my philosophy not to trust any teacher who says, "This is what works for me." Far better if they say, "this is what worked for me at least once...") Granted, some classes are more engaging, or filled with more committed students, but I am NOT the only one having this problem!
So, anyway, I had become exhausted by the phone phight, and unwilling to waste time handling anything, but remained unwilling to just let it go. I genuinely believe we all learn better if we focus, and that just wasn't happening. And I was oh-so-tired of students accusing me of trying to control them, making a big deal out of nothing, etc. So I wrote them a blog post, and asked them to post a private comment on Edmodo for homework. You can read it here,.
Now that you're back ... I got a LOT of really interesting responses. Many, many students were suprised by the research, promised to put away their phones (some stuck with it longer than others). A few, however, simply refused. You can't make me ...I have more important things happening that I have to know about ... I have a baby ... it's just not that deep. My favorite was "you are way more distracting calling us out than if you'd just leave us be."
I answered the kids' comments and often included a link to this very cool art project that examines how odd we look posed without our devices.
So... did it solve all my problems? No, but it changed the language in the classroom. When I asked a student to put her phone away, I was likely to have a friend elbow her and say "Yeah, don't get so distracted." or "For real. I'm sitting right here. Talk to me instead." It let me tell them to put their phones away without being authoritative. And while it didn't convince everybody, it did make the non-compliers seem like they were the ones being "extra."
I genuinely believe that changing the language in the room changes the dynamic, and having a common point from which to discuss things made a HUGE difference.
Do I wish I never had to ask? Sure. Am I planning to start with a similar blog post on Day One next year? Absolutely. With one addition. The following is my favorite analogy to your brain & your phone in math class. That first step is the math in front of you, and the bush is your phone. See what happens when you don't face your fears?