The impact of Further Education (FE) phone policies

Phone bans in classrooms and schools are becoming increasingly popular.

A recent study has found that banning phones in the classroom has not had the desired effect.

Students in college are in that fine line between school and adulthood, with the desire to be treated as adults, which is the most challenging part.

How can teachers manage the use of phones and social media? Would they embrace it in the classroom or ban it?

As a teacher or a seasoned educator, the use of mobile phones in classrooms can be difficult to manage.

Many FE teachers start their courses by clearly laying down expectations:

Students should be non-judgmental and supportive towards one another, and fully engage in the activities.

Some of the expectations should be focused on when students are allowed to use their phones.

Outlining when phones are permitted (e.g. in the breaks).

Distraction or helpful tool?

FE teachers would generally agree that technology can easily distract students.

Email, social media and online shopping sites are just a click of a button away and can easily derail students’ attention.

Students may believe that a quick e-mail check or a text to a friend throughout class will not make any difference.

Students need to have the maturity to focus solely on the class and to manage distractions.

Through frequent use of technology in the classroom, students may develop a strong preference to communicating virtually with each other as opposed to face-to-face.

Using electric devices can lead to poor writing skills because students can tap away on their keyboard instead of writing notes.

Using technology and mobile phones in the classroom can, however, provide opportunities for more creative teaching materials.

As a teacher, you could include online quizzes, assessments, simulation projects, games, videos and digital questionnaires.

In face-to-face teaching, gaining feedback on students’ progress can be more time-consuming compared to digital environments.

When you give an online quiz to your students to check their understanding, you can receive instant feedback with regards to the level of their understanding.

You can analyse the data which you receive to highlight areas of concern and tailor consequent classes to meet those needs.

What could be the next steps?

A blended approach could incorporate both traditional face-to-face and digital teaching.

Teachers may choose to deliver some classes without the use of technology and mobile phones and encourage students to engage in face-to-face interactions.

Other classes could be more digitally flavoured, taking advantage of the opportunities the online world offers.

It would be wise to educate students about how to manage the risks of the online world.

Addiction to smartphones is rapidly on the rise.

Many young people in the UK find it difficult to disconnect from their mobiles and have been told that they spend too much time online.

Managing classroom expectations is key. Students need to be aware when they are allowed to use their phones in the classroom and the college, and when they should be switched off.

Regular and consistent communication with the students could ensure better participation and engagement in the classroom.

Embrace AI

Some teachers remove all technology during specific lessons.

Then, they show students a paper which has been written via AI.

Students need to be aware of the many shortcomings of AI.

A paper written with AI could include incorrect facts and information.

It may be descriptive in nature, with limited critical thinking demonstrated.

One may also see repetitive phrases and descriptive expressions.

The references could also be worth looking at.

Often, the reference list includes sources which do not exist, or the sources may be drawn from an entirely different subject area.

The sentence structure could be overly complex, using broad, generalised and vague words.

The AI-written assignment may include too many subheadings.

If students understand that the use of AI can be detected by teachers, they would be less likely to submit AI-written assignments.

Address issues early

Although you may be tempted to ignore any initial issues with mobile phone use, it is best to address these early.

As an individual, you may be uncomfortable handling conflict and may want to shy away from confronting students.

You may never have received guidance in your teacher training course on how to manage challenging classroom behaviour.

Don’t try to sweep issues under the metaphorical carpet and hope that they will go away.

Yet, the earlier you nip the problem in the bud, the more likely you are to re-establish a positive and productive learning environment.

Stay grounded

It is wise to keep emotionally grounded so that you do not show your frustration in front of the whole class. Although you may be tempted to fly off the handle, you will need to remain calm. A conversation could be invaluable to reinforce classroom rules.

Ask your students:

If I see any of you using your mobiles in the classroom (when you are not allowed to use it), how would you like me to respond?

At times, asking the students directly could contribute to some creative solutions which you may not have thought of before.

Give praise

According to research, the most important technique in behaviour management is positive reinforcement.

You could give students positive feedback when you observe good classroom behaviour.

Consider celebrating their engagement, focus, and not using their mobile phones when it is not permitted.

For your praise to work miracles, it needs to be linked to a specific situation.

Do make sure that you come across as sincere and spontaneous. Giving praise may sound like a simple strategy; however, many teachers struggle to get it right.

If you feel uncomfortable receiving positive feedback, you may struggle to give praise to others.

Using mobile phones in the classroom could be both a distraction and a valuable tool for learning. Mobile phones are part of students’ lives, and they need to learn how to use them effectively.

This skill will enable them to perform better in their future studies and in the world of employment.

The impact of Further Education (FE) phone policies

Phone bans in classrooms and schools are becoming increasingly popular.