What should I do when my students use their phones in class?
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On the first day of class, I told my students that they are not allowed to use their phones in class. However, a lot of them use their cell phones and don't pay attention in class. How should I deal with this problem? Do you let students use their phones during the lecture?
teaching students management
asked 4 hours ago
SYH
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On the first day of class, I told my students that they are not allowed to use their phones in class. However, a lot of them use their cell phones and don't pay attention in class. How should I deal with this problem? Do you let students use their phones during the lecture?
teaching students management
asked 4 hours ago
SYH
211
New contributor
SYH is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
3
Why is this a problem? Are test scores falling? Can you demonstrate that cell phone use in class is negatively correlated with specific learning outcomes?
– Robert Columbia
3 hours ago
What is the size of the class room? Do you have a written policy statement in your Course Outline? Have you asked your colleagues how they handle this? Are the students distracting others who are otherwise paying attention?
– Jeffrey J Weimer
3 hours ago
1
If this is college, there are bigger things to worry about than phone use. It feels very juvenile, like having to ask for a bathroom pass in first grade.
– Vladhagen
3 hours ago
2
I would add that occasionally I use my phone to look up definitions/ideas that I forgot from a previous lecture. Personally I think it is better to let me use my phone to do so rather than have me interrupt the whole class or go through the whole lecture confused.
– TomGrubb
3 hours ago
1
Although I am entirely willing to believe that many of them are not using their phones for any constructive purpose related to the course, they might be. Looking up things that they've forgotten. This is similar to not knowing whether someone who's writing on paper is taking notes, or just writing a note to a friend. Beyond our power to directly control. For that matter, it can be both, interlaced. Don't worry about it, is my advice.
– paul garrett
2 hours ago
 |Â
show 1 more comment
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
On the first day of class, I told my students that they are not allowed to use their phones in class. However, a lot of them use their cell phones and don't pay attention in class. How should I deal with this problem? Do you let students use their phones during the lecture?
teaching students management
asked 4 hours ago
SYH
211
New contributor
SYH is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
On the first day of class, I told my students that they are not allowed to use their phones in class. However, a lot of them use their cell phones and don't pay attention in class. How should I deal with this problem? Do you let students use their phones during the lecture?
teaching students management
teaching students management
asked 4 hours ago
SYH
211
New contributor
SYH is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 4 hours ago
SYH
211
New contributor
SYH is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 4 hours ago
SYH
211
New contributor
SYH is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 4 hours ago
SYH
211
asked 4 hours ago
SYH
211
211
New contributor
SYH is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
SYH is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
SYH is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
3
Why is this a problem? Are test scores falling? Can you demonstrate that cell phone use in class is negatively correlated with specific learning outcomes?
– Robert Columbia
3 hours ago
What is the size of the class room? Do you have a written policy statement in your Course Outline? Have you asked your colleagues how they handle this? Are the students distracting others who are otherwise paying attention?
– Jeffrey J Weimer
3 hours ago
1
If this is college, there are bigger things to worry about than phone use. It feels very juvenile, like having to ask for a bathroom pass in first grade.
– Vladhagen
3 hours ago
2
I would add that occasionally I use my phone to look up definitions/ideas that I forgot from a previous lecture. Personally I think it is better to let me use my phone to do so rather than have me interrupt the whole class or go through the whole lecture confused.
– TomGrubb
3 hours ago
1
Although I am entirely willing to believe that many of them are not using their phones for any constructive purpose related to the course, they might be. Looking up things that they've forgotten. This is similar to not knowing whether someone who's writing on paper is taking notes, or just writing a note to a friend. Beyond our power to directly control. For that matter, it can be both, interlaced. Don't worry about it, is my advice.
– paul garrett
2 hours ago
 |Â
show 1 more comment
3
Why is this a problem? Are test scores falling? Can you demonstrate that cell phone use in class is negatively correlated with specific learning outcomes?
– Robert Columbia
3 hours ago
What is the size of the class room? Do you have a written policy statement in your Course Outline? Have you asked your colleagues how they handle this? Are the students distracting others who are otherwise paying attention?
– Jeffrey J Weimer
3 hours ago
1
If this is college, there are bigger things to worry about than phone use. It feels very juvenile, like having to ask for a bathroom pass in first grade.
– Vladhagen
3 hours ago
2
I would add that occasionally I use my phone to look up definitions/ideas that I forgot from a previous lecture. Personally I think it is better to let me use my phone to do so rather than have me interrupt the whole class or go through the whole lecture confused.
– TomGrubb
3 hours ago
1
Although I am entirely willing to believe that many of them are not using their phones for any constructive purpose related to the course, they might be. Looking up things that they've forgotten. This is similar to not knowing whether someone who's writing on paper is taking notes, or just writing a note to a friend. Beyond our power to directly control. For that matter, it can be both, interlaced. Don't worry about it, is my advice.
– paul garrett
2 hours ago
3
3
Why is this a problem? Are test scores falling? Can you demonstrate that cell phone use in class is negatively correlated with specific learning outcomes?
– Robert Columbia
3 hours ago
Why is this a problem? Are test scores falling? Can you demonstrate that cell phone use in class is negatively correlated with specific learning outcomes?
– Robert Columbia
3 hours ago
What is the size of the class room? Do you have a written policy statement in your Course Outline? Have you asked your colleagues how they handle this? Are the students distracting others who are otherwise paying attention?
– Jeffrey J Weimer
3 hours ago
What is the size of the class room? Do you have a written policy statement in your Course Outline? Have you asked your colleagues how they handle this? Are the students distracting others who are otherwise paying attention?
– Jeffrey J Weimer
3 hours ago
1
1
If this is college, there are bigger things to worry about than phone use. It feels very juvenile, like having to ask for a bathroom pass in first grade.
– Vladhagen
3 hours ago
If this is college, there are bigger things to worry about than phone use. It feels very juvenile, like having to ask for a bathroom pass in first grade.
– Vladhagen
3 hours ago
2
2
I would add that occasionally I use my phone to look up definitions/ideas that I forgot from a previous lecture. Personally I think it is better to let me use my phone to do so rather than have me interrupt the whole class or go through the whole lecture confused.
– TomGrubb
3 hours ago
I would add that occasionally I use my phone to look up definitions/ideas that I forgot from a previous lecture. Personally I think it is better to let me use my phone to do so rather than have me interrupt the whole class or go through the whole lecture confused.
– TomGrubb
3 hours ago
1
1
Although I am entirely willing to believe that many of them are not using their phones for any constructive purpose related to the course, they might be. Looking up things that they've forgotten. This is similar to not knowing whether someone who's writing on paper is taking notes, or just writing a note to a friend. Beyond our power to directly control. For that matter, it can be both, interlaced. Don't worry about it, is my advice.
– paul garrett
2 hours ago
Although I am entirely willing to believe that many of them are not using their phones for any constructive purpose related to the course, they might be. Looking up things that they've forgotten. This is similar to not knowing whether someone who's writing on paper is taking notes, or just writing a note to a friend. Beyond our power to directly control. For that matter, it can be both, interlaced. Don't worry about it, is my advice.
– paul garrett
2 hours ago
 |Â
show 1 more comment
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
up vote
4
down vote
Well, we are educating adults - and they should be able to decide what's good for them and what's bad.
Of course, this philosophy does not work out really well in real classrooms - but some students are using their phones to look up terms I used or check concepts I was teaching online - yes, it really happens!
What I'm doing is confronting them with the results of such behaviour: I'm telling students, that they failed a test because of their phone usage (not only in class but in general). From time to time I demonstrate that they do not follow the course by taking someone as an example for something who is currently using the phone and they do not recognize we are talking about them.
But if you take it too serious, you can only lose.
edited 2 hours ago
Buffy
25.5k682139
answered 3 hours ago
OBu
8,87422142
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
If it bothers you, stop class a second. Tell them to please put their phones away. Proceed.
Personally I don't much care, though it does bug me for example when I take precious class time out of the syllabus to review for an exam, which I need primarily for a few lagging students, and the slacks are playing with their phones rather than listening. At which point I'll embarrass them by asking them to listen.
Just don't make too big a deal of demanding everyone turns the phones or ringers off (unless you have to single out someone who has a really loud one or which goes off a lot) because sooner or later you own phone will ring in class and you'll look like a fool if you acted like it was verboten.
answered 2 hours ago
A Simple Algorithm
1,5258
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
I don't mind my students use their cellphones in class. In fact, I encourage to use them by tossing open questions in systems like Mentimeter or even a simple Google form can do the job of attracting the student's attention and provide real-time feedback on the topic you are presenting. Just be creative and use technology on your favor!
answered 2 hours ago
Javier Enciso
478
New contributor
Javier Enciso is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Integrating the technology into the classroom in a constructive way is quite different from random, unrelated use, of course.
– Buffy
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
4
down vote
Well, we are educating adults - and they should be able to decide what's good for them and what's bad.
Of course, this philosophy does not work out really well in real classrooms - but some students are using their phones to look up terms I used or check concepts I was teaching online - yes, it really happens!
What I'm doing is confronting them with the results of such behaviour: I'm telling students, that they failed a test because of their phone usage (not only in class but in general). From time to time I demonstrate that they do not follow the course by taking someone as an example for something who is currently using the phone and they do not recognize we are talking about them.
But if you take it too serious, you can only lose.
edited 2 hours ago
Buffy
25.5k682139
answered 3 hours ago
OBu
8,87422142
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
Well, we are educating adults - and they should be able to decide what's good for them and what's bad.
Of course, this philosophy does not work out really well in real classrooms - but some students are using their phones to look up terms I used or check concepts I was teaching online - yes, it really happens!
What I'm doing is confronting them with the results of such behaviour: I'm telling students, that they failed a test because of their phone usage (not only in class but in general). From time to time I demonstrate that they do not follow the course by taking someone as an example for something who is currently using the phone and they do not recognize we are talking about them.
But if you take it too serious, you can only lose.
edited 2 hours ago
Buffy
25.5k682139
answered 3 hours ago
OBu
8,87422142
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
up vote
4
down vote
Well, we are educating adults - and they should be able to decide what's good for them and what's bad.
Of course, this philosophy does not work out really well in real classrooms - but some students are using their phones to look up terms I used or check concepts I was teaching online - yes, it really happens!
What I'm doing is confronting them with the results of such behaviour: I'm telling students, that they failed a test because of their phone usage (not only in class but in general). From time to time I demonstrate that they do not follow the course by taking someone as an example for something who is currently using the phone and they do not recognize we are talking about them.
But if you take it too serious, you can only lose.
edited 2 hours ago
Buffy
25.5k682139
answered 3 hours ago
OBu
8,87422142
Well, we are educating adults - and they should be able to decide what's good for them and what's bad.
Of course, this philosophy does not work out really well in real classrooms - but some students are using their phones to look up terms I used or check concepts I was teaching online - yes, it really happens!
What I'm doing is confronting them with the results of such behaviour: I'm telling students, that they failed a test because of their phone usage (not only in class but in general). From time to time I demonstrate that they do not follow the course by taking someone as an example for something who is currently using the phone and they do not recognize we are talking about them.
But if you take it too serious, you can only lose.
edited 2 hours ago
Buffy
25.5k682139
answered 3 hours ago
OBu
8,87422142
edited 2 hours ago
Buffy
25.5k682139
edited 2 hours ago
Buffy
25.5k682139
edited 2 hours ago
Buffy
25.5k682139
25.5k682139
answered 3 hours ago
OBu
8,87422142
answered 3 hours ago
OBu
8,87422142
answered 3 hours ago
OBu
8,87422142
8,87422142
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
If it bothers you, stop class a second. Tell them to please put their phones away. Proceed.
Personally I don't much care, though it does bug me for example when I take precious class time out of the syllabus to review for an exam, which I need primarily for a few lagging students, and the slacks are playing with their phones rather than listening. At which point I'll embarrass them by asking them to listen.
Just don't make too big a deal of demanding everyone turns the phones or ringers off (unless you have to single out someone who has a really loud one or which goes off a lot) because sooner or later you own phone will ring in class and you'll look like a fool if you acted like it was verboten.
answered 2 hours ago
A Simple Algorithm
1,5258
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
If it bothers you, stop class a second. Tell them to please put their phones away. Proceed.
Personally I don't much care, though it does bug me for example when I take precious class time out of the syllabus to review for an exam, which I need primarily for a few lagging students, and the slacks are playing with their phones rather than listening. At which point I'll embarrass them by asking them to listen.
Just don't make too big a deal of demanding everyone turns the phones or ringers off (unless you have to single out someone who has a really loud one or which goes off a lot) because sooner or later you own phone will ring in class and you'll look like a fool if you acted like it was verboten.
answered 2 hours ago
A Simple Algorithm
1,5258
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
If it bothers you, stop class a second. Tell them to please put their phones away. Proceed.
Personally I don't much care, though it does bug me for example when I take precious class time out of the syllabus to review for an exam, which I need primarily for a few lagging students, and the slacks are playing with their phones rather than listening. At which point I'll embarrass them by asking them to listen.
Just don't make too big a deal of demanding everyone turns the phones or ringers off (unless you have to single out someone who has a really loud one or which goes off a lot) because sooner or later you own phone will ring in class and you'll look like a fool if you acted like it was verboten.
answered 2 hours ago
A Simple Algorithm
1,5258
If it bothers you, stop class a second. Tell them to please put their phones away. Proceed.
Personally I don't much care, though it does bug me for example when I take precious class time out of the syllabus to review for an exam, which I need primarily for a few lagging students, and the slacks are playing with their phones rather than listening. At which point I'll embarrass them by asking them to listen.
Just don't make too big a deal of demanding everyone turns the phones or ringers off (unless you have to single out someone who has a really loud one or which goes off a lot) because sooner or later you own phone will ring in class and you'll look like a fool if you acted like it was verboten.
answered 2 hours ago
A Simple Algorithm
1,5258
answered 2 hours ago
A Simple Algorithm
1,5258
answered 2 hours ago
A Simple Algorithm
1,5258
answered 2 hours ago
A Simple Algorithm
1,5258
1,5258
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
I don't mind my students use their cellphones in class. In fact, I encourage to use them by tossing open questions in systems like Mentimeter or even a simple Google form can do the job of attracting the student's attention and provide real-time feedback on the topic you are presenting. Just be creative and use technology on your favor!
answered 2 hours ago
Javier Enciso
478
New contributor
Javier Enciso is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Integrating the technology into the classroom in a constructive way is quite different from random, unrelated use, of course.
– Buffy
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
I don't mind my students use their cellphones in class. In fact, I encourage to use them by tossing open questions in systems like Mentimeter or even a simple Google form can do the job of attracting the student's attention and provide real-time feedback on the topic you are presenting. Just be creative and use technology on your favor!
answered 2 hours ago
Javier Enciso
478
New contributor
Javier Enciso is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Integrating the technology into the classroom in a constructive way is quite different from random, unrelated use, of course.
– Buffy
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
I don't mind my students use their cellphones in class. In fact, I encourage to use them by tossing open questions in systems like Mentimeter or even a simple Google form can do the job of attracting the student's attention and provide real-time feedback on the topic you are presenting. Just be creative and use technology on your favor!
answered 2 hours ago
Javier Enciso
478
New contributor
Javier Enciso is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
I don't mind my students use their cellphones in class. In fact, I encourage to use them by tossing open questions in systems like Mentimeter or even a simple Google form can do the job of attracting the student's attention and provide real-time feedback on the topic you are presenting. Just be creative and use technology on your favor!
answered 2 hours ago
Javier Enciso
478
New contributor
Javier Enciso is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 2 hours ago
Javier Enciso
478
New contributor
Javier Enciso is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 2 hours ago
Javier Enciso
478
answered 2 hours ago
Javier Enciso
478
478
New contributor
Javier Enciso is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Javier Enciso is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Javier Enciso is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Integrating the technology into the classroom in a constructive way is quite different from random, unrelated use, of course.
– Buffy
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
Integrating the technology into the classroom in a constructive way is quite different from random, unrelated use, of course.
– Buffy
1 hour ago
Integrating the technology into the classroom in a constructive way is quite different from random, unrelated use, of course.
– Buffy
1 hour ago
Integrating the technology into the classroom in a constructive way is quite different from random, unrelated use, of course.
– Buffy
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
SYH is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
SYH is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
SYH is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
SYH is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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3
Why is this a problem? Are test scores falling? Can you demonstrate that cell phone use in class is negatively correlated with specific learning outcomes?
– Robert Columbia
3 hours ago
What is the size of the class room? Do you have a written policy statement in your Course Outline? Have you asked your colleagues how they handle this? Are the students distracting others who are otherwise paying attention?
– Jeffrey J Weimer
3 hours ago
1
If this is college, there are bigger things to worry about than phone use. It feels very juvenile, like having to ask for a bathroom pass in first grade.
– Vladhagen
3 hours ago
2
I would add that occasionally I use my phone to look up definitions/ideas that I forgot from a previous lecture. Personally I think it is better to let me use my phone to do so rather than have me interrupt the whole class or go through the whole lecture confused.
– TomGrubb
3 hours ago
1
Although I am entirely willing to believe that many of them are not using their phones for any constructive purpose related to the course, they might be. Looking up things that they've forgotten. This is similar to not knowing whether someone who's writing on paper is taking notes, or just writing a note to a friend. Beyond our power to directly control. For that matter, it can be both, interlaced. Don't worry about it, is my advice.
– paul garrett
2 hours ago