Since the start of the 2018-2019 academic year in France, mobile phones are completely banned in schools from kindergarten to 9th grade. France has set a precedent and I wouldn’t be surprised to see more countries adopting this policy in the near future. Many things can be said about the presence of smartphones in the classroom. I’m sure that there are numerous studies showing the detrimental and negative effects of mobile phones’ presence in the classroom. Some parents and teachers have labeled it as a distraction and directly linked smartphones with poor performance at school. Research carried out by the University of Chicago revealed that even when cell phones were switched off, turned face down or tucked away, their mere presence reduced people’s cognitive capacity. However, some people disagree that mobile phones should be banned from schools. On the other hand, mobile phones can be quite instrumental in helping students learn more and turning them into self-efficient and independent learners.
To be honest, I’m myself divided on this matter. I can understand both sides’ point of viewpoint but it does feel a bit drastic to ban mobile phones from schools. Below I’m going to share a video from common sense education that talks about different ways to deal with mobile phones in the classroom. I highly recommend that you check out their webpage where you will find strategies and tools for managing digital distractions.
You will find more information at https://www.commonsense.org/education/teaching-strategies/dealing-with-digital-distraction-in-the-classroom