5 Ways to Overcome Distracting Cell Phone Use During Class Time
Cell phones are a wonderful invention. They allow everyone to stay in contact with each other while on the go- no need to remain at home to receive a phone call or even be attached to a cord when doing it!
However, cell phone use in schools has become quite a problem to overcome for teachers. Students are using them in class instead of paying attention to the lesson at hand. As much as I tell new teachers to incorporate technology into their lessons to lessen this obstacle, sometimes a lesson is more effective without a cell phone component. In those instances, there are ways to combat the cell phone usage in a respectful, orderly way.
Below are my top 5 suggested ways to overcome cell phones in classrooms when a lesson doesn’t call for their use:
1. ON or OFF signs
Create clear visuals with the words ‘On’ and ‘Off’ written on them. Ideally, write the words in all capital letters on a white backdrop. Since the color green is associated with ‘Go,’ use this color for the wording of the ‘on’ sign and since the color red is associated with ‘Stop,’ use this color for the wording of the ‘off’ sign. Once the signs are made, place them in a prominent place in the room where students look often; ideally, the front of the room, like the front board, affixed with a push pin. Be sure to stand at the back of the room to ensure it is easily seen from the last seat in the last row. When the sign is ‘on,’ students know that cell phones can be visible or in use during the lesson. When the sign is ‘off,’ the cell phones are off and out of sight. I suggest choosing a location to store cell phones so there is no gray area for compliance here.
2. StopLight
This strategy is very similar to the ‘On’ and ‘Off’ signs. Create a stoplight visual that is large enough for everyone to see in the class and color it accordingly. Label the top red circle with ‘ No Use;’ the yellow middle circle with ‘Exceptions;’ and the bottom green circle “At Your Own Risk/Fully Immersed” with technology. (Feel free to use your own labels.) Once the sign is made, place it in a prominent place in the room where students look often; ideally, the front of the room, like the front board, affixed with a push pin. Be sure to stand at the back of the room to ensure it is easily seen from the last seat in the last row. Attach a clothespin to the appropriate colored circle to alert students about the level of technology use in class that day. That way when students walk into the classroom and look at the board to find out what they should do with their cell phone, they will be able to get settled appropriately without you having to address students. This requires 3 separate procedures, one for green, yellow and red instructional days. For example, on yellow days you might allow student cell phones on desk, turned off and over so that they are easily accessible when the technology component of the lesson arrives.
3. Shoe Holder
Purchase a door shoe holder from a local store. Hang this in a prominent place in the classroom where you can easily access it and where its in view of everyone present in the room. Assign each holder a number, then assign each student a number; alphabetical order works to start and then any new students that arrive can add on to the end of the list. You might want to assign each desk a number and when a student sits at that desk number, that is the number of the shoe holder they utilize that day so that you don’t have to worry about new students throwing the order off. Be clear that cell phones remain in the shoe holder from the beginning to the end of the lesson, so students are not traveling to the shoe holder to check their phone during transitions or when work is finished early.
4. Chalkboard Ledge
An affordable strategy is to have students place their cell phones on the chalkboard ledge of the front board during class time. This is an efficient procedure because students drop off their phone on the way into the class and pick it up on the way out since the board ledge is often right near the classroom door. There is no order necessary here, but feel free to label the ledge with a number and assign each student a number. This is great for attendance, as an empty phone space on the ledge means a student is absent. (Of course, if not every student has or brings a cell phone to class, this procedure would not help with attendance.) The same rule applies to this strategy as it did for the shoe holder: Be clear that cell phones remain on the ledge from the beginning to the end of the lesson, so students are not traveling to the shoe holder to check their phone during transitions or when work is finished.
5. Safety Box
Grab a large enough storage container to host student cell phones. Decide on a location to place the container so students can quickly and easily drop cell phones into the bin on the way to their seat upon arrival into the classroom. I suggest standing at the doorway to greet students, holding the bin so that other students cannot touch each other’s phones, or worse, take them. Once all cell phones are collected, find a location in the classroom where the bin is visible to all students but not accessible- maybe on top of file cabinet near your teacher desk. You want to avoid putting the box in a locked drawer as students can take a stand about lack of safety of being out of sight and hard to access in case of an emergency.
No matter was strategy you use to combat cell phones, be sure to roll out the new procedure thoroughly. This means explain to students the rationale behind the procedure (“Cell phones can be distracting to the learning process, when a lesson does not call for technology integration.”) as well as the actual steps of the procedure (“On non-tech days, you will first…., then… and lastly, …”). This ensures your students know the reason you are asking for them to comply as well as how to comply. As with any procedure, it will take a few days for students to become accustomed to the change and for the procedure to run smooth start to finish. I always suggest taking ideas from the students themselves; this buy-in increases student willingness to cooperate since they feel valued that their idea was taken into consideration. I have learned over the years in my classroom experience that student ideas can often be better than my own. As one last piece of advice, be prepared for flexibility of the procedure in case obstacles arise you haven’t originally thought of- route, location, noise level, pacing, etc. Just tweak as you go and listen to the kiddos. This has to be a procedure they see worthwhile or their lack of support will be extremely difficult to overcome.
How do you combat the challenge of cell phones in the classroom when a lesson doesn’t call for their use?
Share your idea with others!
About the author, Gretchen
I am a teacher trainer and coach. Working elbow to elbow with teachers and teacher leaders to ensure instructional proficiency and student achievement soar lights me up. We have a real need in our nation for strong educators to remain in the field. My blog, book, podcast, courses and instructional materials are geared towards empowering teachers (and those that lead them) to receive the support needed to grow and thrive today, tomorrow and always.