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Phones in schools

Should mobile phones be banned in school?

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Yes defos otherwise everyone’s just going to get distracted by their phones or distract others with their phone
Yh. It wasnt really that deep not being allowed to use them in school but people made a big deal out of it
I'd say yes up to year 11 but no for sixth form
Original post by Aarif - Newman University Rep
Should mobile phones be banned in school?

Yep, I'm only allowed to use mine now that I'm in 6th form, and I reckon that's how it should be
Reply 5
Avatar for _scythe
_scythe
12
Mobiles can have their uses in the classroom. For example, not every school and department will have enough money to ensure every student has access to a laptop or tablet, but most students will have a mobile that they can access online quizzes on (e.g. Kahoot). They can also be useful in catering to some different learning styles.

However, they shouldn't be used as the main focus of a lesson! Their use should only be for a quiz perhaps, or if you are made to jot down a homework assignment.

A total phone ban on-site therefore isn't the best move as they do have their uses, however teachers would be wise to set clear guidelines on the use of phones in the classroom, even if those guidelines are on the more strict side :smile:
ours was basically keep it in your locker and if were caught you had to hand it in and collect it at end of day
phones were an issue back then with people getting distracted and that was before smartphones became mainstream
must be mental now as everyone is itching to get online
It should be up to individual schools to decide their mobile phone polices rather than the current talk of the government banning them.
Pre-smartphones should be allowed in schools for emergencies and to uncover abuse.
As long as you are allowed to listen to music in class I don't care, but when they try and ban phones which also bans people form listening to music to concentrate on work it's real stupid. Also they should be allowed at breaks and lunch at the very least.
I think phones should be allowed to an extent there should be a rule like unless your using it for school work it must be in your pocket or bag and on silent or turned off except for at break and lunch times. Every body has some type of smart phone now it’s no longer a novelty or as much of a distraction as it would have been in the past.
Original post by _scythe
Mobiles can have their uses in the classroom. For example, not every school and department will have enough money to ensure every student has access to a laptop or tablet, but most students will have a mobile that they can access online quizzes on (e.g. Kahoot). They can also be useful in catering to some different learning styles.

However, they shouldn't be used as the main focus of a lesson! Their use should only be for a quiz perhaps, or if you are made to jot down a homework assignment.

A total phone ban on-site therefore isn't the best move as they do have their uses, however teachers would be wise to set clear guidelines on the use of phones in the classroom, even if those guidelines are on the more strict side :smile:


That homework one is cool it would also be a good project for the IT department to make an app to replace the home work diary.
No black and white answer imo, and it just causes more problems to try and force it. The outside world doesn't stop when you go to school or work, as much as authority figures would like to pretend it does.
I don’t see the point.
Realistically kids are going to have them,ban the use of them outside of break so you have a reasonably enforceable policy.
Reply 14
Avatar for RJDG14
RJDG14
16
Ultimately, it should be a decision left to individual schools, not one of the government. I personally see no problem with students at secondary schools using their phones at break, or for educational purposes in lessons with the permission of the teacher. I feel teachers should be able to ask a student to stop using their phone in a lesson if they have no reason to be using it, though. The kind of education system the current government seems to be trying to create is seriously out of touch with modern times - I feel we should be focusing on improving the school environment to improve results (many of the UK's school buildings are in a rather poor state compared to those in northern European countries, Canada and the better public schools in the US) rather than discipline, and would roll back the majority of the post-2010 education policy if I was the education secretary in favour of a more liberal approach to school education.

I don't understand why our current government claims to be giving "more power" to schools via the creation of academies when they're becoming increasingly bureaucratic on issues such as this and on insisting that schools promote "British values". They recently encouraged primary schools to take part in singing a propaganda song (not officially described as such but that's blatantly what it is) called One Britain One Nation, which was far more reminiscent of something you'd expect from Russia or China than a democratic nation built on liberty and individualism.
(edited 2 years ago)
No - at least not in breaks & lunch for year 9/10 and up.

I say this as someone who took Latin and Spanish for GCSE because often people would revise using quizlet on their phone. I understand that people can use the computer rooms at school or the library but teachers might enforce quiet/silence which is not helpful when people are revising with their friends.

Having access to phones also allows students to satisfy their curiosity by looking things up if they just want a quick answer or want to look at books before going to the library.

Also, just saying, students wouldn't listen to an all out phone ban - even if it is until year 11.
Reply 16
Avatar for 161BMW
161BMW
17
Original post by Aarif - Newman University Rep
Should mobile phones be banned in school?


Yes
Reply 17
Avatar for 161BMW
161BMW
17
Original post by thonks
ours was basically keep it in your locker and if were caught you had to hand it in and collect it at end of day
phones were an issue back then with people getting distracted and that was before smartphones became mainstream
must be mental now as everyone is itching to get online

When I was at school you weren’t allowed phones. If you had one they got confiscated. Headteacher said they are for businessmen not school kids. I was in Sixth Form then.
Original post by Aarif - Newman University Rep
Should mobile phones be banned in school?


For the most part phones should be banned in the classroom as they can create a disruption. However, I do think for this to happen some changes need to be made when it comes to the technology that schools have. For a lot of schools they do not have enough computers/laptops/tablets for multiple classes to use at once, which is tough if you are in a subject which requires you to do research or to use technology like computers to actually do the work. Another thing is the devices usually at school will not allow you to google certain topics if they are not considered kid friendly, this is good until for one of your subjects you have to learn about terrorism and euthanasia for your exams and the only way you could access articles was from your phone (this happened to me in high school when I took Modern Studies and Religious Studies). So overall I would say no until changes are made.
Original post by Aarif - Newman University Rep
Should mobile phones be banned in school?

Define "banned".

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