Nevada teacher comes up with idea to keep student engaged
Smartphones are arguably one of the most distracting possessions we own, although a helpful piece of technology in many ways, they can hinder concentration.
But a Nevada teacher, fed up with pupils not paying attention in the class, came up with an ingeniously effective plan to stop smartphone use in class.
As the smartphone becomes more integrated into everyone’s lives in the developed world, schools face a massive issue of prizing students away from the devices.
Even though cellphone use is banned in most schools during class, it has failed to prevent students from breaking the rules during lessons.
Classes are frequently interrupted by teachers reprimanding a student for using their smartphones, leading pupils to become disengaged from learning.
Concerned Spanish teacher Debbie Simon became so worried by the way smartphone disrupted student’s ability to focus and learn; she took the issue into her own hands.
Before the class begins, Simon ordered every student to put their phones inside a magnetically sealed pouch, which can only be unlocked after class by a unique magnetic base at the front of the classroom.
But when the program was introduced in the classroom, Simon faced immediate backlash form her students.
Las Vegas high school experiments with locking students’ phones away during class https://t.co/eGkmPL8m9N pic.twitter.com/X9xottnmLf
— KTNV Action News (@KTNV) January 26, 2018
Even parents had concerns saying they were worried about reaching their children during the day.
But those concerns were quickly diminished after the school after the school assured parents that they could call the school’s phone directly, something all parents did before the advent of cell phones.
Even though there was still pushback from students, the result of the program was so positive; students stopped complaining.
Just a few days after having no phones in class, many students reported feeling more focused and engaged.
The teacher described how she had never seen a classroom readier to learn and believed the new program could reinvigorate education beyond just that school.
Following the year the program was implemented, students began reporting feeling less stressed and distracted during class.
Students also reported a boost in their grades and overall knowledge of the subject.
Many more classrooms have adopted the program with great success.
The school hopes to have all classes follow the program, believing the positive reactions and results from the students has ignited the success.
Many schools reported including similar programs to their daily routines, seeing substantial beneficial results.
The banning of cellphones has also reached places like concerts, where performing artists both wish to remain undistracted while playing and keep the audience engaged.
This new program could be hugely beneficial in all areas, taking away the stress of cellphones and leaving us solely in touch with the people and activities around us.
Even a few hours a day could prove beneficial.