By Minh Ngoc Le
As society transitions to an increasingly digital world, so does the nature of school systems, from utilizing daily Chromebooks as early as middle school to implementing “bring your own device” policies. An increased use of technology comes with its complications — specifically regarding personal smartphone usage.
Impacts of smartphone usage in school
According to the Harvard Graduate School of Education, “existing studies provide evidence that allowing phones in the classroom negatively impacts test scores and long-term learning retention … Some studies suggest negative relationships between off-task device use and student achievement. Further, research has shown that cell phones distract and negatively impact reaction times, performance, enjoyment of focal tasks and cognitive capacity.”
Over the past several decades, many large school districts in California have experimented with cellphone bans, including Santa Barbara Unified School District, which no longer allows access to cellphones, smart watches or headphones during classes; Carlsbad Unified Board and Chico Unified School District have discussed potential, similar bans.
However, most cellphone bans have been repealed due to their unpopularity with parents and students and concerns over equity, as low-income students often have mobile-only access to the Internet.
How are we combating this?
At Fountain Valley High School (FVHS), the school-wide honor code has one rule regarding personal, smartphone use: “The student will refrain from utilizing technology such as hand-held computers, cell phones, digital cameras, calculators, recording devices, or any form of generative artificial intelligence (AI) without explicit teacher permission on academic assignments and exams.”
In addition to enforcing the school honor code, some FVHS teachers also utilize phone pockets as a way to increase productivity in their classrooms.
In a Baron Banner survey sent out to FVHS teachers, 33 teachers responded, with 54.4% utilizing phone pockets: 33.3% at all times and 21.2% occasionally. The remaining 45.5% of teachers do not utilize phone pockets.
All teachers, no matter their phone pocket policies, saw a drastic increase in phone usage in the classroom after returning to school from the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers reported seeing changes in student behaviors, from decreased social interactions with their peers, an increased sense of distraction, rising mental health issues and an uncontrollable usage of phones in the classroom.
“Students are generally less attentive and analytical. Many struggle to process information both verbally and in written form with any depth. The first inclination is to rely on the device rather than the ability to think and problem solve on their own,” English teacher Dawn Lawler said.
“Students don’t talk to each other as much in person anymore. After the pandemic, social awkwardness is worse than ever. And students are very defiant about putting phones away unless they get used to the daily routine of storing them,” English teacher Stephanie Palmer said.
To combat this problem, many teachers choose to utilize phone pockets in their classrooms — a large, communal storage space with multiple pockets for students to put their phones in during class time. Students would then retrieve their phones by the end of each period or at the teacher’s discretion. Ever since doing so, teachers have reported seeing positive effects on behaviors in their classrooms.
“They are definitely more attentive and the projects in my Data Science class have gotten way better,” math teacher Jane Springer said.
“Using phone pockets has caused an increase in engagement and students being present at the moment,” history teacher Brenda Silvertooth said.
Others choose to utilize them occasionally rather than full-time, often during exams, as an extra credit opportunity, or any occasion where phone usage is deemed unnecessary. Some teachers only enforce this policy on certain class periods.
“I use it in my elective course consisting of younger and less academic students. They seem to have a harder time making good choices with regard to knowing what times are appropriate and what times are not,” science teacher Emily Barro said.
“[I utilize phone pockets] when I see that about 50% (or more) students in a given class period are underperforming academically and/or not relating well to classmates in the room because they are chronically distracted. I generally give a given period many warnings before the phone pockets come to be used,” English teacher Annalise Attreed said.
Many teachers, however, do not utilize phone pockets in their classrooms over numerous concerns. In past times, there have been occasions of devices getting damaged or stolen, whether it be on purpose or accidentally. Digital activities such as Quizlet, Blooket or Kahoot can also be used on phones, which can be more easily accessed if students have it nearby. Others have decided to deal with this on a case-by-case basis or, instead, take this chance to educate their students about digital citizenship, allowing them to make responsible decisions for themselves.
“Some students will put their phones in their pockets and then just stare at the pockets. There is also a chance that a student puts a phone in the pocket and that is not the phone they use, a decoy. I think we should be teaching the students appropriate electronic/gadget responsibility and citizenship as some teachers want the students to use their phones as a tool in the classroom,” math teacher Marianne Karp said.
“I don’t use them because I am naive and optimistic that students will make choices that will benefit them. At the beginning of the year, we read articles about teen phone use and lack of productivity; we discussed whether or not students are capable of self-regulating themselves, and then we put the decision to an anonymous vote as to whether or not we should use the phone pockets. The vote has always been that students should hang onto their phones,” English teacher Terick Thomas said.
Despite almost half of the surveyed participants voting “no” for phone pocket usage, most are considering using them in the upcoming school year.
As the survey concludes, it’s evident that phone pockets in classrooms have garnered mixed responses among teachers. While some have seamlessly integrated them into their teaching routines, others remain hesitant or undecided. Nevertheless, the growing consideration for their use signals a potential shift in classroom dynamics, balancing the benefits of technology with the need for student focus and engagement.
