Mobiles in the classroom

Should mobile phones be banned in the classroom?

Twenty years ago, the use of mobile phones in classrooms was unknown. Nowadays, however, all students here at ADMC have a laptop and at least one mobile phone with them in class every day.

Mobiles are a feature of modern life and banning them from the classroom is probably neither necessary nor practical. Students need to be in touch with friends and families, particularly if anyone is ill or in trouble. Furthermore, many students have jobs or run businesses and need to be in regular touch with employers and employees. In addition, more advanced phones have functions which are educationally useful.

On the other hand, mobiles in the classroom can undoubtedly distract students from their studies. The noise of sending and receiving calls and messages will distract not only the individual student but the whole class, and this is clearly a nuisance. Using mobiles while the teacher is talking is, moreover, highly disrespectful to the teacher. Finally, of course, ADMC has notices in all classrooms strictly prohibiting the use of mobile phones, as well as the consumption of food and drink.

In summary, it is probably not practical to prevent students bringing mobile phones to class. What the teacher can do is switch his own phone to silent at the beginning of the lesson and encourage students to do the same. Incoming calls and messages may still be a distraction but students should be persuaded to wait until the end of the lesson before answering.

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