Frustrated educators disconnecting distracted students from devices Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
By: Maggie Macintosh Posted: 6:40 PM CST Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024

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This article was published 08/02/2024 (916 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

More school leaders across Manitoba are asking students to unplug themselves entirely during lesson times and requesting staff to be role models around positive phone-use.

Tuxedo’s Laidlaw School, Collège Béliveau in Windsor Park and West Kildonan Collegiate are among those that have announced stricter guidelines surrounding personal devices in 2024.

“Ultimately, we want our kids to disconnect with their devices and reconnect with their classmates and teacher,” said Adam Hildebrandt, principal of West Kildonan Collegiate. “We think this really is the best thing for their learning.”

Hildebrandt began his career at the high school in 2004. It was around 2010 when it became commonplace for his students to carry personal devices everywhere they went, and his classroom was no exception.

“We think this really is the best thing for their learning.”–Principal Adam Hildebrandt

The career teacher said he — not unlike many of his colleagues — initially embraced them as tools to further learning and relationship-building and, drawing on his professional expertise, helped others learn how to use them responsibly.

The surge in screen-time among youth since has prompted many to question the place — if any — phones should have at school, he said, noting he spent a chunk of his summer doing research on the issue.

“It crept up on us,” he said.

Notifications were proving distracting during lessons while bathroom breaks were being extended because teens were losing track of time while scrolling in private.

The solution Hildebrandt and his staff came up with is simple — phones are to be put away in lockers or designated spots in every room during lessons. As of this week, students can respond to texts and scroll social media only during spares, lunchtime and before and after classes.

Phone bans have become an increasingly hot topic in education circles throughout the academic year.

Over the weekend, families at Laidlaw School received a notice informing them that children are allowed to use personal devices only for educational purposes, including translation services and test review, and with explicit permission from a teacher.

Collège Béliveau also recently released details for a pilot that will see Grade 9 and 10 students place phones in a locked container and older students power off or silence theirs and “keep them out of sight” when classes are in session for the remainder of the year.

The Division scolaire franco-manitobaine introduced a sweeping ban in the fall to address growing teacher frustrations that they were competing with phones for student attention and the inability to monitor use without a blanket policy backing them up.

One semester in, Collège Louis-Riel’s leader said there is no turning back; in fact, Rémi Lemoine is in support of Manitoba-wide and Canada-wide bans.

Every classroom in the St. Boniface school has been outfitted with “une pochette” (a hanging storage unit with pockets) where students are expected to drop devices before lessons get underway.

“We mention it every day on the intercom, a reminder you’ve got two choices — pochette or lockers.”–Rémi Lemoine

“We mention it every day on the intercom, a reminder you’ve got two choices — pochette or lockers,” Lemoine said, adding the ban is also mentioned in weekly newsletters to families.

Equipped with a basket for students’ phones, the principal undertakes random classroom checks as part of the school’s enforcement plan. Confiscation periods may extend until the end of a school day for repeat offenders and persistent rule breakers’ parents are called to discuss a chronic problem.

Lemoine said teenagers are hardwired to push limits and challenge rules, but as the new norm sets in, he has had to confiscate fewer phones throughout the school year.

Even though some students continue to hide their devices, they are less of a distraction because they don’t want to be caught and have to give them up, he added.

The results of a new survey in the Louis Riel School Division suggests students start bringing phones to school as early as Grade 1, although for most, it’s usually around Grade 7.

Thirty-seven school administrators weighed in on the subject following a division-wide staff meeting last month. Numerous respondents flagged issues with restricting access in their buildings.

Some suggested a cellphone ban would infringe upon teacher autonomy. Others raised enforcement challenges, recommended curricula be updated to explore the relationships students have with technology, and warned outlawing devices would work against the promotion of “safe and responsible use.”

“This is the worst way to create a welcoming and belonging environment. It greets the student by informally saying, ‘I don’t trust you,’” one said.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Maggie Macintosh
Education reporter

Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie.

Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative.

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