Increasingly schools, districts, and some states are moving to widespread bans on phones.

Some bans merely enact a “no phone” policy and put it on the schools and teachers to figure out enforcement. (Gee, thanks...)  Other bans go a step further and provide locked pouches or bags that students are required to use.

With all of the strongly worded policies, it seems like things should be easier for teachers.  

Unfortunately, that is rarely the case unless your school administration takes over the monitoring and enforcement of cell phones.

The current cell phone situation in one word?  Transition.

The shift toward banning phone use in class seems to be making slow yet steady progress.

However, many teachers still find themselves in the familiar position of having to create and uphold their own classroom phone policy.

If you’re one of those teachers still responsible for managing student cell phones, we’ll talk you through a few options.

Some considerations as you decide on your cell phone rules:

• What cell phone policy will support student engagement?

• What policy makes classroom management easier for me?

• What policy can I sustain/enforce over the entire school year?

• What policy will the students be willing to abide by?  What policy will they NOT abide by?

• What policy will best encourage positive rapport with my students?

• What policy can I justify when explaining it to parents/guardians/school administration?

Cell Phone Option #1: “Empowering Students”

With this approach, you ask your students to be responsible and mature with their phones during class.  You tell your classes that you prefer they put their phones away but ultimately, that decision is up to each student.  You believe that if they want to learn the material (and pass your class), students will need to self-regulate and put their phones away on their own.

Option #1 works better with high school students.  If you are teaching younger grades, most educators would agree those students aren’t ready for this amount of independence.

Pros of “Empowering Students”: 

• You expend less time and energy on daily cell phone enforcement.  

• Students will view you as a teacher who trusts them and treats them like adults.  Neat!

• There is a school of thought that “forcing” students to do anything creates an atmosphere of authoritarianism not conducive to a positive learning environment.

What Can Go Wrong With “Empowering Students”? (Hint: a lot.)

If you go with Option #1, you feel good for the first few weeks when students are typically at their most compliant. 

After the honeymoon phase, you notice phones becoming more visible in your class.  At first, the students are mostly paying attention during your lesson introductions.   Then, as soon as the classwork starts, the phones come out.  Within a month, you even catch students looking at their phones while you’re talking!

Don’t feel too bad – cell phones are not easy to compete with.  Multi-billion dollar companies ensure the content on phones is highly engaging.

If Option #1 goes bad on you, the result can be a teacher’s worst nightmare. 

Picture this:  you’re at the board explaining a concept to the six students who “want to learn” while the rest are looking down at their devices.  It can happen.  Nobody became a teacher for that.

When I briefly experimented with Option #1 in my class, I began to hear students complain that “he didn’t teach us this” and “we never learned that”.  My guess is they were engaged with their phones when I taught “that”.  Considering the time and effort I and all teachers put into lesson and unit planning, that type of complaint gets old fast.

One more consideration: teachers who are lenient with phone rules tend to see more incidents of students filming and posting videos from that class to social media.  Occasionally, these videos are inappropriate – not a good look for the teacher in charge.

Tips to Make Option #1 Work:

• Create a few “Phone Etiquette Absolutes”: no talking on the phone, no filming videos, no taking photos of other students, nothing that distracts the people around them, etc. 

• Spend time talking with students about what “mature” cell phone use looks like.  Share research and data to educate students about the pros and cons of cell phones/social media on their education and mental health.

• Consider having blocks of time that are “cell phone free” like lectures or when you’re giving instructions.  (If this happens a lot, it begins to look like option #2, which is OK.)

Cell Phone Option #2: “Silent and Put Away, Please”

With this option, your expectation is that students put their phones away (out of sight) during class. You explain that the purpose of this policy is to maximize student learning and promote student interaction and collaboration. Plus, you really don’t want to teach with large numbers of students looking down at their phones.  With option #2, because you’re not a monster, you occasionally allow students to use phones on assignments and to listen to music during independent work times or after tests.  

Pros of the “Silent and Put Away” Approach:

• The majority of students will likely keep their phones out of sight merely because it is the teacher’s policy.  (Consistent reminders and enforcement make all the difference here.)

• You maximize student attention during your most essential instructional moments.

• It allows you to “reward” students with cell phone access at your discretion.

• When administrators observe your class, they’ll note fewer cell phone distractions.

What Can Go Wrong With The “Silent and Put Away” Option?

If you select Option #2, you clearly explain this policy to the students on the very first day of school. They nod in agreement! They get it.  Everyone in the room knows that cell phones are a distraction.  You feel good about this policy for the first couple of weeks.

But by the third week of school, you notice the phones are being put away more slowly at the start of your class.  Your repeated requests to put phones away are now met with the occasional eye roll.  Several students start leaving their phones on their desks during class instead of tucking them into a backpack.  They want to see what you’ll do.

One day, when you ask a student to put a phone away, you get this reply: “Just a sec, I need to text my mom real quick”. You don’t buy it…good for you!  

But bad news: your policy is being tested.

Two scenarios to think about (because they will BOTH happen): 

• How will you react when a student refuses to put their phone away at the start of class?
• How will you react when a student takes their phone out in the middle of your important lecture and begins watching The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel or playing Minecraft?

If you choose Option #2: you are committing yourself to daily reminders and possibly the application of more punitive consequences if and when students don’t comply. 

Tips to Make This Option Work:

• Students will need daily reminders to put their phones away.  Keep it positive to maintain a good working rapport with them.

• If students don’t comply, have a clear and reasonable set of consequences. Start by calmly giving a warning. Next: notify parents/guardians with a brief phone call or email. Third: involve a school administrator. 

• If you allow students to listen to music during individual work times, make it clear this does not include social media or games.  If the phone prevents academic work, you can no longer offer that reward.

• Lots of kids will want to listen to music during group work time. In the interest of basic etiquette and to promote human interaction, consider saying no to that one.

Cell Phone Option #3: “Cell Phone Pockets”

You designate an area in class with pockets (like shoe holders) that are numbered. Students are assigned a number — maybe it’s on their desk — and are then required to put their phone in the correct pocket as they walk into the room. Your goal is a distraction-free learning environment.  You hear wild rumors of other teachers on campus taking attendance by looking to see whose phone is not in the correct pocket.  You don’t plan to do that.  At the end of class, students grab their phones on the way out.  

Note: We understand some districts no longer allow this option because it dispossesses students of their property during class.  

Pros of Using the Cell Phone Pockets:

• You face minimal competition for student attention.  Big win!

• The phone expectations are clear and straightforward.

• Your vigilance is needed only at the start of each class.  After that, the rest of the period is essentially “enforcement” free. 

• If you work at a school where lots of teachers choose this option, it will be easier to implement. 

• If you can get student buy-in, this is the easiest and most sustainable phone management system.

What Can Go Wrong With The “Cell Phone Pocket” Approach? 

If you pick Option #3, you start the year with some unhappy students.  They’re unhappy because they really don’t want to give up their phones. Students who might lack the resilience or confidence to work through academic challenges are suddenly the most persistent humans on the planet. They. Want. Their.  Phones.

Committing to the policy is critical.  Students will test it.  What if a student decides to stop complying?  If you don’t enforce your policy, you’ll quickly see more and more students refuse to turn in their phones.  By mid-September, your empty cell phone pockets will hang as a daily reminder that your rules are meaningless.

Key: be sure to have an orderly system of dismissal to reduce the opportunity of a student snagging another student’s phone.  The last thing you want is for an administrator to email you about stolen cell phones during your class.  

Tips to Make This Option Work:

• Put away your phone during class.

• Ask around school to see if other teachers are using cell phone pockets.  In my opinion, this is the best option if lots of teachers are doing this.  If not, it might be the worst option because it becomes a very difficult policy to enforce in isolation.

• You may have a couple of students who, for whatever reason, are highly uncomfortable turning in their phones.  Talk to them privately and quietly make a deal with them that as long as you never see their phone out in class, they can keep it in their backpack.  In my experience, they will mostly live up to their end of the bargain.

Remember The Seduction of Popularity

When considering the right cell phone policy for your class, think about the role that rules play in how students view you and your class.

In general, one challenge for all teachers is to be the authority figure while simultaneously being liked by the students.  Every teacher wants to be the “popular” teacher – it’s human nature.  

Some teachers will solve this problem by creating a classroom with total freedom. They indulge the students in whatever request may arise.  These teachers never say “no”.  Their reputation on campus is “fun and easygoing”.  Cell phones are an especially tempting area for a teacher to be “fun and easygoing” with.

As with all things, balance is best. 

Balance being “nice” while holding firm to your 3-5 absolutes.  Many students will thank you (non-verbally, to themselves) for maintaining order amid a world full of chaos. 

Brad has taught history at the middle and high school levels for 19 years, almost exclusively in American public schools.  He holds a master’s in educational technology and is passionate about elevating the status of professional educators.