Well, that came out of nowhere…
As teachers were recovering from the difficult 2023/2024 school year, having fought for recognition of growing class size and complexity and the shrinking of funds and resources, they were hit with another surprise from the government in August 2024. The Saskatchewan Government announced the implementation of a cellphone ban to take place in schools mere weeks before school was set to begin, not allowing very much time for divisions to figure out what this would look like.
The first thought that probably ran through everyone’s mind is, why? The Education Minister said that the ban would “…allow students to be more engaged with their teachers and be more focused on learning.” (cbc.ca/news) As a teacher, I don’t disagree that a phone ban could help students focus more in class. However, this doesn’t mean that it can take place seemingly overnight and is expected to lead to real change. It also leads me to question just how many experts were consulted in making this decision, or if it was simply something to keep their voters happy moving into election season…
Everybody else is doing it!
This Global News Article from June 2024 shares that BC, Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Quebec had all implemented cellphone bans months before the Saskatchewan Government announced theirs. Something important to note here is that Ontario has since made changes to its cellphone ban to make it a little more realistic.
CTV News reported in August 2024 that Ontario’s new education minister announced changes made to their cellphone ban. Students in kindergarten to 6th grade are asked to keep phones on silent and out of sight unless a teacher allows use… furthermore, students in grades 7-12 will be allowed to use phones on school property outside of class time.
Hmmm… this does sound a lot like the expectations that Saskatchewan teachers and schools already had in place. Except that Ontario is also blocking social media sites on all school networks and devices.
Why aren’t Teachers Excited about Sask’s Ban?
Personally, I think that this was a rushed plan that was not thought through and these decisions should be made after discussions with the individuals who will need to be enforcing it (teachers, administrators). I wonder how many, if any, experts were consulted to see if this really will help students focus in the classroom, or if there is a better way.
Last year I taught a grade 6 homeroom class. We had an online presentation from a speaker discussing phone use which led to a great discussion about how much everyone in the class uses their phones (myself included). I shared with students how you can check your screen time and allowed everyone to check theirs, and students were shocked by how much time they were spending on their phones.
As a group, we decided to work on bringing down our screen time, and I gave students the opportunity each day to share what they did instead and how much they lowered screen time. A group of students decided to spend time playing basketball outside after school each day instead of rushing home to spend time online which brought their time down substantially! We talked about how we felt spending less time on phones, and how difficult it was at the beginning.
I share this story because I really feel that our youth are smart enough to make these decisions. There are so many places in our curriculum to teach about technology and create meaningful action.
How can we Really Help Students?
The answer to this can’t be enforced in a day. In my opinion, we need to work on educating both parents and students and supporting them in their endeavours to find a healthy balance when it comes to technology.
Perhaps we can teach about apps like One Sec that help users slow down and take a moment before deciding if they want to open that social media app to spend time on. Maybe they can install an extension like StayFocused to limit distractions when working on the computer instead of their teacher blocking websites.
Easier said than done, yes… but lasting change doesn’t happen overnight! Maybe we need to look in the mirror to see what we need to change instead of relying on the government to make decisions without any classroom experience.
What are your thoughts on the ban?
Hi Jenni, I appreciate your questions regarding the ban – particularly those pondering what professionals were consulted by the government. I am always suspicious of any policy that is supposed to be for me (as an educator) but failed to consult with me (or my professional opinion). I much prefer the method you were using in your class, guiding students towards mindfulness and focus tools on their cells. It is so nice to hear someone else praise the capabilities of our students. I agree, they are smart enough to navigate their digital world…if only adults give them the tools and act as role models on the journey.