While most want phones out of class, one B.C. superintendent says it’s an opportunity to teach kids

Should phones be banned in schools? Ontario recently enforced the rules, but some teachers in B.C are not so sure. David Zurra reports.

By

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Should cell phones be banned in schools? A recent polls showed almost 9 in 10 British Columbians think so, but a local superintendent disagrees.

A whopping 88 per cent of those surveyed by Research Co. last month said they would be in favour of banning phones in classrooms, but West Vancouver superintendent Chris Kennedy says phones are actually a good thing.

“It takes away a great learning opportunity that we have in schools to teach kids how to use them appropriately.”

He says phones are starting to play a more important role when it comes to education, whether it is for collaborating as a group, educational games or quickly searching for relevant information.

“So you think – when we went to school, we all had paper agendas – well now, all our kids have phones. Think of all those things that we used to manage in that paper agenda that kids can manage in their phones now. Setting up reminders around assignments and about keeping track of their day in their calendar. Those are all really important life skills,” Kennedy says.

“I think when you have a conversation and you say ‘Let’s ban something,’ that’s way too simplistic. They’re going to be using their phone at night and on the weekends and in the summer and after high school, and there’s going to be a new wave of distractions that come later. I think teaching kids the appropriateness is a really valuable skill, and that’s the role that we can play in schools.”

Kennedy says a lot of parents don’t know that schools have started working on ways to teach youth appropriate and ethical ways to use technology, and he has a message for parents.

“Be good models. I’m more frustrated by parents who seem to be dug into their phone all the time. They show up at schools for parent conferences, for a music concert or for a sporting event and you look in the stands and they’re all on their phones. What are students going to learn if that’s the model set by their parents?”

Meanwhile, the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation says the BCTF does not have a specific position on cellphones in classrooms

The federation supports teachers’ professional autonomy to make decisions that work for them.

What do students think about the possibility of no phones during school hours? Some think it’s a good idea.

“I think it’s a pretty big problem, I mean, there are limitations that should be put,” one told NEWS 1130.

Another said he uses his for schoolwork. “If I’m in a classroom that’s like, biology or math, I’ll use it for academic purposes,” he said.

But most NEWS 1130 spoke with weren’t optimistic about the teacher’s ability to take phones away.

“The teachers will try to have us not use our phones. It’s like not really working,” one student said.

“I don’t know how effective it would be. I don’t know if students would listen to that,” said another.

“There would probably be a big problem enforcing that. Students, we’re very addicted to our phones.”

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today