Why we banned mobile phones and (un)social media during the school day
Posted on 22nd May 2017 in Technology, School News
Gregg Davies, Headmaster of Shiplake College, describes what happened next after the school took the decision to ban mobile phones – and how the technology ban has enabled students to properly connect with the world around them...
A familiar morning routine: you wake up and the first thing you reach for is your phone. Scroll through the BBC news app, check Facebook – maybe a few Sky Sports notifications. In this technology-driven day and age, the thought of leaving the house without a mobile phone is a daunting one: the prospect of being off-the-grid isn’t one that fills most people with ease. But, in a world where everyone is constantly contactable, there is a certain irony in the lack of interaction people are now experiencing. (Un)social media poses the constant threat of isolation and, worse still, cyber bullying. Preferring to communicate from behind a 5-inch screen, there is increasingly a genuine danger that children are missing out on the vital social interaction that shapes so much of their lives and attitudes. Moreover, the apparent desperation to showcase only the highlights reel, can lead to people (particularly teenagers and young people) feeling left out and depressed, worried that their lives aren’t as exciting as their peers’. It is suddenly very easy to hurl abuse anonymously online, or from behind a Twitter handle. People adopt a technological identity that can be far removed from their biological one. More and more, we are living our lives through technology: electric cars, smartphones, laptops, tablets – you name it, there’s an app for that. We have grown up with technology, and it’s not necessarily a good thing.
Technology certainly does have its place in education. Styles of learning have evolved with the introduction of technology. Classes are made more dynamic with the help of computers; homework is more accessible with online platforms; tricky subjects are conquered with interactive games. Pupils are able to take a quick photo of notes on the board or the whiteboard tables we have installed in a number of classrooms. Pupils can access resources online to aid understanding of topics outside the classroom; sites such as YouTube, Google Classroom, Kahoot! and BBC Bitesize are increasingly used.
However, whilst the use of tablets and laptops is encouraged in class at Shiplake, the use of phones has recently been restricted in order to benefit the pupils’ social skills. Shiplake College has taken drastic action: switching off. Mobile phones no longer have a place in the Shiplake grounds during the working day. Whilst the accessibility of education and learning is heightened with the use of technology, increasingly I have noticed that our pupils are losing the key skill of social intercourse. Connectivity is getting in the way of experiencing and communicating in real life, and pupils are losing the ability to engage in social dialogue. The subtle nuances of conversation are lost within electronic communication: it is simply not enough to read information; one has to see and hear intonation and gestures. It’s not just within school that I have noticed the increasing use of phones. It seems to be a nationwide epidemic: in waiting rooms, on public transport, in lifts – even in restaurants. It seems that people would prefer to exist in the bubble created by the apps on the phone than communicate with others. Society is losing the ability to translate the visual cues that are so crucial in face-to-face conversation.
The announcement that the College was banning mobile phones during the school day was initially met with uproar from pupils and celebration from parents. Particularly for parents, the ban has provided a relief that their children have time away from social media, a ban that parents themselves can’t enforce at home for fear of argument. However, over the course of the term, pupils have noticed a change in themselves. They stay at the lunch table longer – no longer a rushed meal and then back to House to their own zone to communicate without actually speaking to anyone. Downtime is spent with classmates and peers, playing sport and having actual conversations. Phones are less and less of a crutch to pupils. This is a change particularly noticeable in Sixth Formers and their improved ability to discuss and debate issues and events has been perceptible in class and houses. Pupils’ well-being has also improved. Being outside, interacting with peers and seeing the world around them has relieved the pressure of constantly showcasing life online. One overheard comment has been that it has been ‘liberating’. The children no longer feel the social pressure to upload a virtual minute-by-minute diary through posts, likes, snapchats, instagrams, tweets and such like. Whilst technology furthers life and learning in many ways, it has been a great positive for the pupils of Shiplake to step out from the screens and see the world around them.
It was our intention to build independence and resilience in our pupils, and in that respect the ban has succeeded. Pupils have learnt that you don’t need to be walking around with a phone in your hand at all times. Having the confidence to be without it, walking into lunch or the common room alone, doesn’t sound life-changing, but it is these small steps to building confidence which are so important. Head of College and Year 13 pupil Emily Wilkinson commented: ‘Initially we were all a bit sceptical because we had become attached to being on our phones, but as we have got used to it, we have realised how beneficial it is. As the term has gone on we have all seen a massive change, particularly in the common room – at lunch and break we now talk to each other! It has been a freeing experience from always being on social media.’
What started as a very localised, common-sense approach has escalated and garnered national media attention. The ban has been reported on in the Daily Mail, and I’ve been a guest on BBC Radio Four and ITV’s Good Morning Britain since. The support we’ve had, from not just current parents, but the general population, is astounding and I think it shows a real desire for bans of this type nationally.
Gregg Davies has been Headmaster of Shiplake College since 2004.
This article first appeared in the summer issue of Conference & Common Room magazine. To subscribe, visit www.candcr.co.uk