Vanessa Yoon, an accounting and personal finance teacher at York Mills Collegiate Institute, signed an agreement with parents of students that if phones are a distraction, then the teacher has the right to take the phone away during the duration of class.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
Vanessa Yoon could teach an entire lesson without seeing the eyes of some of her students. They were in the classroom, but they were not listening to her – they were looking down, studying videos on YouTube and TikTok.
Ms. Yoon had an idea and launched an academic counteroffensive.
At the beginning of this school year, the business teacher from York Mills Collegiate Institute in Toronto crafted a pledge. She distributed the one-pager to teens and their parents, setting out parameters around cellphone use in a bid to reclaim control of the classroom, and the focus of her students.
Parents enthusiastically signed the letter. The students took a couple of weeks to come around to the new rules. Almost two dozen educators at Ms. Yoon’s school have since adopted similar agreements that require students in their classrooms to keep their devices off or on silent mode and stored away in their bags during lessons.
If students don’t comply, they risk losing their phones until the end of the 75-minute period.
“I just needed something to implement in my classroom,” said Ms. Yoon as she described the frustration she and other educators shared about how disruptive cellphones have become in schools.
Her board, the Toronto District School Board, has initiated work on developing a cellphone policy that would draw on classroom practices such as Ms. Yoon’s. That policy would likely have to incorporate new rules from the Ontario government announced Sunday, which would give educators the authority to take away devices and suspend students who don’t comply.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce said boards would be required to develop their own policies on restricting students’ use of cellphones, to go into effect for the school year that begins this fall. His government would also require school boards to restrict access to all social-media platforms on school WiFi networks and on school devices.
Quebec and British Columbia have also signalled restrictions on cellphone use in schools.
Educators such as Ms. Yoon couldn’t wait for governments to initiate policy. Social-media platforms and the rampant use of cellphones have been blamed for incidents of cyberbullying, disrupted sleep patterns and the inability of young people to focus.
Ms. Yoon’s letter to families outlined her concerns with cellphone use in class: the notifications on social-media platforms and messages were a distraction; students were missing out on critical classroom discussions and activities; and they were retaining less information, which affected their academic performance.
She requested each parent sign the letter, which would allow her to temporarily store their child’s phone if it wasn’t turned off and left in their bags during her lesson. If she didn’t receive a signed letter, Ms. Yoon called home to explain her position. She immediately received the blessing of parents to temporarily store their child’s phone if it disrupted learning.
The change in her classroom has been dramatic. Her students, she said, are more engaged in the lessons. They are interacting with each other. And Ms. Yoon hasn’t had to confiscate a single phone.
School principal Lesley Gage said the issue of increased cellphone use was raised at a staff meeting this winter. Since then, more than 20 other teachers have issued agreements similar to Ms. Yoon’s. Others have opted for storage bins in their classrooms for the devices.
“Our kids need to know that this is in their best interests. This is why we’re doing this,” Ms. Gage said. “As much as they don’t like it, and they’re frustrated, they understand it. When their achievement improves, and their engagement improves, and they understand concepts the first time instead of having to revisit it, that speaks volumes.”
Ionna Kotsirilos, a Grade 12 student at York Mills, has already felt a change. Before signing the pledge, she would keep her device on her desk, and even though it was facing down, she’d hear the notifications and be tempted to look.
Now, she fully participates in discussions. She also has less homework because she’s able to better focus on her studies while in class.
Adam El-Hamawi’s grade average has increased almost 40 per cent compared to last year. The Grade 11 student was in Ms. Yoon’s room in the first semester of the school year, and again this semester for an accounting class.
The cellphone agreement was a “little shocking” when it was first introduced, he said, because he was used to the device always being in his hand during class. He would have spent more than half of a 75-minute period looking at his phone.
The phone now sits in the side pocket of his bag and on silent mode during Ms. Yoon’s lessons.
“I can’t even hear it or see it. So that kind of focuses me, puts me in that spot to fully engage, ask questions, respond and just be more present in the classroom, rather than kind of being silent.”
How quickly does he reach for the device when the class ends? “Honestly? Right away,” the 16-year-old admitted with a laugh.
It won’t be a surprise to hear that most of his peers do the same.