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Siobhan Curious
Montreal, Canada
I am writer, blogger and educator. I teach English language and literature at a CEGEP (college of general and professional education) in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Recent Activity
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Siobhan commented on the article |Grant:
I wonder if both teacher and parent influence pale in comparison to the influence of peers and of internal mechanisms that are already in place. The idea of "mini personal vision" is a powerful one - if we accept that such a personal vision might not include anything we're prepared to teach them.
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Siobhan commented on the article |
Barbara:
I agree with you, and this is why I mention in my personal story above that, although I regret my choices concerning my college boyfriend, I might not have regretted them if he had turned out to be the sort of experience worth prioritizing. And also why I suggest at the end that students might "never think of your course again and ... never believe that anything useful came of it." As teachers, we try to make our courses relevant and useful, but it is not always possible to predict what will be relevant and useful for everyone.
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Siobhan commented on the article |Commenters:
My intention was to withdraw quietly from this debate and watch and listen as the rest of you went at it - I've had my say, after all - but it occurred to me on further reflection that saying, "What an interesting discussion!" and stepping off was not living up to my responsibilities as a host.
So I'd like to make one last interjection (on my part - I'm under no illusions that it will be the last comment here) about my feelings about this threa.d
I knew that this post would be provocative when I put it up - I posted about the topic on my own blog a couple of years ago, and was astounded by the number of responses (my readership up to that point had been pretty limited). I chose to give "advice" on this question (full disclosure: the letter rose out of a discussion with "Phonophobic"; I organized the substance of his concerns into letter form and then asked him to edit and approve the letter) because I have been revising my cell phone and laptop policy continually over the years, and continue to try to find ways to effectively deal with these devices. I teach core curriculum classes, mostly to 17- and 18-year-olds, some of whom would rather be somewhere, anywhere else; it is a reality that classroom management issues loom large.
In my response, I stated my position and policy as it stands right now. The goal was to offer a moderate, realistic approach (and to approach it lightly - statements such as "Cell phones baffle me" were meant to be self-deprecating, but clearly that fell flat for some readers), and to elicit responses about other approaches. In my responses to early comments, I tried as best I could to elucidate my perspective while avoiding defensive rejection of other positions. I may or may not have been successful in this.
The discussion has been fascinating, many of the comments have been illuminating, and I have learned a lot. The input from various commenters who come from perspectives different from mine has given me plenty of food for thought.
However, I think I, and many others, would have learned more readily and willingly if the tone had been different. I fully agree with Melanie's comment above that suggests that hectoring, sneering and other aggressive communication behavior serve to undermine the communicator's messages. Repeated remarks along the lines of "These ideas have no place here on this blog!" and "We [who is 'we'?] accommodate troglydites here" are particularly troubling.
John Gale's last elegant and articulate comment is a fine example of the kind of approach that might be more effective in fostering real exchange. This is exactly the kind of communication I try to encourage in my classroom: my priority is to help students listen to others' positions with interest and respect, and to communicate their own positions in ways that will best reach people who DON'T already agree with their views, so that everyone can learn something about how others feel/think, and why they feel/think that way.
This is not my classroom - it is not even my blog - and so I will continue to listen and consider the responses that come in without making futile attempts to influence the tone or direction taken by commenters. I have no interest in having the last word or in "defending" my position - I am fully open to learning something new; I am interested in exchange, not "battle" of any kind.
Coincidentally, my post today responds to a question about how to foster an atmosphere of open, respectful exchange in the classroom setting, if anyone is interested.
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Siobhan commented on the article |
Marcelle:
Exactly. Parents generally try to see the future consequences of a child's behavior and to influence the behavior in order to bring about the best outcomes. Parents don't always know what's best, and they don't always succeed in exerting their influence. But they do what they can, and I think teachers need to approach their students in much the same way. But ultimately, the behavior is the choice of the child/student.
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Siobhan commented on the article |
I agree, Robert, and I think that most of us strive for that. We're not successful all the time, because our students' motivation is affected by so many things we don't control. But that is definitely the goal.
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Siobhan commented on the article |
Thank you all so much for your contributions to this discussion. I'm always amazed by the passion this topic arouses, and there is obviously a lot to ponder here.
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Siobhan commented on the article |
It's not that I don't think many of you have excellent points here, but I also don't believe that they are all-encompassing.
Ira, you say, "Anything created after Siobhan's birth - and anything not "native" to her world - she perceives as "technology." It should not be taught, and it should not be used." I have said no such thing. I absolutely believe that various "technologies" should be taught and used. Not necessarily in my class, though, unless they are necessary to the work we are doing.
Let's try looking at it from a different angle.
You sign up for a P.E. class. You are asked to show up in exercise clothes and to use a badminton racket to play badminton. Instead, you show up in stilettos and sit down on the gym floor to read a book about badminton.
Does the instructor have the right to insist that you show up in the clothes he has designated and that you use the tools he thinks are best? Or should he accommodate himself to your insistence that you learn about badminton best by reading about it?
Now, if a Muslim woman comes to me and says that her religious convictions prevent her from showing her arms and legs, I am clearly going to make accomodations. But generally speaking, experience and study has suggested to me that a certain kind of tool is best for this exercise. If many students come to me and tell me that they are much more comfortable playing badminton with a tennis racket, I will start to consider adapting my approach.
Clearly, a pair of shorts or a racket are not a cell phone, but neither is a pencil. As is explained, there are all sorts of other off-task behaviors that I ask my students not to engage in - if a student is drawing pictures alone in a corner with a pencil instead of participating in a group assignment, I'm going to ask him to explain himself. If he explains that he is drawing out his ideas in order to better organize them, then that will give me something to consider.
The bottom line for me is that teachers are both responsible and accountable for their classroom policies, and choosing the methods that they think will best help students learn. This is not to suggest that these policies cannot evolve, or that they shouldn't be accomodating, but teachers are entitled to enforce them if they think they are what works best. Students are also entitled to disagree, and discussion of policies is always a good idea if there is disagreement. But in my experience, when I ask a student whether he is using his cell phone for anything useful right now, his response is, "No, sorry miss." And he puts the phone away, because he knows that, at this moment, he doesn't need it.
Yes, teachers' policies are always influenced by personal experience and prejudices. If the teacher is not open to discuss these influences, then that is cause for concern.
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Siobhan commented on the article |
Marcelle:
I agree. Our college has a very effective (from what I can see) system of accommodation for students with any kind of disability. If a student wants to bring a dog into my classroom, he/she needs documentation to show that the dog is a helper, because otherwise, the dog is a distraction. (A much cuter distraction than a cell phone, but still.) Most students with physical or learning disabilities are absolutely willing to provide such documentation. Students who come to me in confidence with special requests will find me open to discussing them.
I have never had a student complain that they "needed" their phone for learning purposes in my class; if they had, I would have listened to their concerns. I have also never had complaints about it on an anonymous course evaluation. Most students seem to understand the no-phone policy, and to agree with it in principle; they just don't necessarily want to comply.
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Siobhan commented on the article |
John:
Is taking away a student's voice the same as asking him not to talk while others are talking? Is taking away a student's reading ability the same as asking him not to read a comic book while he should be participating in a group project? Asking a student to stop showing pictures of her dog around on her cell phone is very different from taking away a fundamental skill.
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Siobhan commented on the article |
I think perhaps we have a fundamental difference of perspective here in that we are viewing the media differently. Let me put it this way: in the same way that I ask students not to use cell phones in my classroom, I also ask them not to read the newspaper, do Sudoku puzzles, or do homework from other courses.
If a student has his cell phone out and can give me a rational justification as to why, can explain how it relates to what we are doing at the moment, I will certainly be inclined to allow it. There is no question of anyone's rights trampling another's rights. Text-messaging during class is not a right.
As far as I'm concerned, teachers and students collaborate on the students' learning, but it is the teacher, finally, who shapes and guides the content. I don't teach all modes of communication in my course - that isn't the focus of my content. I teach specific things, and much of the time, a pencil, some paper, and the students' own brains are the most effective tools for learning those things. Any student who feels that these methods are inappropriate is welcome to drop my course immediately and take another - all policies are outlined at the beginning of the semester, so they have plenty of warning.
It is clear that we differ in our attitudes toward this. To me, the classroom is a community in which the teacher makes certain choices that he/she feels are in the best interest of all the students. These may sometimes compromise the desires of individual students, but class as a whole will benefit. (Most students I've talked to agree that they concentrate better if they're not distracted by their phones.) Your priority seems to be the desires of individuals. There's plenty of gray area between these two poles, but I doubt that you and I will come to a consensus on these matters.
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