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ChinaLady

I am considering having a box on the front desk next semester, like September 2006. (to late to change tactics this semester, I believe.)
..... anyway, having the students/children/adults turn off their phone and put it into the box on the way to their class seats. is this being reasonable?

I am really tired of walking up behind a student, who is so into their SMS thet they do not see me, and taking the phone from their hands.
and now, we have phones that get television, movies, and games.
ahhhhhhh, I really think I am a good teacher BUT there are students who do not want to be in class, or in school, for that matter. and no exercise I produce gets their attention.
(now, we are only talking 5 or 6 students per class out of 45, , ,)

am I being overly sensitive?
just let the little princesses and princes alone?
how do you handle the mobile communication issues?
help? advice?

Malsol · Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 1976 Location: Lanzhou

Tell them on the first day:

Use your phone, mp3 etc during class and I am going to own it. You have had fair warning. If you do not like my rules, do not take my class.

Voldermort · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 597

On the first day I go through the school rules and the additional rules for my class. One of those is the use of games/mp3's/phones in class. I have a very simply way of dealing with it, take it away from them. In order for them to get it back they must first inform their parents and ask them to come to the school to get it back. I still have one MP3 player sitting on my desk from 2 months ago, the student is too scared to tell his parents. Also, the school completely back me up on this.

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

Go to your FAO and find out, in no uncertain terms, what their policy is on mobile phones, MP3s, etc. Have someone type it out for you in bold print - - English and Chinese. Have the principal or some other bigwig sign it. Make enough copies, one for each student. Give a copy to each student on the first day. Have someone who seems to have enough English to read it outloud in English. Then have someone else read it outloud in Chinese. Tape a copy to your classroom door every time you teach. THEN, pull out the box in which they will deposit their phone should you catch them using it. Keep the phone for a week, a month, a semester . . . whatever you think is fair. It's your class, your lesson, your school's rules. If they don't want to be in your class, tell them to go get a written note (English and Chinese) from their head teacher or vice-principal or whomever, make sure it's signed (verify it later, of course), and they are free to go.

We as teachers are not here to change the world and we're not here to fight with students over whether or not they will learn English. But we are paid to do a job and, like it or not, the students are mandated to be there. I'm sure there are just as many Chinese students that don't like Math or Science as well. Stop by one of those classes someday and observe how many are using their mobile phones there. Maybe just as many get away with it there, but I'll bet not.

ChinaLady · Posted: Sat May 20, 2006 5:52 am Post subject: Phones in class.

okay. get the school to back me, you say.
why do I have a feeling this will fly about as well as not smoking in the hall? (they did post signs in English and Chinese.)
this is a FOR PROFIT private school. I knew this when I signed. at least they are honest about that. IT'S THE MONEY!!
I do have several months to work on my PR campaign to sway some of the other teachers - both Chinese and native speakers - so there is hope.
I do like the idea of taking the phones, MP3's, etc. until they bring a note from a parent BUT the notes would be in Chinese AND they would write the notes for each other. (these are not stupid rich kids!)
okay, I am planning/plotting.
thanks.

China.Pete · Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Posts: 547

I tend to favor the most minimal disciplinary action that will get the results I'm looking for. Scooping up mobile phones, etc. in class, without making any comment or otherwise disrupting the class, and leaving them at the front to be retrieved by the student (sheepishly) after class generally does the trick. The students tend to shut them off thereafter, and keep them out of view.

grwit · Joined: 20 Apr 2006 Posts: 329 Location: Dagobah

If you catch a student using thier mobile phone/mp3 make them stand up and balance the phone on their heads for 5, 10 or 20 minutes, or the rest of the class. Whatever seems fair to you. Losing face is worse to them than losing their phone or mp3.

I was once caught chewing gum in school the teacher made me stand out the front of the class with the gum stuck to my nose. I didn't mind as I was kind of the class clown anyway but I never did it again.

Its simple and effective as an 'on the spot' punishment. The student standing will not do it again and it may rub off on others who fear the same punishment. And you won't need the backing of the school to dish out this kind of punishment.

I dont like the idea of confiscating students property and if you are going to use this method why stop at phones and mp3s why not confiscate all the other books that students read in class that have nothing to do with your class. You can use the balancing trick of book too if you want their undivided attention.

7969 · Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5782 Location: Coastal Guangdong

nolefan · Joined: 14 Jan 2004 Posts: 1458 Location: on the run

When I was teaching Uni, I warned my students on the first day of classes that if i caught them using a mobile phone in class, i would confiscate it for 24h the first time, 1 week the second time and the remainder of the semester after that.
That policy was actually relaxed compared to that of my Chinese colleagues who would just take it out right.

Voldermort · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 597

grwit · Joined: 20 Apr 2006 Posts: 329 Location: Dagobah

Voldermort wrote:

7969 · Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5782 Location: Coastal Guangdong

what about these teacher assessment forms anyway? have any of you actually requested to see them and then been shown them? of course they wont be in english, so what did you make of it, if you did see them?

latefordinner · Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Posts: 973

ChinaPete, you and I have aproximately the same approach. For me, whether it's cell phones and MP3s in my current college, or comic books and non-English HW in the middle schools where I was last year, it's simply but quietly mine. If students ask me, I tell them the first time that they can have it at the end of class. Second time, they have to come to the teacher's office for it at the end of the day. Third time, I open the window and throw it across the street. And yes, I did this once with a student's math book and homework. The message got around.

Embarassing students, causing them to lose face: I still have mixed feelings about this. Reading the note passed in class: "Qing ... ai ... de, wo ... ai ... ni" is good for a laugh the first time, but after a while it stales. Asking a boy and girl who are tussling if they are married has brought very mixed reactions. I used to do it a lot, but got very mixed results, so I cut back. Perhaps teaching older students (college as opposed to middle and primary schools) has mellowed me.

V'mort, perhaps I have a bad attitude, but I couldn't care less whether a school keeps or discards me based on my popularity with the students. I care what kind of teacher I am, how effective I am at getting the most out of my students. I have only met a half dozen Chinese teachers capable of giving a professional appraisal, and have yet to receive anything resembling one from a Chinese employer. When I get one I'll care what they think.

clomper · Joined: 07 Oct 2003 Posts: 251 Location: Beijing

I used to teach middle school students and one of their rules was they're not allowed to use their mobiles nor mp3s in class. Their head teachers even inform me that if I see a student using it, I have to inform them. This rule is quite strict as I know there were some students who were kicked out of the school due to this offence.

Anyway, I told my students about it at the beginning of the term as well as I give them a warning not to do it. If I caught them multiple times, I usually take it from them and give it to the head teacher. I just tell the head teacher that this kid was doing such and such and that I gave the student a warning. It goes to the student's record as well as they post a memo on the bulletin board with the names of the student and what their offences are for the whole school to see.

ymmv · Joined: 14 Jul 2004 Posts: 387

I, too, believe in the minimalist approach on cell phones.

My rule: If your phone rings, you hand it to me, and I get to call my mother and father back home on your phone. Right then. "I'm sure they'd like to meet my class!"

The rest of the class cheers. The culprit gets nervous about LD charges abroad on their phone.

Phone in hand, I pretend I'm dialing an overseas number. Then I say, "Wei! Ba! Ma! Ni zenme Yang? Dui, wo zai Zhong Guo."

It takes about 1.5 seconds too long for them to realize that no FT is going to be speaking Chinese to his mom and dad. Then the laughter erupts.

I hand the phone back, but the point has been made. Next time, it may be a real call.

Cellphones are switched off. And for the rest of the semester, I rarely hear another cellphone ring.

Oh, occasionally, one will go off, but the student immediately kills the call and says, "Sorry! Sorry!" as the other students laugh. And then reach in their pockets and bags to reassure themselves that they had, in fact, switched off their phones before class.

Works a charm for me anyway.

Of course, YMMV.