Job Discussion Forums

Daphne · Joined: 02 Jul 2004 Posts: 119

If your in a Univ setting, follow the "3 strikes policy" I have outlined in my last post on another similar thread.

If anyone is boneheaded enough to do it all term, you can and should come down hard on their final grade because of it--your boss or bosses will not prevent you from doing so, as long as you have witnesses among other students who can back you up if the violating party wants to start a brouhaha over their punishment.

chengdu4me · Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 5:22 pm Post subject:

Students at my school are not allowed to bring cellphones into the classroom. When I see one being used for any reason, I take it. I let the Head Teacher know I have it and let him call the students parents to come retrieve it.

Sometimes the parents don't show up for weeks. Sometimes I have very unhappy students. I still have two cellphones that I confiscated last year...parents have not shown up yet. After the first couple of times, word gets around and I rarely ever see or hear a phone in class. Three phones confiscated last semester...none this semester.

caleypatrick · Joined: 20 Mar 2010 Posts: 63 Location: Sichuan

I teach at a university where the kids have been told to please stay away from their cell phones while in class. Some use their cell phones, some more than others, some want to learn, some want to doze off. I really couldn't give a fiddler's fart. This is China, Me white face with blue eyes. Me work 14-15 hours per week, me get paid. Objectives have been met. N'importe quois.

brittania898 · Joined: 06 Mar 2010 Posts: 11

Completely agree with this, but it makes me so mad when the supervising teacher sits at the back of the class texting or talking into their mobile while I'm trying to deliver a lesson. I was judging a primary school speaking competition a few months ago when a fellow judge thought it alright to make a call in the middle of a 9 year old's speech. Ridiculous, and sets completely the wrong example.

zootown · Joined: 27 Nov 2009 Posts: 310

brittania898 · Joined: 06 Mar 2010 Posts: 11

A boy I confiscated a lighter from said he needed it to sear the end of those braided bracelets they all make.

missdeanna · Joined: 22 Jun 2009 Posts: 6

The Ever-changing Cleric · Joined: 19 Feb 2009 Posts: 1523

LanGuTou · Joined: 23 Mar 2009 Posts: 621 Location: Shandong

Throwing cellphones out of windows! Shocked

I wonder what the repercussions would be if the students' parents lodged a formal complaint with the Chinese authorities?

I dread to think!

JDYoung · Joined: 21 Apr 2003 Posts: 157 Location: Dongbei

My first lesson with any class is in making classroom rules. Divide into groups - one for phones, one for dictionaries, one for talking in L1 and other groups for whatever you feel you need. If the students buy in from the beginning it's not so much of a problem. Personally all I care about with phones is that they do not disrupt the class. If they want to use them to play games I don't care as long as they're quiet. I leave them out of group work, etc if they don't want to participate. On the attendance sheet I mark them PN - present but not participating. That includes when they're sleeping too.

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 4946 Location: Blabbing

When I teach older kids, I have a cellphone box. All the kids put their cellphones in the box, and retrieve them after class.