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ms_casillas
Joined: 11 Feb 2009
Posts: 26
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 Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 4:17 pm Post subject: Leaving cell phones and laptops at the door? (for class) |
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Hey
My friend has been teaching High School in Beijing for years.
She advised me that when I teach class, to have the students
leave their cell phones and laptops somewhere off to the side
so they are not distracted by these during class.
Does anyone else do this?
Thanks!! |
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nickpellatt
Joined: 08 Dec 2006
Posts: 1522
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| Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 5:58 pm Post subject: |
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I never taught at a school where the kids where lucky enough to have laptops, but mobiles can be a problem.
I advised them in my first lesson that phone use was not tolerated, and phones would be confiscated and returned in one week if used in class. I then reminded them at the start of each lesson phones must be turned off. Had to confiscate one or two...and normally returned them after 24 hours rather than a week. It didnt eliminate the problem entirely...but it cleared it up enough for it not to really be a problem.
Id be too worried about the theft risk if they had to leave them somewhere that wasnt safe/policed etc. |
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roadwalker
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 1750
Location: Ch
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| Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 7:15 pm Post subject: |
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| The problem is that the phones are no longer only phones, but cameras, mp3, calculators and most importantly, English translators. So often the students are actually staying involved in the class but consulting their phones for English words that they don't understand. If it is distracting to you, order the kids to put them away. Usually they will comply. |
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Babala
Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 1303
Location: Henan
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| Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 10:26 pm Post subject: |
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Last edited by Babala on Sat Apr 11, 2009 4:25 am; edited 1 time in total |
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The Ever-changing Cleric
Joined: 19 Feb 2009
Posts: 1523
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| Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 1:37 am Post subject: |
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| I've never seen a student bring a laptop to class, but they all have phones. I let them use the phones in class since a lot of them (noted above) double as dictionaries. As long as they aren't talking to their dictionary I'm ok with it. |
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Babala
Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 1303
Location: Henan
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| Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 1:56 am Post subject: |
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Last edited by Babala on Sat Apr 11, 2009 4:32 am; edited 2 times in total |
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The Ever-changing Cleric
Joined: 19 Feb 2009
Posts: 1523
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| Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 2:12 am Post subject: |
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| You're not wrong, just a different approach. Frankly I prefer paper dictionaries myself and some students actually still use those. I find the electronic ones annoying and not as accurate as a real dictionary. |
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Babala
Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 1303
Location: Henan
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| Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 2:37 am Post subject: |
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Last edited by Babala on Sat Apr 11, 2009 4:31 am; edited 2 times in total |
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suanlatudousi
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Posts: 384
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| Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 3:02 am Post subject: |
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Unless you are bilingual (English and Chinese), fluently, then it's not your place to tell a student to not have a dictionary.
Having basic rules of not using cell phones or computers for calls, texting, and games and the "evil-like" is fine. But, it's none of business to take them away if they are using them for educational purposes.
In my opinion, it's also none of your business to take them away from them at all. If you don't like their actions, then leave the room and get the leaders or their "tutor" - that person being, basically, their advisor with a great deal of power over their lives.
There are a great deal of highly accurate electronic forms of dictionaries. If you insist on them using a traditional paper/book dictionary then you should be them for them.
This is a classroom, a learning environment, not some teacher power hungry place. It's not anyone's business to force them "how to learn" in the most basic of language - vocabulary, etc.
Telling them to learn an unknown word AFTER CLASS is tantamount to them sitting there in a haze for the rest of the class ... that is an unprofessional concept to enforce. |
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Babala
Joined: 28 Jan 2005
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Location: Henan
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| Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 3:21 am Post subject: |
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Last edited by Babala on Sat Apr 11, 2009 4:29 am; edited 3 times in total |
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eddy-cool
Joined: 06 Jul 2008
Posts: 1008
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| Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 3:28 am Post subject: |
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| The Ever-changing Cleric wrote: |
| You're not wrong, just a different approach. Frankly I prefer paper dictionaries myself and some students actually still use those. I find the electronic ones annoying and not as accurate as a real dictionary. |
Not only are dictionaries in bookform more accurate, the student looking up an item will have to navigate through a number of related or similar entries and thus get a more complete pictyure.
What is the point for a student that's looking up the word 'uncomfortable' if he cannot identify the root word 'comfortable' or the related noun 'discomfort'? Paper dictionaries often contain cross references that electronic dictionaries won't show without being prompted.
I personally encourage students to help themselves with new words though I abhor the bilingual dictionaries at college level. If any of my students are seen misusing their mobile phones they get a stern warning.
But I can't imagine any superior to be willing to sign a letter to readmit a misbheaving student after I ordered her out of my class until she come up with said letter. First thing - who would be that head? Second - how much time can I ask them to sacrifice to sign such letters? Third - if I am the only one in our college that subjects his students to such disciplinary measures, won't I run the risk of being exposed as a teaching bully?
But during exams I may choose to require students to deposit their phones on the teacher desk until the end of the exercise.
During my classes, no phones go off; students do scan their phone displays and I don't always know what they are looking for, but I hold that these guys know full well that if I spring a surprise question on them that they have to answer with their peers being the audience that keeps them attentive enough. |
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The Ever-changing Cleric
Joined: 19 Feb 2009
Posts: 1523
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| Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 3:37 am Post subject: |
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| eddy-cool wrote: |
| The Ever-changing Cleric wrote: |
| You're not wrong, just a different approach. Frankly I prefer paper dictionaries myself and some students actually still use those. I find the electronic ones annoying and not as accurate as a real dictionary. |
Not only are dictionaries in bookform more accurate, the student looking up an item will have to navigate through a number of related or similar entries and thus get a more complete pictyure.
What is the point for a student that's looking up the word 'uncomfortable' if he cannot identify the root word 'comfortable' or the related noun 'discomfort'? Paper dictionaries often contain cross references that electronic dictionaries won't show without being prompted. |
Precisely. I've got a collection of dictionaries back home from the days when I was studying foreign languages in university. The excuse so often heard here as to why students don't have dictionaries in bookform is "they're too heavy." I then announce that these books come in various sizes (and price ranges). |
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eddy-cool
Joined: 06 Jul 2008
Posts: 1008
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| Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 3:42 am Post subject: |
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| suanlatudousi wrote: |
Unless you are bilingual (English and Chinese), fluently, then it's not your place to tell a student to not have a dictionary.
Having basic rules of not using cell phones or computers for calls, texting, and games and the "evil-like" is fine. But, it's none of business to take them away if they are using them for educational purposes.
This is a classroom, a learning environment, not some teacher power hungry place. It's not anyone's business to force them "how to learn" in the most basic of language - vocabulary, etc.
Telling them to learn an unknown word AFTER CLASS is tantamount to them sitting there in a haze for the rest of the class ... that is an unprofessional concept to enforce. |
'...unprofessional concept to enforce...', I don't understand this little juicy phrase. Would you care to elaborate? What would be 'a professional concept' that you can enforce?
Higher up in your post you opined it is not our business to enforce the rule of switching off mobiles; you said we are to leave the classroom if students do not cooperate. Is that your 'professional' advice? I would have to disagree!
It also is our duty to try to make students learn in a different way since their traditional rote-learning mode is utterly insufficient and unsuited to the goal of making them�virtually or practically bilingual. We do not have to be bilingual - their goal is to become that.
Surely a more enlightened approach would be for students not to rely on understanding an English text in the piece-meal fashion of a verbatim translation? Surely you can understand a lot of words without actually checking their translations?
I have never, NEVER seen a textbook prepared for Chinese English students that had complete lists of new words and expressions for every chapter.And yet, every book has lists of new lexical items. There seems to be a big gap between what the textbook authors expect their students to know, and the students' actual familiarity with English.
Sometimes you have to revisit basic vocabulary such as the difference between 'person' and 'people', or'house' and 'apartment', or 'Australia' and 'Austria'. |
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suanlatudousi
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Posts: 384
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| Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 4:37 am Post subject: |
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Leaving to get in-class support - ideally during a break
"professional" is allowing students to learn, not inhibiting it
The phone antenna can be disabled so as to disallow sending/receiving a messages - thus allowing the phone to be used for other purposes.
The phone is the legal property of the student and taking it is nothing more than theft. The school can by all means forbid phones.
Not all students are able to learn by the same method.
When I went to university I didn't bother attending nearly half of classes since the moron lecturing went off on tangents that had nothing to do with anything. |
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Jayray
Joined: 28 Feb 2009
Posts: 373
Location: Back East
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| Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 7:27 am Post subject: |
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| roadwalker wrote: |
| The problem is that the phones are no longer only phones, but cameras, mp3, calculators and most importantly, English translators. So often the students are actually staying involved in the class but consulting their phones for English words that they don't understand. If it is distracting to you, order the kids to put them away. Usually they will comply. |
I agree to a point. I discourage their use in class, mainly because my students DON'T use them for use as a dictionary. I told my students that if they need to use a mobile phone as a dictionary during class, they may consult it when necessary. Otherwise, they are to be put away.
I actually asked the students how many of their phones had capacity for a dictionary. I gave them the opportunity to check their phones. None of their phones had a dictionary. (At least, none of them could find one on their phones).
I've had problems in the past with mobiles in class, but once I laid down the law and enforced it (confiscating the occasional device), I rarely see a mobile on anyone's desk.
I DO allow them to use their mobiles during break, but they must go into the hall to use it. Again, no problems.
I've got good kids. |
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