Mobile phones in the classroom? Schools, make a policy!.

Mobile phones in the classroom? Schools, make a policy!.

Director Ouders & Onderwijs Lobke Vlaming joined a roundtable on mobile phones in class in the House of Representatives on behalf of parents. She argued for a mandatory school policy with a 'no, unless approach': No use of mobile phones at school, unless there are important reasons to allow it.

“It seems so logical to make clear agreements about mobile phones at school,” says Lobke Vlaming. “But in practice, schools do not manage to do this. I propose a ‘no, unless approach’ where students may only use their mobile phones if it is didactically necessary or if something important happens in the family.”

Ban on mobile phones?

The topic ‘mobile phones in class’ is getting more attention, both in the media and in the House of Representatives. Should there be a legal ban, or do mobile phones add something to education? Members of the permanent committee on Education, Culture and Science wanted more information about mobile phone use in class. They invited scientific experts and experienced people to look at possible next steps.

Different opinions

During the roundtable on April 12 in the House of Representatives, they responded to questions like ‘How addictive is the use of mobile phones? Can you teach students to deal with this (in class)?’ and ‘What is known about multitasking with mobile phone use and how does this affect learning (in class)?’ The opinions of experts and representatives of parents, teachers, and students differed on whether to set a ban.

Ban is a weak solution

Research among parents showed that opinions are also divided on the use of mobile phones at school and/or in class. “Setting a ban on use is actually a weak solution,” says the Director of Ouders & Onderwijs. “Schools do not manage to make policy and enforce it. They still shift the responsibility too much to individual teachers and parents. There is really a role for school governing bodies to make clear agreements. First with a mandatory policy.”

Watch the full reaction of Lobke Vlaming in the video of the roundtable on April 12 in the House of Representatives.