Cell phones in the classroom. They can be a blessing and a curse. As a high school teacher, I want to honor the ability of students to have and use cell phones for school assignments, but I don’t want to fight them being out all the time. This quick strategy has really helped curb the cell phone issues. Enter: The 3 minute phone break!
Do you see the following behaviors?
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- Students sneaking phones under their desk or behind their notebook?
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- Asking to use the restroom and taking their phone with them?
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- Kids keeping their phones on their desk, but checking them every other second?
Essentially, I use the 3 minute phone break as a reward for on-task behavior in my classroom. I guess this qualifies for a classroom management tool? Sure, sounds great!
I teach on a modified block schedule. This means most of my classes are an hour and a half in length. Although we try and incorporate technology whenever we can, we do have days when I don’t want students to have their phones out. I actually want students to have a conversation and collaborate face to face. Crazy, I know!
What is the 3 minute phone break?
This is simply a break in our class period where I give students time to check all the things on their phone. Sometimes the break is 3 minutes, sometimes is 5.
What are the rules?
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- I tell students at the beginning of class when the “expected break” in class will occur. Usually, we try and do at least 3 activities in a block period. The break would naturally occur after finishing one of these activities.
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- If students are on task and working hard for the 1st activity AND no one gets their phone out, then the class will be rewarded with the 3 minute phone break.
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- If students do not do what I’ve asked (rarely happens), are off task, or someone has their phone out, then the entire class doesn’t get the phone break.
How has this impacted my classroom?
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- Students hold each other accountable. If someone gets their phone out, other students quickly show their disappointment. They typically don’t ever do that again.
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- Students are more authentically engaged in our lessons. Bonus!
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- This cell phone agreement has deepened the level of trust and respect we have for each other. This has led to an even better classroom culture.
What do I personally get out of the 3 minute phone break? I have a few minutes to check email, take attendance or get organized for the next activity. It’s a win-win.
After the 3 minutes phone break, I respectfully ask students to put their phones away so we can get back to our lesson. My students have no issues putting their phones away. They know if we have problems, the phone break goes away the next class period.
I often find that when our phone break is over students take advantage of charging their phone at my charging station.
Have you used a similar phone break strategy? Or how have you addressed cell phones with your students? I’d love to hear what has worked for you!
Looking for some activities to incorporate into your secondary history classroom? Check out these other posts:
Using Podcasts in the US History Classroom
Low Prep Game for Secondary Classrooms
