Ban on cell phones in the classroom in effect after the holidays in Quebec
MONTREAL — Quebec City's new directive banning cell phones in classrooms will come into effect after the holiday break, making the province the second to implement such a measure, after Ontario.
The directive, which aims to reduce distractions in the classroom, comes into effect on December 31.
It applies to primary and secondary schools in the public sector, but it allows teachers to let students
use their phones for specific educational purposes.
Many Quebec schools had already adopted rules restricting the use of cell phones in the classroom before Education Minister Bernard Drainville introduced the ban in August.
However, some child workers believe that it is in the best interest of children to make restrictions as severe as possible.
A few days before the Legault government's announcement, Étienne Bergeron, a high school teacher in Warwick, in the Centre-du-Québec region, launched a petition calling on the government to ban cell phones everywhere on school grounds.
In an interview, Mr. Bergeron said he would have gone much further, comparing his petition to what Quebec finally decided to do.
He would have liked to see all personal devices banned in schools, "even in hallways, public spaces, libraries, everywhere."
According to him, if a teacher wants his students to use a cell phone for educational purposes, it must be well defined.
Bergeron says he's not opposed to the technology. He runs his school's creative lab and teaches students about programming, music, and video game design.
However, the teacher clarifies that his classes use digital tools to develop the mind, not to surf online without a specific goal.
"The reality is that when kids are on their phones, they're on TikTok, they're playing games," says Bergeron. I am convinced that it is not the mission of Quebec schools to leave our young people in front of these devices that literally make them antisocial."
According to Quebec's Ministry of Education, all schools must have a policy limiting the use of cell phones in the classroom by December 31. It will be up to each school service centre (CSS) to provide sanctions for students who do not comply with the rules.
Some CSSs, including the Montreal CSS and the English Montreal School Board, have had rules in place for some time prohibiting the use of cell phones in the classroom outside of authorized classes.
The Ontario Example
In Ontario, teachers' unions are complaining that the ban imposed by the province in 2019 is not being respected and that cell phones are regularly present in classrooms.
At the Toronto District School Board — Canada's largest school board — Chair Rachel Chernos Lin introduced a motion to revisit the issue in January and develop a tough new cellphone ban.
"I'd like there to be something that has a little bit of bite," Chernos Lin said. But at the end of the day, I hope we create a culture around mobile phone use that will be different from the one we have today."
Joel Westheimer, a professor at the University of Ottawa's faculty of education, isn't surprised that the Toronto school board wants to reopen the debate, saying Ontario's rule is "extremely flawed because it wasn't drafted in a way that actually applies to the entire province."
'Very positive results' elsewhere
The issue of cell phones has been at the forefront since a UNESCO report concluded in July that they could disrupt learning. Mr. Drainville said the report spurred him to action.
Several countries have gone further than Quebec and Ontario. In 2018, France banned phones in schoolyards for under-15s, while China banned phones for schoolchildren in 2021.
The UK government announced in October that it would publish guidelines to help school leaders who want to ban phones in schools, adding that its measure would be in line with similar bans in Italy and Portugal.
"Many jurisdictions around the world have implemented cell phone bans and have seen very positive results. Students are less distracted, more engaged, and there has even been academic progress and a decrease in loneliness," says Westheimer.
Mélanie Laviolette, president of the Fédération des comités de parents du Québec, welcomes these rules.
"What we're hoping for is that our kids are in the best possible position to learn, so not having TikTok at their fingertips is a good thing," Laviolette said.
The director of the Association of Anglophone Parents' Committees, Katherine Korakakis, called the government's decision a "missed opportunity" that avoids addressing issues such as technology addiction, media literacy or fake news and instead focuses on punitive measures.
"I think lessons on digital citizenship, technology use, addiction and those kinds of topics with students would have a much bigger impact than taking out a phone," she says.
The directive, which aims to reduce distractions in the classroom, comes into effect on December 31.
It applies to primary and secondary schools in the public sector, but it allows teachers to let students
use their phones for specific educational purposes.
Many Quebec schools had already adopted rules restricting the use of cell phones in the classroom before Education Minister Bernard Drainville introduced the ban in August.
However, some child workers believe that it is in the best interest of children to make restrictions as severe as possible.
A few days before the Legault government's announcement, Étienne Bergeron, a high school teacher in Warwick, in the Centre-du-Québec region, launched a petition calling on the government to ban cell phones everywhere on school grounds.
In an interview, Mr. Bergeron said he would have gone much further, comparing his petition to what Quebec finally decided to do.
He would have liked to see all personal devices banned in schools, "even in hallways, public spaces, libraries, everywhere."
According to him, if a teacher wants his students to use a cell phone for educational purposes, it must be well defined.
Bergeron says he's not opposed to the technology. He runs his school's creative lab and teaches students about programming, music, and video game design.
However, the teacher clarifies that his classes use digital tools to develop the mind, not to surf online without a specific goal.
"The reality is that when kids are on their phones, they're on TikTok, they're playing games," says Bergeron. I am convinced that it is not the mission of Quebec schools to leave our young people in front of these devices that literally make them antisocial."
According to Quebec's Ministry of Education, all schools must have a policy limiting the use of cell phones in the classroom by December 31. It will be up to each school service centre (CSS) to provide sanctions for students who do not comply with the rules.
Some CSSs, including the Montreal CSS and the English Montreal School Board, have had rules in place for some time prohibiting the use of cell phones in the classroom outside of authorized classes.
The Ontario Example
In Ontario, teachers' unions are complaining that the ban imposed by the province in 2019 is not being respected and that cell phones are regularly present in classrooms.
At the Toronto District School Board — Canada's largest school board — Chair Rachel Chernos Lin introduced a motion to revisit the issue in January and develop a tough new cellphone ban.
"I'd like there to be something that has a little bit of bite," Chernos Lin said. But at the end of the day, I hope we create a culture around mobile phone use that will be different from the one we have today."
Joel Westheimer, a professor at the University of Ottawa's faculty of education, isn't surprised that the Toronto school board wants to reopen the debate, saying Ontario's rule is "extremely flawed because it wasn't drafted in a way that actually applies to the entire province."
'Very positive results' elsewhere
The issue of cell phones has been at the forefront since a UNESCO report concluded in July that they could disrupt learning. Mr. Drainville said the report spurred him to action.
Several countries have gone further than Quebec and Ontario. In 2018, France banned phones in schoolyards for under-15s, while China banned phones for schoolchildren in 2021.
The UK government announced in October that it would publish guidelines to help school leaders who want to ban phones in schools, adding that its measure would be in line with similar bans in Italy and Portugal.
"Many jurisdictions around the world have implemented cell phone bans and have seen very positive results. Students are less distracted, more engaged, and there has even been academic progress and a decrease in loneliness," says Westheimer.
Mélanie Laviolette, president of the Fédération des comités de parents du Québec, welcomes these rules.
"What we're hoping for is that our kids are in the best possible position to learn, so not having TikTok at their fingertips is a good thing," Laviolette said.
The director of the Association of Anglophone Parents' Committees, Katherine Korakakis, called the government's decision a "missed opportunity" that avoids addressing issues such as technology addiction, media literacy or fake news and instead focuses on punitive measures.
"I think lessons on digital citizenship, technology use, addiction and those kinds of topics with students would have a much bigger impact than taking out a phone," she says.