Legal and Ethical Implications for Classroom Management Grand Canyon University: EDU 536 April 24, 2013 Today’s classrooms are more dynamic than ever before. Educational needs of students are changing at breakneck speeds, along with the demands being placed on their teachers. There are associated legal and ethical implications that are evolving as rapidly as the technology that is driving a lot of the change. In order to have a chance to meet the needs of students and legal/ethical obligations, educators must have well developed classroom management techniques. These can get tricky quite often and require balancing the increasingly diverse needs of many different people. To be an effective …show more content…
According to Essex (2006), one of the requirements placed on schools is that they remain viewpoint neutral. This means that if the literature was suppressed because it was religious in nature, the suppression violated her First Amendment rights, even in the school setting. In all court cases, the real message has been that schools are responsible for making sure parents and students are aware that the schools are merely sending messages indiscriminately from religious and non-secular sources and that they are not in support of any of them (Essex, 2006). Really the essence of the article is that sound policies must be in place, well documented, and consistently followed for a school to be able to regulate what a student says or distributes and there must be no endorsement of any particular ideas from any group or student. Cell phones The next topic of discussion is cell phones in classrooms. The article being summarized is entitled The Only Thing We Have to Fear is…120 Characters. In this article, Kevin Thomas and Christy McGee (2012) make arguments for the use of cellphones in classrooms in spite of the fact that 69% have banned them. This paper responds to the many reasons for disallowing their use, and then it goes on to highlight some ideas about why cell phones should be used as educational tools. Both sides of the discussion certainly make valid points. If 69% schools have taken students cell phones away, there must be some reasons. Thomas & Mcgee
Censorship cases often bring about debates over students’ first amendment rights. Students’ first amendment rights are important to preserve so that students can not be excluded from meaningful works or literature. It is understandable for the government to design educational plans as a way to get its voice into classrooms, but “the truth-promoting function of the First Amendment provides no reason, however, to question the right of students to explore a variety of ideas and perspectives, and to form and express ideas of their own” (Brown, 1994, p. 30). Schools already place a restriction on religious material or material addressing current political controversy (Brown, 1994).
Cell phones are distracting in school and disrupt learning. Students should always be giving their teacher their undivided attention. Cell phones in school create problems and they affect students’ grades. Although some may claim these reasons to be true, they are undeniably wrong. The proponents of cell phones should not be allowed in school argue, “We know for a fact that the use of cell phones on school property around the country has led to a number of problems around safety.” This is wrong because cell phone use on school grounds is only beneficial to individuals on and off school property. Cell phones do not necessarily prevent problems, but they do help in times of emergencies. They promote safety in situations such as school shootings or hostage situations. The proponents of cell phones should not be allowed in school also argue “Student’s whose minds wander during a lecture or discussion may find the temptation of texting instead of listening hard to resist.” While this is true, it is up to the student to pay attention. However, texting instead of listening is the same as doodling and not listening, or playing on a school issued laptop even after being told to put it away. It is up to the student to restrain from texting in class. The more schools put an emphasis on no phones in school the more
I have heard that for many beginning teachers, classroom management can be one of the most challenging aspects of their new career. Knowing this, I decided to experiment with many classroom management approaches during my student teaching to find one that fit both my students and myself. Based on these experiences, I designed a classroom management plan that I will implement in my classroom as a beginning teacher. It is important to note, however, that my classroom management philosophy will be evolving as necessary as I gain more experience and insight into the field of teaching. Also, my classroom management plan may need to be altered to fit my specific group of students.
The distraction caused by cell phones are different in every classroom, it is the teacher 's job to regulate the cell phone usage to maximize the amount of learning that takes place. This article relates to the opposing side of the argument. The article provides a real-life example and informs the reader in a different method about how cell phones do not belong in schools.
Tap Tap, Tap. Students are constantly using cellphones in class when they should be paying attention to important materials in class. Some schools have banned cell phones. Some schools are taking advantage of cell phones and trying to them to open new possibilities for new learning experience. A cell phone is a piece of technology that can have a positive and negative effect. For example you can use it find out what you need to study. It depends on the user. Cell phones can also be used to cheat and then you wouldn’t be learning anything, except how to cheat. Do you really think that we should allow these with children that don’t know how to use them correctly? I wouldn’t. Although cell phones can open new opportunities to learning, we can not assume that students will use them for academic reasons. Therefore, cell phones are not the best thing to have in school, they shouldn't be allowed in school to ensure a good environment for the future generations of mankind. The negative effects from cell phones can distract kids from the subject they are learning in school, reduce the amount of respect students show teachers, and make schools less empathetic. The only thing that schools will get from allowing cellphones in class is nothing but trouble.
Should students be able to use cell phones during class periods? This is a question a lot of students and parents have asked themselves. The invention of cell phones started a debate for many schools. Many schools accept the use of cell phones but experience a lot of frustration over them. There are many reasons for and against the use of cell phones in schools. People who support cell phone use in schools are usually teenagers. People who disagree with cell phone use in schools are usually teachers or parents, who think cell phones are a distraction. A lot of students see cell phones as a useful device but many see them as a distraction during class. Throughout this essay you'll read about the pros and cons regarding cell phones
In today’s society, smart phones are a part of a student’s average, everyday life. No matter what people are doing, they find time to look at their phone and make a call, read a text, check e-mails, or search something on Google. Even though people find so many uses for them throughout the day, they are a controversial subject to talk about in their use in the classroom. Many schools have policies strictly prohibiting the use of smart phones in school. For schools to ban the use of smart phones is a major mistake. They only look at cell phones as a distraction to students, and don’t understand that this generation is dependent on the technologies of today. What educators need to do is ask themselves
Kurtus, Ron. "Cell Phones Should Be Banned in Schools." Cell Phones in Schools, edited by Roman Espejo, Greenhaven Press, 2014. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010912202/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&xid=8705477f. Accessed 18 Apr. 2017. Originally published as "Improving School Performance by Eliminating Texting and Cell Phones," www.school-for-champions.com, 10 Oct. 2009.
teenagers in school, and it resulted in various school administrators debating whether or not they
The article “Lift the Cell Phone Ban”, David Rapp (2009) addresses cell phones more as a positive impact in classrooms because there are more social apps, reminders such as alarms and calendar events, and provide accessibility. Teachers let students use their cell phones for school purposes instead of being seen as a distraction. After an experiment using Bluetooth networking teachers realized information sharing provided as useful. Having teachers get out of the box intimidates some, but it would be a better idea to give the students a chance since it is a part of their everyday lives. The GoKnow program turns a cell phone into a valuable tool for teachers and students to use for educational purposes and easier to turn in documents. David
Many students have used their cell phones to share answers to tests and quizzes, and to report inaccurate and offensive information about other students and their school. Cell phones can be distractions in the school environment, evading classroom time and reducing student’s academic success.
Central Idea: The use of cell phones in school is great for educational purposes, social life, and as a safety tool
Many people believe that bringing cell phones to school may cause distractions. However, a recent study leads more and more people to believe that mobile phones could in fact be a “powerful learning tool” (Docksai), serving as a mobile computer ("Cell Phones in the Classroom” ). Elizabeth Hartnell- Young, a research fellow from the University of Nottingham tracked 331 students from 14 to 16 years old, for learning through cell phones. They used cell phones to make short videos, set homework reminders, record poems, and transfer files from home to school (Docksai). Students described their learning experience as “motivated” (Docksai). Many experts pointed out that students have a “deep comfort level” with mobile phones (Docksai). In other words, students could learn more if they enjoyed what they were doing. An increasing number of teachers have changed their point of view towards cell phones, many now believe that cell phones would exert positive effects on education. For example, some teachers have already started to collect homework online and answer questions through text- messaging. A school in Saskatchewan encouraged students to read and share thoughts about books through their cell phones (Docksai). Furthermore, according to a recent survey, the majority of students could refrain from using cell phones and not be distracted by them in class. In fact, over 71% of students didn’t
Many teachers believe that cell phones don’t belong in a classroom because there are several disadvantages. An example maybe a student who uses a cell phone in class has no intension in listening or paying attention to the teacher. This student has a short attention span who cares about socializing more than his/her education. Cell phones can be very disruptive; they can invade people’s privacy and can also be used as harassment or bullying. The usage of cell phones is creating a huge problem particularly when they are used in school.
A teacher must deal with disruptive classroom behavior throughout their career. To do so, they must not only develop their skills in handling these situations but also develop ethical standards for their classroom. These standards set forth by the teacher will help them deal with their students, those students’ parents, the school administrators and their community. There are numerous articles written that could help a teacher when researching any legal or ethical issues that may arise during their teaching career. This paper summarizes four