Flensburg's schools in the mobile phone dilemma: ban ensures heated debates!

Flensburg's schools in the mobile phone dilemma: ban ensures heated debates!

in Flensburg, fresh wind comes into school policy. From the coming school year, a new decree of the Ministry of Education will come into force, which provides for a strict ban on cell phones up to grade 9. At the Kurt Tucholsky Community School, cell phones are stowed in lockable cupboards, a measure that aims to minimize the distractions during class. Headmaster Martin Feddersen reports that schoolchildren always handle their cell phones during the lessons in the corridors, which is a big problem. This new set of rules has already initiated the discussions among parents and teachers - while some parents support the ban, others want a less strict regulation.

The situation is taught through experience at other schools such as Christianeum. There, the students have either handed over their cell phones since the summer vacation or they have to remain off during the lessons, which has led to significantly increased attention in class. However, the GEW teacher union expresses concerns about the new decree; It criticizes its unclear and expects an increased workload for schools. The Ministry of Education also knows that it is important to involve school conferences in the regulations in order to create broad acceptance.

The role of cell phones in school

There are already countries such as Finland, Denmark, England and the Netherlands that have taken similar paths and have introduced cell phone bans in schools. In Germany, more and more schools are discussing this measure. While some studies, such as one from England, show that schools with cell phone bans achieve better test results, especially with low -performance students, there are others like the Swedish examination that could not demonstrate a positive effect. It is a debate that should be carried out carefully, after all, the opinions on cell phone use in schools are quite shared.

social effects and educational aspects

In a new study by the University of Augsburg, social and learning performance in schools with cell phone bans were examined. The results show that a ban not only improves social well -being, but also increases learning performance. Teachers confirm the distractions by visible cell phones and the quality of the lessons often suffer. A ban could therefore be helpful to make schools back to safe places, especially for younger students. However, researchers warn against implementing a mobile phone ban without pedagogical accompaniment.

Important is the combination of prohibition and educational measures to promote media literacy. Because cell phones also have their advantages and should be used in the right framework. Controlled handling could be promoted for the higher class levels, while a strict ban in the lower classes could make sense. Finally, the schools are responsible for being clearly closer to dealing with technology, while they have to make sure that the students' fundamental rights remain.

The discussion about a mobile phone ban in schools is in full swing and will still inspire many thoughts and conversations among participants. The example from Flensburg could serve as a pioneer for a new school regulations in Germany.

Further information on the cell phone restrictions and their effects can be found in the media ndr , German Schulportal and . .