Students using phones in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: Q.D.
At the meeting after the merger, the Departmentof Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City announced the conclusion of Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu - Director of the Department, regarding the content of the request for the Department of Students to study the plan to not allow students to use phones, except in some cases.
This information was immediately enthusiastically supported by the majority of parents and public opinion. A short poll on Tuoi Tre Online (as of 6pm on July 10) also recorded 1,319/1,582 opinions, or about 83.3%, agreeing with the ban.
Banning students from using cell phones in school is a correct policy, but what solution is needed to make them voluntarily "give up" their phones is a matter that needs to be discussed.
No phones, better learning and thinking
I have clearly witnessed the consequences of students abusing their phones. These include loss of concentration, lack of exercise, decline in direct communication skills, dependence on social networks, and being drawn into many bad and toxic contents.
In some lessons, to match the lecture content, I ask students not to use their phones, so they can solve the given exercises on their own.
However, besides showing impatience when not having a device in hand, many people seem confused because they are used to using their phones to look up information, depending on artificial intelligence applications instead of thinking and analyzing for themselves.
So I decided to ban phones in more classes, hoping to gradually bring students back to the state of independent learning thinking required.
At first, it was very difficult to implement, especially because of the resistance. I had to explain to my students the reason and purpose of banning the use of phones during that class.
The progress of the lecture also slowed down, I had to spend more effort to guide you step by step. But as you gradually got used to it, your learning efficiency and independent thinking ability also improved.
Banning cell phones, even during recess, is necessary for school-age children. However, it should not be the end, but the beginning of a comprehensive educational strategy.
Put down your phone, create a playground, and become a "psychological station" for students.
If you want students to forget about their phones during recess, that time must be filled with real activities, where students can play, interact, and live according to their age.
We can renew light exercise spaces, flexible physical playgrounds with a variety of sports : badminton, shuttlecock, basketball, jumping rope, mini volleyball...
It is necessary to plan each area and prepare some tools so that children can easily release their energy.
You can assign a class or group of students to be in charge of borrowing and returning tools, both to increase awareness of preserving common property and to promote self-management.
For students who do not like sports, we design a creative entertainment area with wooden tables, drawing paper, colored pens, intellectual games such as chess, Chinese chess, Rubik's cube, sudoku, reading corner, stories...
From there, build models of outdoor library clubs, storytellers through pictures, archrivals...
Students today also often have the need to relieve stress. A small "psychology station" with a relaxation corner with sticky notes, a chair, and a mood board can become a healing destination to help them relieve stress and share their worries in a natural way, as a form of gentle therapy.
To avoid boredom, schools also need to organize weekly and monthly themed activities associated with holidays: "Folk Games Week", "Life Skills Exchange Month", " Music Recess", "Gratitude to the Women Around Us"...
Don't do it mechanically or stereotypically.
In fact, the above contents have been implemented in many schools. However, in order for these activities to be practical and long-lasting, it is necessary to create for students the feeling of being "insiders".
In many schools, activities are often assigned by the principal, then imposed and determined on the classes. The class committees continue to implement them mechanically and in a stereotyped manner. Therefore, recess activities, as well as thematic activities, often receive little attention from students.
We should establish a recess activity committee consisting of students from all grades, with moderate observation and support from the Team/Union, mainly letting the students operate on their own. For weekly and monthly activities, students are the ones who propose ideas, make plans, and build playgrounds, while teachers only act as suggestions and give feedback.
Only then can children learn to control themselves, connect with friends, and practice organizational skills.
When empowering students to experience and express their creativity, they will feel respected, increase their confidence, and thus be proactive and excited to participate in recess and meaningful group activities.
Families should also have a schedule of activities, avoid each person hugging the phone.
If at school it is banned, but at home parents let their children use their phones freely all night, the effect will not be sustainable. Families also need to "design" their home schedule to increase interaction and communication between members, to build connections, and avoid the situation where each person holds a phone, "immersed" in their own world.
If teachers assign homework and instruct students to communicate through chat groups, parents can watch with their children. This helps children use their phones at a reasonable level, promptly grasp their progress and learning level, and increase family ties.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/toi-cam-hoc-sinh-dung-dien-thoai-trong-gio-hoc-thuc-hien-rat-kho-khan-20250711140429252.htm
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