Problems in the classroom can make up an ever-growing list. Since the pandemic, many teachers have reported a sharp uptick when it comes to student apathy toward learning.
In a , teachers shared what they believed were 鈥渢he major problems鈥� in their classroom. In reaction to EdWeek鈥檚 story on the survey, many 糖心动漫vlog shared their own perspectives on Facebook, regarding what was causing their students to be apathetic toward learning.
These were the most popular themes from those responses.
Intellectual curiosity isn鈥檛 being nourished
鈥淧reK and kindergarten are no longer play-based and developmentally appropriate, and there is an overemphasis on standardized testing once they get to primary school. They鈥檝e never experienced the joy of learning. I鈥檇 be pretty apathetic too.鈥�
鈥溾�橤raduate over educate鈥� as a philosophy at the district level has given zero reason for students to be engaged or make any effort to learn.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檝e been a teacher for 20 years. I have only taught at [Title I] schools which always have focused on state testing scores. Very little joy and exploration happens in these schools because the emphasis is on the state testing.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a lack of interest in learning so much as it is a lack of interest in learning things somebody else determines for them, that they don鈥檛 care about and won鈥檛 likely use beyond the test. I work specifically with teenagers who are disinterested in school, and I find that they have great interest in learning all sorts of things that just aren鈥檛 of high value in schools.鈥�
Small screens are winning out
鈥淐ellphones need to be banned from the classroom. Office needs to take them, call home, and let the parent come pick them up. This would only happen a few times.鈥�
鈥�... Cellphones are a big influence and way more entertaining. I definitely think the focus on testing and the old school factory style of learning [is] huge for disinterest. I鈥檝e advocated for change in my own department, but [administrators] and parents are so hyper focused on test scores that they don鈥檛 care about innovation that would actually help our students be engaged and interested in learning.鈥�
鈥淭ypically depression is one of the big causes of apathy. I suspect phones and social media are largely causing that.鈥�
鈥淎 teacher, even a good and energetic one, just cannot compete with smartphones and full-on procrastination if he wants to still teach the pupils something. Learning is just not as tempting as spending your whole day on a phone.鈥�
鈥淲hat cellphones have done, along with apps such as TikTok, is condition young people to very limited attention spans. The biggest issue I found is that far fewer children can now sustain concentration across even a short lesson.鈥�
Big screens are a problem, too
鈥淐hromebooks aren鈥檛 helpful...鈥�
鈥淕et rid of the laptop computers. Students can鈥檛 write, spell, do math, write essays, etc, etc. The computers do it for them. The computers are also a great way to be entertained.鈥�
鈥淐hromebooks... [Two to three students] caught every class period playing games while I鈥檓 teaching!!! Bring back books and pencils. All they do is [use] Google FOR EVERYTHING!鈥�
鈥淎t which point do we admit school laptops are a much bigger problem than the phones? Most of the work they do is on their laptops. That makes it easy to cheat, cut, and paste to use Google and ChatGPT, plus the distractions of gaming apps...鈥�
An increasingly outdated system begs a lot of questions
鈥淥ne reason [students give for apathy], is that: 鈥淲hy should we learn all this? We can just look it up if we need it.鈥�
鈥淢aybe what we teach needs to change. Most parents and students in junior and senior high [school] know that they will never use the material they are being taught. So, no wonder engagement is low.鈥�
鈥淧erhaps an antiquated public school system based on a 1950鈥檚 model for instruction is no longer effective.鈥�
鈥�...The old, 鈥淵ou might need this one day鈥� doesn鈥檛 work anymore. If you can鈥檛 find ways for kids to apply learning to what they want with their lives both now and in the future, why should they want to pay attention? Show them (don鈥檛 just tell them) it鈥檚 not a waste of time.鈥�
Changing one鈥檚 approach is helpful
鈥淐ellphones are apathy鈥檚 crutch, but not its cause. Apathy will happen with or without cellphones. As someone who has been in the field of education, I鈥檝e found that turning the use of electronics into a reward is helpful. In addition, iPads are often useful tools for students who may not know how to speak, and a lack of those iPads can and will also further apathy.鈥�
鈥淚 teach theatre. We almost never use devices. I focus a lot on community building, active listening, using our bodies, and taking creative risks. Kids are able to engage and create, but it takes a lot of energy, focus, and creativity on my part to make it happen.鈥�
鈥淚 had my 6th grade students use their phones to do vocabulary and geography skills in class... I had only one student out of 80 in 2 years that lost the privilege. Maybe we need to teach our students to use their [phones] as an educational tool.鈥�
鈥淚 once worked at a school that took kids鈥� phones when they walked in for the day. Each phone was kept in a Manila envelope with the student鈥檚 name. At the end of the day, they got them back. It was rough at first (lots of pushback) but guess what happened? Less drama...鈥�
Explore our coverage around students鈥� use of cellphones in schools:
> Guide to setting a policy: Here鈥檚 a decisionmaking tool for 糖心动漫vlog to map out the different potential outcomes when putting cellphone policies in play.
> Cellphone bans and restrictions: See which states are requiring cellphone restrictions or bans in schools in our tracker. Explore our tracker.
> Nuisance or teaching tool? How teachers are turning an ubiquitous and growing class nuisance鈥攖he smartphone鈥攊nto a tool for learning.
> Cellphone policies, explained: Education Week breaks down the different ways schools are addressing cellphone use, and the factors to weigh before adopting or changing the rules. Check out our explainer.
> Tips from teens & teachers: Teenagers offer 6 tips on how schools should manage students鈥� cellphone use, and 糖心动漫vlog share their tips on policing cellphone use in classrooms.
> Then & now: How the 鈥渟exting鈥� panic previewed today鈥檚 debate about kids鈥� cellphone use.
