This past week I helped my Teacher Pathway students learn about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. In short, and in the context of the Teacher Pathway class, I emphasized that Maslow’s reminds teachers that students need to have their physiological, safety, and belonging needs met before their minds are fertile for the seeds of learning to grow. Then, I asked a question I had never asked before but I will certainly ask again because of the rich discussion that developed: When students access their phones during class, what needs might they be attempting to meet?
We started with physiological needs. Many of my students indicated that when they feel anxiety or another overwhelming emotion, they use the phone as a source of comfort to regulate their emotions. They also admitted that if a phone addiction exists, then phone use feeds that need.
Then we moved to safety, and the first response broke my heart: “I’m afraid a school shooting will happen, and I want my phone available at all times, even in the bathroom, so I can call my mom.” Another student said that phones are expensive, and it feels unsafe to put them in any sort of phone holder where others could steal or break them. Finally, one student had concerns about a loved one’s well being and said, “I need my phone available at all times in case __ needs my help.”
The level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs that my students wanted to address first – though I didn’t let them so that we maintained the intentional order of the hierarchy – was Love and Belonging. They told me that social media helps them feel connected to friends and family and lets them be “in the know” socially and with regard to pop culture. In fact, a study out of Texas A&M published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in January of 2023 “indicated that the occasional use of cell phones for social media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, LinkedIn, etc.) helped undergraduate students feel connected, competent, and optimistic.” The study’s caveat is that smartphone users who lose academic focus and sleep due to phone use report less psychological well being than those who practice moderation in their phone use.
When a student starts scrolling on their phone during my class, it’s easy for me to feel disrespected, like what I’ve prepared for them and the time I’ve spent preparing for them is not valued. Sometimes I feel discouraged, sad, or even angry. What I’ve learned from gardening, though, is that a weed must be dealt with at the root. So, I’m working to address the root cause of phone use during class, and I’m focusing on my own choices instead of theirs (or their parents’). As a result, I’ve embraced these strategies for lesson planning and classroom management because they bring Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs into the equation.
Lesson Planning
- Lesson plan for engagement – as opposed to compliance – and keep a steady, upbeat pace to prevent students’ minds from wandering into potential physiological, safety, or belonging needs that are not urgent.
- Create love and belonging in the classroom through frequent discussion and work time with a partner, small group, and the whole group.
- Plan for short breaks that create connections with peers and take care of physiological needs that result from too much sitting. I like to utilize a “stand and talk” that lets the students connect with each other through random questions such as this one from last week: What is the last thing that you broke? (One student said “someone’s heart”; another said “the bank.”)
Classroom Management
- I expect that phones be in their backpacks or facedown on their desks and that if they feel the need to check their phones, it must be a quick check. No scrolling. Of course, this sort of expectation is reliant on age and maturity. I teach juniors and seniors. For other levels, facedown on the desk probably won’t work.
- I am a Warm Demander, as described in Zaretta Hammond’s well-known chart for educators. So, I stay on top of my phone expectations and warmly demand compliance though the following means.
- A good, old fashioned teacher look
- A tap or hand on the student’s desk
- A quiet request made while next to and at eye level with the student
- A discreet discussion before, during, or after class
There is no magic cure for overuse of phones because the causes of overuse are varied and complex. What’s more, I don’t see this as only an issue with students. Adults slip into phone overuse as well to meet many of the same physiological, safety, and belonging needs. So, rather than getting angry with others and numbing ourselves, let’s focus on the deeply rooted reasons why we get lost in our phones.
