5 Questions: Prairie View teacher Autumn Hartley on phones in the classroom

As Denver Public Schools prepares to vote June 11 on a proposed districtwide cellphone ban, conversations about student technology use are happening across Colorado. Supporters of stricter policies argue that phones are undermining focus, communication and learning, while critics say students still need access to devices throughout the day.

Long before the current debate reached a boiling point, Autumn Hartley had already started experimenting with removing phones from her classroom at Prairie View High School. What began as a practical strategy to reduce distractions quickly changed the dynamic of her classes in ways she did not fully expect.

Hartley says students became more engaged, more creative and more willing to talk to one another once phones were no longer sitting in their hands or buzzing in their pockets. Instead of spending class time policing screens, she found herself having deeper conversations with students and watching them reconnect with the world around them.

As districts across Colorado weigh how far cellphone restrictions should go, we’re revisiting our January conversation with Hartley about what she noticed before and after phones left her classroom, why she believes the adjustment period is worth it and what schools should consider as they rethink students’ relationship with technology.

What did you notice in the classroom when your students had their phones? 

Teaching has become increasingly difficult as more and more students have been given access to phones, especially at an earlier age. In the classroom, it became a major distraction — and, more importantly, in my opinion, reduced student creativity and communication. Students lost the ability to interact with each other, especially in the post-COVID classroom, because they are so used to communicating through a device. The creative process also quickly disappeared as students could quickly Google search to get an idea for a story or project instead of coming up with it on their own. 

As educators, we are fighting not only the distraction of constant notifications popping up from social media but also a lack of interest in deep, meaningful learning. In my classroom specifically, I spent a lot of time asking students to put their phones away or to re-engage in the work we were doing. I also found myself prompting them on how to actually talk to one another during group work. 

What is the school policy for using phones in the classroom?

There are a lot of opinions about how to regulate the use of cell phones in the classroom. As a district, the 27J policy states that cell phones are prohibited “during any and all instructional time unless instructed to use such a device by the teacher.” Individual schools then decide how to enforce this policy. Some schools enforce it more than others, but the policy states cell phones can only be used before and after school, during passing periods and lunch breaks so long as they don’t create a disruption or make students late for class. 

What prompted you to have all students put phones away during class, and how do you enforce this? 

I actually learned a really effective method from a fellow teacher. I subbed in her classroom one time a couple years ago and noticed that she had a pocket holder for students to place their phones in. She used the pocket holder — instead of a more traditional “roll call” — to take attendance. If the student’s phone wasn’t in the holder, the student was marked “absent.” 

Now, there were some exceptions to this rule. For example, if a student was grounded and didn’t have their phone that day, they were expected to have a conversation with the teacher before the class began. Similarly, if a student had a family emergency and asked to keep their phone with them in case of an important phone call, the teacher and student would work out a compassionate solution. 

I adopted a similar approach and saw a dramatic change in student engagement, participation and creativity within a couple of weeks. There was a lot of groaning the first few days, but then the routine kicked in. More importantly, it eliminated having to single out students for being on their phone or dealing with an escalated behavior situation.

What times, if any, are students allowed to use their phones during class? 

I teach audio/video production classes, and there are times when students will have material on their phones (audio recordings, short clips, photos, etc.) that they need access to for a project. If this is the case, it becomes a whole-class discussion, and there are set amounts of time provided for this type of work. At the end of that session, students put their phones back in the pocket holder until the end of class. 

Often as a reward for a great work session during class, I will allow students to get their phones about two minutes before the class is over. It’s amazing how motivating that can be for students who are eager to check their notifications and text their friends!  

What do you notice in your classroom now that students don’t have their phones, and what do you think other schools considering this should know? 

It is so worth it! The student complaining will go away, I promise. And lead by example. If I’m asking students to have their phones put away, it also means that, as their teacher, I also commit to not being on my phone during class. It does help if you are not the only teacher in the building doing this, but if you are the only one, do it anyway.

Just last week, a student came to me before class to let me know he didn’t have his phone with him because he was in the middle of getting a new one and the data hadn’t been transferred yet. He was excited to tell me that he “noticed that there were birds,” and he actually heard them on his way to school. While this doesn’t speak to my classroom specifically, it does show how much high school students are digitally consumed and not physically present to the world around them. 

Now that students don’t have their phones out in class, I see much better engagement in learning from students, more communication between peers, and deeper creative work. They are more likely to participate in class discussions, think critically and use their imagination when solving a problem.