Are cell phones really the distraction responsible for disengaging your students? Most students have cell phones aka mobile devices and many of them are glued to them all day and night. Educators often view this as a major problem or distraction in their classrooms and I used to agree however in recent discussions while listening to an Instructor complain about the use of cell phones in their class it got me thinking. Is it really worth the energy it takes to police students utilizing their mobile devices? Hardly, in fact it’s a battle you will never win. I would rather… >>>

I believe it all starts with setting the expectations up front and having clearly defined objectives. Objectives are critical and students should know why they are sitting in a classroom, what to expect, what they are going to learn, what skill sets they will attain, how it will apply to their profession, how they are expected to learn, retain and apply the knowledge and what methods you are going to employ. The teacher also needs to explain deadlines, due dates and how to manage their time appropriately. Encouraging students to improve organizational skills utilizing electronic calendars is a great idea… >>>