In this Haute-Loire college, we are experimenting with “cellphone-free”

The rector of the Clermont-Ferrand academy, Karim Benmiloud, went to meet some students and their parents on Tuesday morning at the Boris-Vian college in Retournac. The latter is one of the 200 colleges in France which are experimenting with the digital break: there are six in the academy, including two in Haute-Loire with that of Langeac.

Under the leadership of Bruno Rohaut, principal of the college, the rector discovered the experimental system developed by the educational team since October 7.

All fifth grade students – or 75 young people – leave their mobile phone or any connected object when they arrive at school in an envelope with their first and last name which they slip into a box. The middle school students collect them at the end of the day, when they leave. In the meantime, the cupboard is locked. “Mobile phones are certainly banned in schools, but vigilance has relaxed; there was a form of tolerance during recess and between lessons. The principle of digital pause works. It allows parents to find support to regulate cell phone use at home,” underlined the principal. Before adding that “what happens at home and what happens at college must be consistent. We need to teach teenagers how to use cell phones.” All that remains is for the school to organize itself, find a technical solution and finance it.The rector of the academy visited the students

This initiative, called “digital break”, was the subject of a meeting with parents and students to discuss its first effects. In the opinion of all present, they are positive.

“We wanted to impose it on all students but we lack lockers,” observes Bruno Rohaut who plans to expand the system to all levels by the end of the year. As such, the plastic arts teacher is working on a prototype of lockers.

After several weeks of implementation, 35% to 40% of 5th graders put down their cell phones and some of the students no longer take them to college. This is the case of Augustine for whom, “it’s useless”. “If we get to this point, it’s because of those who use them at school and don’t respect the rules,” remarked a young student.

premium This school in Haute-Loire has banned cell phones for middle school students since the start of the school year

“Two years ago, the college was confronted with videos filmed between students, sometimes featuring teachers, then broadcast on social networks. It was only a few videos but was it too much?! », insists Bruno Rohaut. The parents present on Tuesday welcomed the initiative.

“The approach to the digital break is different depending on the establishment,” noted the academic director of the department’s National Education Services (Dasen), Hervé Bariller. It’s an experiment. It is very early to evaluate the system.”

At the Haut-Allier public college, the first effects are considered positive

The Haut-Allier public college in Langeac has been experimenting with a digital break since the start of the school year.

With the hindsight of almost a month and a half of putting it into practice, the teachers, the 170 students and the principal Pierrick Villard are already making some observations… “I no longer confiscate a phone since the start of the school year, which I was obliged to do constantly in previous years, explains the principal. In the courtyard, there are fewer conflicts, the atmosphere is more serene. It is important to understand that bickering, small arguments between students, which tend to prolong, amplify and escalate outside of school time, almost always originate on social networks. The rate of mobile phone equipment among our students, which of course increases from sixth to third grade, is 75%. Parents came to express their gratitude for this help provided by the college in the fight they are waging against their child’s addictive behavior…”. For Louna and Anouck (who places her mobile in her locker here), third-year students at the Haut-Allier college, the digital break experienced since the start of the school year by their establishment is a step towards a certain “liberation”.

In fact, from getting up – the mobile acts as an alarm clock – until bedtime, the telephone is omnipresent in the lives of many students, messages and other notifications flowing in without respite throughout the day. Louna has chosen to no longer bring her cell phone to school. As for her friend Anouck, a third-year student, she places her cell phone in her locker when she arrives. “I check my phone when I get up, in the school bus and as soon as I get out of class, I go to check my messages, I watch videos on TikTok, I listen to music,” explains the schoolgirl. In the evening after classes, my cell phone is on my desk when I do my homework. After the meal, I go to bed with it. I have trouble concentrating, getting into reading a real book. It’s hard to say stop.” The two friends notice that the digital break allows them to “switch off”, to talk more to each other.

Attention disorder At the public secondary school in Langelade, around 75% of students are equipped with mobile phones. Since the start of the school year, almost 50% of them now leave their cell phones at home.

For Tatiana Dumas, middle school literature and Latin teacher, the use of screens and untimely use of social networks very clearly distract students from writing, an essential support for learning, leading to attention problems and memorization problems. , thought formatting, low self-esteem… “Certain social networks are very popular with our students, leading to a different relationship to time and syntax,” insists the teacher. As a teacher, I am all for the digital break. I also try to use screens sparingly in my classes. Furthermore, the implementation of a quarter of an hour of daily reading seems very relevant to me. We are trying to develop other automations so that students take out their books rather than their cell phones.” A few days ago, a fourth grade student came spontaneously to push the principal’s door. “She wanted to thank me,” adds Pierrick Villard. Before, she spent 6 to 7 hours a day on her mobile. She understood that she didn’t need it that much. She started reading in the evening.”

Nathalie Courtial