Have you ever experienced a situation where you struggled to focus on your work due to the loud conversations or friends distracting you? Many students, including myself, use headphones as an ATL tool, allowing us to have a focused mindset for working.
According to a Bite survey that gathered over 121 responses from the Secondary school, almost three-quarters of respondents rely on headphones, helping them create their own “bubble” and avoid distractions from the “outside environment,” thus supporting academic success. Based upon a wide variety of student demands, a change in this policy would be positive and help students to achieve better academic outcomes.
What is the Headphone Policy?
AISB Secondary Handbook states that “Headphones/earbuds must be put away in bags from 07:30 to 15:15. Students may use headphones/earbuds inside classrooms when given permission by the teacher. Grade 11 and 12 students may also use headphones/earbuds that are connected to a computer during study blocks in designated work spaces.”
This indicates the limitations of using headphones only when connected to laptops, yet it also empowers teachers to decide whether headphones are to be used or not. Certain teachers would not allow students to use headphones during independent work as it is distracting in their opinion.
A grade 9 student wrote: “Yes, [certain teachers won’t] let us listen to music during independent work because music has words and [it apparently] disturbs us from working.”
Another grade 11 student, Nichita C. wrote: “Music without lyrics could be helpful for students that have a bad day.”
The Use of Headphones in School
At the beginning of the school year, the headphone policy became a popular topic of debate for students. According to the Bite survey, 72.7% reported using their headphones “often” or “always”. This percentage highlights the significant use of headphones in the school environment. Most respondents use their headphones responsibly after teachers’ permission, to watch academic videos for research or to listen to calming music to help them focus.
Students’ Rate the Headphones Policy
According to the Bite survey sent out in early November, the respondents gave an average rating of 2.43 out of 5 stars in regards to the reasonability of the policy. This strict policy across our campus may have led to students disliking the policy, and even feeling unsupported, especially for those who benefit from using headphones during independent work time.
A student in grade 11 wrote: “I honestly don’t get why, because it’s not like you can be addicted to headphones. […] I genuinely cannot focus on independent work because there’s so much overwhelming background noise, and it’s not doing anyone any harm to listen to music.”
Moreover, a grade 9 student, David S. mentioned: “I understand the phone policy, but headphones, I don’t exactly get the reason. If it’s because students may not hear their teachers, maybe they can make a rule where you can use headphones, but only covering one ear.”
A grade 7 student, Diana T., says that “headphones help me to focus on my work in terms of my concentration and efficiency as they help to block out noise and create my own separate bubble.” She add: “I often choose to listen to my favorite songs […which] creates a feeling of familiarity.” This suggests that headphones reduce distractions and create a sense of safety while keeping people focused on their work.
Nonetheless, headphones could also become an issue if not used responsibly, as she believes “this adjustment could easily be used to breach the laptop policy by students who wish to do so, which I believe is to use laptops solely under teacher supervision.”
Even DP Students Want a Looser Policy
This headphone policy has made some DP students in grades 11 and 12 feel frustrated, as they value the use of headphones. Presently they may use headphones freely in certain areas, including the DP Cafe, the Secondary Library, and the DP Study rooms only in free blocks.
Another concern has been coming from students who would like to use headphones before class starts. Grade 11 student Hannes G., wrote: “Some students arrive at school super early, why shouldn’t they be allowed to use their headphones, especially when it helps them focus on getting work done?”
Furthermore, some DP students claim that headphones should be allowed throughout campus. Again Hannes G. claims that “a DP student who has a free or release block, it would make logical sense that a DP student would be responsible enough to be trusted with their headphones [in all of campus].”
There is also the perception that using headphones negatively impacts students’ social life. Secondary Counselor, Scott Langston says that headphones “cut you off from people around you. It sort of sends a subliminal message, don’t talk to me, I’m listening to something.”
Wearing headphones in public spaces sends a message to “Don’t bother me,” which is fine in certain situations. Though, if everyone wore headphones, our campus would be all lonely and sad, with no conversations like in subways. We’re in school, not the subway, right?
Balancing Focus with Silence: A Counselor’s Viewpoint
Langston, the school counselor, understands students’ opinion of headphones helping with concentration, but offer a counter-argument: “We think we can’t concentrate in silence. But actually, if you’re really working to full capacity, silence is the way to do that.”
The type of music you are listening to is also important, Langston says. “If you’re listening to any music with lyrics, it interferes with your mental concentration. […] Lyrics or no lyrics, it doesn’t make a difference to me. It will be making a difference in your brain. Because your brain is processing those lyrics, even if you think it’s not.”
I remember this being such a big issue! Thank you for bringing this to light!
This was such a drama and big issue. Thank you for raising awareness and drawing attention to this topic.