This has been a debate for many years. Some people believe that headphones should not be allowed in schools because they are a distraction. They allow the student to ‘drown’ out the outside world and go into their own space and not listen to the lesson during class.
Other people feel that it is unfair to allow students to have headphones at school because some students might not be able to afford a pair of headphones and they will feel like the odd one out.
There are many different reasons and opinions as to why headphones should not be allowed but we tend to forget the reasons why they should be allowed in school…
Music can help students concentrate and learn faster
It is obvious that when there is a lesson being held or when instructions are given, no headphones should be allowed to be on however. Research shows that some students work better when they are listening to music.
Music helps the mind focus and some students say that when they think of a certain song they heard whilst studying, they are able to remember the answer a lot quicker.
If the students begin to get disruptive and share music and make a noise instead of do their work, then the teacher should take away the headphone privileges until the end of the day. Even though music can help them concentrate better, there still needs to be some form of discipline and rules in place.
Decrease the noise levels in the school as a whole
When students are working during class, they tend to have a chat here and there because pure silence freaks people out and can cause students to lose focus and concentration.
If you allow students to listen to headphones whilst they are working, they will be able to work with white noise in the background and this will limit the need to talk to other students about personal stuff during class.
This will also allow students to work in complete silence if they need to. Noise cancellation headphones are ideal for students who work best in complete silence. It’s a win-win for the teachers. They get some quiet time whilst they have focused and working students in the class.
Lower stress level
I don’t know about you but when I am stressed, I find it hard to focus on the job that I need to do. I place headphones over my ears and I find my playlist and I listen to music while I work. This helps me get rid of my stress so that I am able to continue with my job.
The school environment today is not like it was in the old days. There is a lot more pressure on the youth of today to get good grades, be good in sports, play a musical instrument, look after the elderly and still try and be a kid.
Headphones during class time will allow the students to stop focusing on everyone else and start to focus on themselves and the work at hand. When you stop focusing on the other people around you, you tend to get lost in the work in front of you.
There is going to be ground rules that need to be followed if you are going to implement headphones during class time. You need to remember that the headphones will not be used all the time. They will only be used when students are working on a class assignment, filing in worksheets are studying before their next test.
Students can socialize during break time or before school starts but headphones during class will limit the amount of chatting that is happening during class at the moment.
To get everyone’s attention again, you can simply pat them on the shoulder so that they remove the headphones and listen to what the teacher has to say or you can ensure that the volume of the headphones is not too loud so that when you call their attention, they are able to hear you.
Help with the bullying
Some people say that using headphones during class will help with the bullying that is happening in schools to date.
The bullying has increased so much over the years and there is not much we can do about it out of the school environment, however, during class time, if you monitor the interaction between students during class, you will be able to reduce the amount of bullying that is happening.
You never know, the kids might realize that they have the same taste in music and bond over that instead of making fun of them during free time in class.
Everyone has their opinions about headphones in class and why they should not be allowed but if you take a look at studies and see how much music can help a child concentrate and focus, then you will see that headphones should be allowed in class.
If the situation is controlled correctly and the students know that there are consequences if they do not follow the rules, then headphones during class will be a positive thing and increase the education of the school.
Please ensure that the headphones are not too loud as you do not want to cause permanent hearing damage.
Watch this interesting video where girl shows how to hide earbuds and listen to the music in a classroom.