ELC231/EC/APBTAPAH/2017

ELC231 EVALUATIVE COMMENTARY – OUTLINE TEMPLATE

TITLE: Class Action: The Schools Banning Mobile Phones
AUTHOR: Ailin Quinlan
SOURCE: The Irish Times
1. What is the overview a) Issue: Mobile phones should be banned in schools. b) Author’s POV: The author agrees that schools
INTRO of the article? should ban mobile phones as they are distracting
the students in many ways.
2. What is the author’s Objective: The author is providing the factual reasons on why mobile phones should be banned in schools.
tone?
3. What are the key a) The students were up at night b) The teachers want their c) The students who always have
BODY
(Evaluation points? (number communicating with each other students to be sociable and their heads in their phones are
of depends on article) on social media. talking to each other. in dangerous situation.
argumenta
tive article)
This will cause tiredness and The students are back to having Staying too focus on using mobile
What are the poor concentration in school. real-time conversations with phones will distract the students
supporting details? from being aware of things that
one another rather than being
NO / on their phones all of break happen in their surroundings.
Is there any strong
YES: The survey showed that 100 time.
evidence supporting Example: Someone saw a girl
percent of Leaving Cert students
the main idea? with her head in her phone
surveyed took their phones to bed
(Circle NO if there is NO / who was nearly hit by a car at
and 50 percent repeatedly woke up
no evidence) YES: a roundabout near the school,
during the night to check their social
media. which is a busy area and cars
are coming and going.

NO /
YES:

4. What is your
BODY
(Personal opinion/stand on the I AGREE / DISAGREE THAT schools should ban mobile phones.
opinion) issue? (underline
agree or disagree)
5. What are your MAIN POINTS SUPPORTING DETAILS STRONG EVIDENCE :
reasons to agree or a) The excessive use of mobile a) The students are isolated and a) A minister, Nick Gibb once said
disagree? phones causes the students to prefer to focus on using their if the time children spend using
be antisocial. mobile phones rather than social media or playing
socializing with their friends or computer games becomes
family. excessive, it drives out time for

b) Mobile phones are deteriorating
the students’ health.
c) The use of mobile phones in
classrooms disrupts the lessons.
b) Using mobile phones
frequently can cause the
students to get lack of sleep or
rest, resulting in excessive
fatigue.
b) A school minister, Nick Gibb
c) Mobile phones that are not in
silent mode will cause a
nuisance in the classroom,
thus distracting the other
students’ concentrations
during learning session.
ELC231/EC/APBTAPAH/2017
them to talk to their parents,
exercise, do their homework or
play with friends (Mason,
2019)
said that every hour spent
online and on a smartphone is
an hour less talking to family,
and it’s an hour less exercise
and an hour less sleep. And of
course it is a lack of sleep that
research is showing can have a
damaging effect on a child’s
mental health. (Austin, 2019)

c) Ex-Ofsted chief Michael

Wilshaw said that It’s far too
distracting for children when
they bring mobile phones in.
Texting, sexting, all the rest of
it takes place. Mobile phones
go off in the classroom,
disrupting lessons (Whittaker,
2018)
6. Restate your In our opinion, mobile phones should be banned in schools. This is because of the use of mobile phones that will
CONC
opinion/ stand, and cause the students to be antisocial, dangerous to their health and disrupts the lessons. The students will be easily
write a comment. influenced by negative things and their academic performance will be getting worse. Banning mobile phones will
increase their concentration during learning session as well as their socializing and communication skills.