TERI 4.2 — Device Practice & Classroom Setup

What this is

How the device policy is lived day-to-day — both the pedagogical / cultural layer (why the policy exists, how families understand the reasoning, how transitions and teacher routines operationalize it, on-the-spot teacher consistency) and the spatial / infrastructural layer (device storage systems, charging norms, classroom layout, signage and environmental cues, quiet zones, device-free spaces, and the routines that make device transitions frictionless). Both dimensions are required: cultural alignment without spatial support produces inconsistency; spatial setup without cultural buy-in produces grudging compliance.

Why it matters

Compliance & Structure (4.1) sets the rules; this checkpoint asks whether the rules shape daily behavior. Strong spatial setup (storage, charging, signage) and strong cultural conversation (shared rationale, family understanding) work together; either one alone leaves a gap.

Connects to

The Framework: Condition #11 (Cognitive Counterweights). Links to 4.1 (Personal Device Policy — Compliance & Structure) for the binding policy this implements; 2.3 (Student Agency Over Tech Use) for the K-12 developmental progression this environment scaffolds; 4.2 (Intentional Screen Time Norms) and 4.2 (Analog & Cognitive Counterweight Practices) for adjacent environmental dimensions.

Maturity levels

Not Started

No shared cultural conversation about why the device policy exists. Spatial setup is whatever each classroom independently arranged — no district norms on storage, charging, or device-free zones. Family communication is intermittent or absent. Teachers handle device decisions inconsistently moment-to-moment.

Emerging

Some spatial norms exist (e.g., a charging station in some rooms, a phone-pouch or basket policy in some classes). Some teachers have internalized the rationale; others have not. Family communication exists but is one-way (announcement, not partnership). Transitions are uneven across classrooms within a building.

Established

Both dimensions in place. Cultural: shared rationale articulated to staff and families, with regular touchpoints (faculty meetings, family newsletters, student-facing explainers); teachers handle on-the-spot decisions consistently within and across classrooms. Spatial: standard device storage and charging routines across classrooms; clear signage; designated quiet / device-free zones; transition routines that are visible and practiced. Both layers are reviewed together, not separately.

Expanding

Practice and setup are continuously refined with student and family input. Family training and explainer materials co-developed with parents. Classroom layouts and device-free zones evaluated against cognitive research (sustained attention, transitions, social presence). Teachers across grade bands collaborate on shared transition language. The environment visibly scaffolds the agency curriculum (2.3) — students see the connection between what they're learning about tech use and how their daily classroom is set up.

Go deeper with

Example resource

Center for Humane Technology — Foundations of Humane Technology (humanetech.com)

Also consider

Common Sense Education — Phone Ban Resources for Schools (regularly updated)
Phone-Free Schools Movement — district policy + practice resources
Responsive Classroom — classroom-environment and routines guidance adapted for tech transitions
Edutopia — practitioner case studies on classroom device norms and storage