Why is it so hard to get students to pay attention? Conventional wisdom blames iPhones, insisting that access to technology has ruined students' ability to focus. The logical response is to ban electronics in class. Acclaimed educator James M. Lang argues that this solution obscures a deeper problem: how we teach is often at odds with how students learn. Classrooms are designed to force students into long periods of intense focus, but emerging science reveals that the brain is wired for distraction. We learn best when able to actively seek and synthesize new information.

In Distracted, Lang rethinks the practice of teaching, revealing how educators can structure their classrooms less as distraction-free zones and more as environments where they can actively cultivate their students' attention. Brimming with ideas and grounded in new research, Distracted offers an innovative plan for the most important lesson of all: how to learn.

Book Access: Forsyth has *one* digital copy of the text available. If it is not already checked out, you should be able to access it here with SSO: Distracted e-book via Forsyth If you'd like to purchase the book, you can do so online, via most major booksellers. 

Additional Resources: You can access the Zoom recording from Dr. Lang's keynote address at Spring Professional Development Day here (FHSU SSO required): Spring 2023 PDD Keynote: Lang

The Chronicle of Higher Education has a featured "package" of content on James Lang's distraction research. This content is behind a paywall, but you can access it at https://www.chronicle.com/package/the-distracted-classroom/ if you have a Chronicle account.