Distracted

Why Students Can't Focus and What You Can Do About It

By: James M. Lang

Narrated by: Caitlin Davies

Keeping students focused can be difficult in a world filled with distractions -- which is why a renowned educator created a scientific solution to one of every teacher's biggest problems.
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.
But 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.

Critic reviews

"An optimistic and useful guide to cultivating student attention.... Lang's lucid prose and dry wit make for a pleasant reading experience, and his evidence is consistently on-point. Teachers and parents teaching at home will find inspiration and insight in this sterling study of 'the crucial connection between attention and learning.'"—Publishers Weekly

"A lucid discussion of attention and how to persuade students to pay it." —Kirkus

"Every educator, from kindergarten teachers to graduate and undergraduate school teachers, struggles with reducing distraction in the classroom. Lang tackles this problem by offering strategies for students and constructive approaches and tools to encourage attentive behavior."—Library Journal

"Distracted proves once and for all that the question we face today is not 'How do we make students stop looking at their phones during class?' but rather 'How can we help students find meaning during class?' Packed with specific, easy-to-implement pedagogical strategies for seizing and maintaining students' academic attention, Distracted is an eminently practical guide for increasing authentic student learning in any subject. It will transform the way we think about teaching and learning in higher education."—Jessamyn Neuhaus, SUNY Plattsburgh

"This book will change how you think about education. Distracted takes us on a phenomenal ride into a much misunderstood aspect of human learning and finally into the refreshing light that science, literature, philosophy, and history bring. Anyone who cares about learning -- their own or anyone else's -- should take this journey."—Ken Bain, author of What the Best College Teachers Do

"Lang's books have held a place of honor in my library of parenting and education books, and Distracted will, too. It is a delightful mash-up of the research and history on attention and learning. I adore this book and will be recommending it to parents and teachers."—Jessica Lahey, author of The Gift of Failure

"Attention is a finite and precious resource we are always in danger of squandering. Distracted will help teachers and students use it to nourish mind and soul."—Ian Leslie, author of Curious

"Distracted is a must-read for every classroom teacher. Lang makes a compelling argument that 'attention is an achievement' and that we should be cultivating 'attention renewal' rather than preventing distractions. He presents practical classroom activities for fostering curiosity and community -- with the research to back them up. Candid insights on effective laptop policies, inviting students into the conversation, and the role of assessments make Distracted an invaluable resource that will change how you -- and your students -- think about learning."—Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D., cognitive scientist and author of Powerful Teaching

Book better than audio performance

Great content, but narrator sounds like an automaton, which ironically….distracts. from the content. I usually like narrators, but this might be just an uninspired performance.

James M. Lang has changed my teaching

This is the third book I have read by Lang, and there is overlap in some areas, but he explores exactly what I wanted to know more about in every book. As a high school teacher who is constantly battling the issue of distraction I was able to get so many great strategies I can use immediately. Also, he helps us to understand distraction in a way most people probably are not aware of. I highly recommend this book to any teacher.

Very monotonic

Monotonic reader. Ironically really hard to pay attention. I usually love audibles and never had a bad narrator beforehand.

Not What I expected

The book just talked about the principles and the research to support distracted but lacked what I can do about it.