Distracted
Why Students Can’t Focus and What You Can Do About It
“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.”
James Lang’s newest book draws deeply from research in education and the science of attention, as well as from classroom observations and the works of poets and philosophers alike, to shift our thinking about the problem of distraction in the classroom. Distracted makes the provocative argument that we should focus our efforts on cultivating student attention, rather than futilely attempting to wall out distractions. The book’s accessible writing style, diverse mix of sources, and plentiful profiles of creative teachers will give readers the ideas and resources they need to invigorate their classrooms with student attention. | READ MORE
Small Teaching
Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning
The Small Teaching movement began in 2016, when this unassuming book made a simple argument to college faculty: a growing body of research on human learning was pointing us to small, manageable changes they could make to their teaching that would have a significant positive impact on student learning. Since its publication in 2016, teachers around the world have embraced its message of empowerment and hope, and used its theoretically grounded, highly practical recommendations to spark ongoing change for their students. | READ MORE
“Small Teaching is packed with ideas that will have you highlighting like mad. But this is no mere collection of tips―instead, it’s a powerful, coherent framework aligned to the realities of teaching in higher education today.”
About James
James M. Lang, Ph.D. is a Professor of Practice at the Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of Notre Dame. He has authored six books, the most recent of which are Distracted: Why Students Can’t Focus and What You Can Do About It (Basic Books, 2020), Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning (Jossey-Bass, 2016) and Cheating Lessons: Learning from Academic Dishonesty (Harvard University Press, 2013), and On Course: A Week-by-Week Guide to Your First Semester of College Teaching (Harvard UP, 2008). He also holds the title of Emeritus Professor of English at Assumption University, where he founded and directed the university’s teaching center.
A dynamic and highly sought-after public speaker, he has delivered conference keynotes or conducted workshops on teaching for faculty at more than three hundred colleges or universities in the United States and abroad. He has consulted with the United Nations on a multi-year project to develop teaching materials in ethics and integrity for high school and college faculty.
Speaking
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Writing & Editing
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