Distracted by James Lang

DISTRACTED by James M. Lang (Small Teaching) is addressed primarily to teachers and explains “Why Students Can't Focus and What You Can Do About It.” Lang, professor of English at Assumption University, takes the provocative position that we need to “make a fundamental shift in our thinking: away from preventing distraction and toward cultivating attention.” That’s a tough call, especially in the COVID era, which he addresses in his updated preface. Throughout the text, Lang really stresses the importance of developing a community and actively encouraging mutual respect for other students. He also advocates adopting a more empathetic approach so as to "not jump so quickly to the assumption that a distracted student is a poor or inconsiderate one."  His research is impressive and well-documented with over 20 pages of notes.  However, the text itself feels fairly dense -- I would have preferred quick chapter summaries and more "tips and tricks" aimed at practitioners.