Distracted (Spring 2027 Book Club)

This Spring 2027 Book Club focuses on Distracted: Why Students Can't Focus and What You Can Do About It by James M. Lang. The book traces the long history of student attention struggles — well before smartphones entered the picture — and draws on research in cognition and learning to offer small, practical, research-backed changes instructors can make to help students focus, stay engaged, and learn more deeply. Rather than calling for a classroom overhaul, Lang's approach emphasizes incremental shifts that are realistic to implement and grounded in evidence.

CTL provides a free copy of the book to every participant. Participants will read the book together and meet to discuss its ideas and practical applications for their own courses at Cortland.