GSPD Reading Community Spring 2021

Event Description

Join fellow graduate students, postdocs, and CTL staff for sustained cross-disciplinary conversation on critical topics in teaching and learning.

The GSPD Reading Community discussion this spring will involve chapters from James Lang’s recent book, Distraction: Why Students Can’t Focus and What You Can Do About It, where he argues that we must shift our thinking about student inattention away from preventing distraction and toward cultivating attention. Lang first outlines theories of distraction and then, leaning on recent research in mindfulness, curiosity, collaborative learning, and assessment, he provides evidence-based concrete strategies for helping cultivate practices of attention in our students.

Participants are required to attend all meetings. Participants should plan to acquire a copy of the book on their own. (The CTL encourages you to support local independent booksellers with your purchase: https://www.left-bank.com/book/9781541699809  or https://store.subbooks.com/book/9781541699809 ). Note that this book is also available free as a print book and as an ebook through Olin Library as well (one reader at a time only).

Meetings will be from noon-1pm on the following Wednesdays:

Discussion Schedule:
Feb 3: Introduction and Chapter 1: A Brief History of Distraction
Feb 17: Chapter 2: Distracted in the Classroom and Chapter 3: The Tech Ban Debate
March 3: Chapter 4: Communities of Attention and Chapter 5: Curious Attention
March 17: Chapter 6: Structured Attention and Chapter 7: Signature Attention Activities
March 31: Chapter 8: Assessed Attention and Chapter 9: Mindful Attention

Register Here