Distraction has always posed a problem for students, but surveys show there is a strong sense among teachers that the problem has gotten worse in the last fifteen years. In particular, teachers feel that digital technologies, with their frenetic pace and tendency to yank attention here and there, have made it more difficult for students to focus.
In this talk, Professor Daniel Willingham (Psychology) discussed some of the research behind the workings of attention, and offered a different interpretation. It’s not that students can’t pay attention, but that they are less willing to do so. The group discussed the role that multi-tasking plays in children’s lives, and whether parents and educators should discourage the practice.