The distracted student mind — enhancing its focus and attention

Abstract

As young people are buffeted by one new communications technology after another, their ability to focus on the present and to learn has been eroding. But taking away their phones only makes them anxious which also impedes their learning. The author suggests a series of strategies that educators can employ to deepen their focus and improve their attention — helping students reset their brains, building stamina for studying, understanding the relationship between sleep and learning, teaching them how to minimize alerts and notifications, and creating specific screen-free zones for studying.