James M. Lang is an education writer and a former professor of English and director of the D’Amour Center for Teaching Excellence at Assumption University in Worcester, Mass. His most recent book is Distracted: Why Students Can’t Focus and What You Can Do About It, published by Basic Books in 2020. He also is the author of Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons From the Science of Learning.
Stories by this Author
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AdviceHow to Become a Mobile-Mindful Teacher
Instead of giving in to frustration over cellphones in the fall, maybe it’s time to put them to good use in class. -
Advice
How to Create Compelling Writing Assignments in a ChatGPT Age
A recent book offers a road map to new kinds of assignments to inspire your students to write. -
Advice
Don’t Write Like a Robot
Beyond ChatGPT’s implications for the classroom, what can the technology teach academics about their own writing? -
Advice
A Winter Break Reading List on Skills for Scholars
Looking for a quick read between semesters and a little career boost? Here are some book recommendations. -
Advice
How to Cope With Presentation Anxiety
Here’s how a professor and experienced public speaker has learned to deal with the academic version of stage fright. -
Advice
Give Your Students a Homeric Welcome This Semester
Don’t underestimate the importance and power of hospitality on the first day of class. -
Advice
Why Students Hate Group Projects (and How to Change That)
Too many faculty members assign ambitious team projects and then leave the students to their own devices. -
Advice
Annotate This: How a Common Academic Practice Can Boost Learning
A new book on annotation offers inspiration for how to better use this technique in teaching. -
Advice
The Healing Power of Learning
After a health crisis, an academic finds that learning is not just joyful but restorative. -
Advice
How to Improve Your Teaching — Fast
A new website for academics offers 20-minute micro courses to help you catch up on teaching innovations.
