Somehow it seems longer ago that I had three posts in quick succession about continuous partial attention, but maybe that’s ’cause two minutes is too long to concentrate. BoingBoing notes a post about an article in the Washington Post in which a HS Librarian Media Specialist attempts to “sell” his students on the importance of books, and has the following exchange with a student:
I recently spoke with a junior who was stressed about her decreasing ability to focus on anything for longer than two minutes or so. I tried to inspire her by talking about the importance of reading as a way to train the brain. I told her that a good reader develops the same powers of concentration that an athlete or a Buddhist would employ in sport or meditation. “A lot out there is conspiring to distract you,” I said.
She rolled her eyes. “That’s your opinion about books. It doesn’t make it true.” To her, the idea that reading might benefit the mind was, well, lame.
Sigh.
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