The Attention Gap

Michael McDowell, EdD was a public school educator for eighteen years serving in the roles of classroom teacher, academic and athletic coach, school principal, assistant superintendent of personnel and instruction, and superintendent.  During his tenure as a superintendent, his school district received state and national accolades including the National Blue Ribbon Award which recognized their work for student performance and mental health and well-being in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic by the U.S. Department of Education.Dr. McDowell serves on numerous boards, served as a college professor, and worked for non-profit organizations to enhance student learning around the world.  Over the course of his career, Dr. McDowell has authored bestselling books, created professional learning programs and workbooks, provided keynotes and workshops, and provided practical tools and resources for thousands of teachers and leaders on almost every continent around the world.  A prolific author and consultant, Dr. McDowell is recognized as one of the leading authorities on integrating innovative and impactful practices into schools. Offering keynotes and executive coaching to heads of school around the world, he partners with educational leaders to implement high leverage strategies that will enhance teaching and learning in classrooms, schools, and systems through his work with Hinge Education.

"The Attention Gap is a timely guide for today’s highly distracted world, where sustaining student focus has become a prevalent barrier for educators. Michael McDowell’s interval-based routines provide tangible ways to build the learner and build the learning, striking a balance between genuine engagement and appropriately challenging learning. This book equips educators with strategies that move classrooms beyond compliance and toward authentic student learning and growth."

• About the AuthorAcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter 1. Bridging the Attention Gap with Interval Instruction: Find the Right Cadence of Challenge and EngagementChapter 2. Cognitive Snacking: Spark and Sustain ClarityChapter 3. Launch Interval: Teach Transfer Early and OftenChapter 4. Content Intervals: Design a Rhythm Between Surface and Deep LearningChapter 5. Pattern Breaks: Check and Respond to Student Learning in Real TimeChapter 6. Cool Down: Consolidate Learning and Recharge AttentionChapter 7. Systems that Stick: Implement Interval Instruction Across Your Classroom and SchoolConclusionAppendixGlossaryReferencesIndex