Ah, school’s back in session. And with every new semester, we hear claims that the western education system is broken. That modern modes of instruction are outdated and unable to cope with the demands of the 21st century workforce.

Enter Duke University professor Cathy N. Davidson, author of the new book Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Learn. She believes that how we learn is a relic of 19th century values, and if it has any chance at relevancy, must embrace aspects of our digital lives that are normally shunned by scholars – technology, collaboration, and yes, even distraction.

Nora Young asked Davidson what this brave new world of education would look like…

You can hear the full, uncut interview here. [runs 24:09]

CBC Books blog post about the Spark interview with Cathy is here.