I was little surprised that we focused on the symptoms but didn't address the underlying condition - fear. All of the behaviors involved can be tied back to a basic fear of failure whether it be unpreparedness of even lack of paying attention (apart from legitimate medical issues). Conquer the fear and capture the students imagination and energy. As John Wayne said, "Courage isn't not being afraid, its saddlin' up anyway". Let's make sure that we create positive learning environments and deal with the issue in a straight-forward, understanding basis. This can also work on an individual one-on-one basis even though it takes additional time and effort.