Chapter 8: Using Time Samples to Look at Attention Span 

 
Fact Reflection: 
8-1 (Using Time Samples)  The child will let you know what they like 
❖ Conducting a T.S. is efficient way  or don’t like without having to say a word. 
to document where each child in  It’s pretty neat that we as observers can 
class chooses to spend free time  decode what aspect of a lesson/subject 
when given the choice to.   matter a child takes pleasure in.  
❖ Your choices can be governed by: 
➢ Pleasure, opportunity, 
expecting similar results 
with different activity, 
boredom 
❖ Time and attention are indicators of 
the involvement of brain, body, and 
spirit.  

8-1a (Measuring Attention Span with  Make sure the child is aged 3 or older! 
Time Samples)   
❖ By watching children as they  Having different symbols makes it easier 
choose and participate in activities,  for the observer to record and understand 
a wide spectrum of development  later, but also for the reader to easily 
and behavior can be assessed and  identify as well.  
evaluated   
❖ T.S are suitable for ages 3 and up  Although it can take a lot of time, it’s good 
in group settings  to know that the teacher does not have to 
➢ Closed method  be the one to do it. My mom always has 
➢ Notation: different symbols  parent volunteers in the classroom, so I 
for different types of play  wonder if she has ever had them help her 
➢ Could also include a square  in conducting a time sample observation 
for measuring who was   
involved in each project and   
how long   
➢ Time-consuming but a family   
member or volunteer could   
do it    
➢ Child must have free choice  Make sure the activity isn’t coerced!! 
in order for it to be effective 
❖ Recorder notes children in each 
area and if adult is in the area  

8-1b (Don’t Use Time Samples for Infants  Child below the age of 3 can be too 
and Young Toddlers)  distracted by other things around them, 
❖ Infants and young toddlers are still  making this observation unethical and 
 in sensorimotor stage  inappropriate. 
➢ Dictated by sensory stimuli 
➢ Better to use A.R or R.R. 

8-1c (Factors Influencing Children’s   

Attention Span)  Study smart, not study hard. It took me a 
❖ Attention span: f​ ocus perceptual  while to learn that learning is not simply 
processes on a specific aspect of the  memorizing a bunch of information. You 
environment   need to personalize it and know your 
❖ Learning is NOT just memorization  learning styles to help the information 
➢ Complex and differs per  truly stick beyond the exam.  
person   
❖ The art of teaching does not begin  I like this quote a lot. You really need to 
with knowing individual children,  take into consideration what makes a child 
but recognizing that children learn  tick in order to guide them. 
in various ways   
❖ Environment could be distracting to   
child   
➢ Look at this before claiming  Don’t jump to conclusions. Look at every 
child has short attention  factor before making a decision about a 
span  child.  
■ Could sensitive to 
sights, sounds, smells, 
textures 
➢ Child’s choice reveals 
interest 
■ Tend to choose 
activities where they 
find success 
■ Could be influenced 
by peers 

8-1d (How to Find the Time)  Again, a volunteer could help you out and 
❖ Time-consuming but a family  would be more than willing to. If it is a 
member or volunteer could do it!  parent volunteer, maybe advise them to 
❖ Timer is useful, handheld computer  not observe their own child, as their bias 
❖ Store data in Portfolio  could skew results.  
❖ Comparisons can be used to 
measure progress and help make 
plans for each child if need be 

8-2 (Looking at Approaches to Learning)  Looking at all factors is important. Home 

❖ Approaches to learning look at all  life can play a huge role in the way a child 
factors and areas of development  plays. Do they get angered easily, can they 
❖ A fundamental premise is that play  share, do they have trouble interacting 
 is learning and learning is play.   with adults and peers, etc? 
➢ “The learning culture of each 
child’s home provides 
children with more 
opportunities for learning 
than they will ever encounter 

8-2a (It Begins with the Brain)  Everyone is different. We all learn, walk, 
❖ Each brain is as unique as faces, no  and even talk differently. As teachers and 
one is identical  observers, we need to remember this.  
➢ Architecture of brain is 
formed in the first 3 years  
❖ As sensory information is received 
from experiences, more and more 
synapses form, and in turn make 
the connections 
➢ Sensitive periods: ​neurons 
are exceptionally receptive 
and require certain 
experiences to develop 
■ Occur at different 
ages for different 
parts of the brain 

8-2b (Attention)  Our minds take in so much information on 

❖ Learning cannot take place unless  a daily basis that can make it difficult to 
the individual is able to focus  focus on task at hand, especially for 3 yr 
attention  olds.  
➢ Child’s ability to do this in   
preschool correlates to later  Noting which children have trouble 
school achievement  focusing on one activity is important to 
■ One of the  observe so that you can create the best 
fundamental  plan of action for them. 
requirements for 
learning is a focused 
attention span 
❖ To focus attention, a person must 
concentrate on the object while 
ignoring other stimuli around them 
❖ The visual system provides 80% of 
info needed for the process of 
memory to take place 
➢ Recess breaks are important 
for cognitive performance! 
8-2c (Memory)  Again, look at all factors. Home, cultural, 
❖ Memory is the construction material  prenatal and postnatal influences, etc. 
of cognitive development   
➢ Encode info from   
environment   
➢ Store encoded info   
➢ Retrieval of information   
❖ Learning can be affected by chronic   
stress thus interfering with forming   
and retrieving memories   
❖ Executive function helps to self-   
regulate   
➢ Behavior   
➢ Memory   
➢ Attention   
❖ Recognition (association, Piaget) is   
the most basic  Mnemonics when studying have always 
❖ Cultural values can have an effect  been a huge help to me!! 
❖ Visual recognition and mnemonics 
are have high memory rates 

8-2d (Multiple Intelligences and   

Hemisphericity)   
❖ Gardner   
➢ Multiple intelligences:  Noting what child falls under which 
individual ways of  intelligence can help you develop curricula 
processing information  that will support them and bring out their 
■ 8 intelligences  true potential.  
● Linguistic 
● Logical-mathe
matical 
● Spatial 
● Bodily-kinesth
etic 
● Musical 
● Interpersonal 
● Intrapersonal 
● Naturalist 
➢ Brain hemisphericity:​ 2 
hemispheres of the brain deal 
with information and 
function in different ways 
■ Left: languages and 
speech 
 ■ Right: initial receiver 
of incoming info 

8-2e (Positive Approaches to Learning)  Every child wants to learn. If a child is 
❖ We have an innate, inborn drive to  expressing a desire not to, they may be 
learn  dealing with previously poor academic 
➢ Family can aid in this;  experiences.  
quality of this can have   
impact  At school, they should have the ability to 
➢ School; goal is to help  explore all areas on interest and not be 
children develop ​dispositions  shamed into not learning.  
for learning, foster curiosity 
to finding things out and 
making sense of the world 
■ Traits that support 
learning such as 
curiosity, persisting, 
questioning 
■ Teachers are role 
models. Children are 
always observing.  
➢ Enthusiasm and 
encouragement 

8-3 (Playful Curriculum)  If you don’t feel loved, accepted, or 

❖ Crucial to children’s language and  validated as a child, you are not going to 
social skill development  care as much about what the days of the 
➢ Children learn best when  week are or telling time. Starting off the 
their social and emotional  day with a positive comment or song or 
needs are met with flexibility  something that bests fits the classroom is a 
and compromise  good way to promote learning.  
❖ Play is universal characteristic   
➢ Biological, then 
developmental  
➢ Experienced differently by 
children in different cultural 
contexts 
■ Technology may 
change all culture’s 
nature of play 
❖ Project Approach: ​curriculum 
strategy engaging children in the 
investigation of a topic 
❖ Teachers scaffold their 
investigations to analyze by seeing 
 relationships, evaluate to make 
judgments and create to produce a 
way to share their learning 
➢ Can be done in a playful, 
non-academic environment 
which can be planned and 
executed by the children 

8-4 (Piaget and Cognitive Development)   

❖ Early work spent studying 
adaptation of mollusks to different 
water 
➢ Trained in observation skills 
➢ Changed when he became a 
parent 
❖ Constructivism:​ interactions with 
the world to construct our 
experience and understanding into 
categories, concepts, and previous 
experiences 

8-4a (Kinds of Knowledge)  Children are constantly learning all 

❖ Piaget believed mind is not a blank  areas/domains of development.  
state 
➢ Has structured ways of 
knowing that assist when 
categorizing experiences 
❖ Social Conventional Knowledge: 
info gathered from influential adults 
about general rules of conduct 
acceptable to that group 
❖ Physical knowledge:​ knowledge 
about the general properties of the 
physical world; gravity, motion, and 
nature 
➢ During sensorimotor stage, 
child gather info about world 
by manipulating things and 
watching the results 
❖ Logico-mathematical knowledge: 
understanding principles of the 
nature of matter by reasoning 
rather than intuition or appearances 
➢ Seeking relationships is main 
task  
 ➢ Variables manipulated, 
results measured 

8-5 (Vygotsky and Social Interaction Role   

in Cognition) 
❖ Saw education as experiences in 
child’s social and cultural 
connections, not acquisition of skills 
and knowledge 
➢ Interactions child brings to a 
more advanced level requires 
scaffolding 

8-6 (Helping All Children with Attention)  Understanding what developmental 

❖ Cognitive dev is affected by  obstacles may be in place for the child is 
➢ Physical, emotional, cultural  important.  
influences 
❖ Attention is foundational building 
block of learning 

8-6a (Observing Attention Span in Infants  They are just learning the world around 
and Toddlers)  them and by scaffolding and supporting 
❖ Everything is new to them and will  them, we are opening up a world of 
demand their attention and focus   possibilities 
❖ Observe the children observing 
❖ Support and imitate behavior 

8-6b (Mental Processing Differences)  It is important to be sensitive to 

❖ Birth defects, drug use, poor  everyone’s learning styles and capabilities. 
nutrition could affect learning  Children can be mean so if a child with an 
process  attention deficit disorder of any kind and 
❖ Attention: ability to focus on  as teachers we should make sure that no 
specific aspect of environment while  child is made fun of for their learning 
ignoring other stimuli  ways. 
➢ Attention deficit: inability to 
focus 
➢ Attention deficit disorder 
(ADD) and ADHD: 
professionally diagnosed 
impairments that affect 
attention span  
■ Cause impulsivity and 
distractibility 
● Children are 
often 
 mislabeled as 
autistic 
● Important for 
family or 
school staff not 
to impose a 
label or a 
diagnosis 
■ Children with ADHD 
twice as likely in boys 
● Suffer from 
academic, 
social, and 
emotional 
difficulties 
◆ Benefit 
from 
interven
tion or 
treatme
nt 

8-6c (Cultural Differences in Approaches  A child’s background can affect the way in 
to Learning)  which they learn both positively and 
❖ Within the same ethnic  negatively. Important as teachers and 
culture/group, there can be  observers to be aware of this 
different approaches to learning 
❖ Concept of play is common thread 
❖ Amount of stimulation in a 
classroom is affected by culture 
➢ If child comes from strict 
environment, environment 
with lots of materials may be 
overwhelming 
➢ Adults need to consider 
environment 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
TIME SAMPLE 
 
Class: __________________ Date: _____________ Recorder: __________________ 
 
Times (@ 5 min intervals) 
Activity/            
Area