Samantha Ulloa
Week 8
Chapter 8 – Using Time Samples to Look at Attention Span
Using Time Samples
Measuring Attention Span with Time Samples
 A Time Sample is a closed method because the
recorder writes down where children are at that
moment (raw data) but does not include details
of what they are doing, how they are doing it, or
what they are saying
Don’t Use Time Samples for Infants and Toddlers
 Because infants and young toddlers (under two
years of age) are still in the Sensorimotor Stage
of cognitive development, their attention is
dictated by sensory stimuli—such as sight,
sounds, and movement—and is not self-
controlled.
Factors Influencing Children’s Attention Span
 Quiet activities such as reading, puzzles, and
small manipulatives that are too close to noisy
areas such as blocks or large muscle activities
are interrupted and attention is disturbed
How to Find the Time
 The Time Sample form can be loaded on a
netbook to record the names of the children.
Later, when the completed form is downloaded,
summary results of each child’s activities can be
stored in an electronic Portfolio for each child.
Looking at Approaches to Learning
It Begins with the Brain
 The brain is continually growing and changing,
adapting to the environment. The neurons
present at birth are being connected by the
stimuli in the environment so teachers provide
an escalating array of activities to both practice
acquired skills and challenge new ones.
Attention
 As important as attention is to learning, recess
breaks are equally important as they contribute
to cognitive performance and result in increased
attention.
 I see time samples similar to a checklist instead
for this we are focusing on a set of time and the
amount of their attention span. I like the sample
that was given on the book and gives us an
insight on how to use the
 Did not realize that it is much harder and not
necessary to create a time sample for children
under the age of two. Their attention span
would be inconsistent and not true to evaluating
the child on their attention span.
 Separating the centers is a great idea but it is
also important to keep in mind the placement of
these centers. Focusing on how much space
there is and use it wisely so the centers do not
collide.
 Technology has been an essential in today’s
teaching generation so the use of a tablet to
keep track of every child’s attention span. Using
those electric pencil to write on the tablet as if it
was paper can be useful and easy to use.
 Before the age of three, a child has developed
about 90% of its brain. They have experience
new events and idea they have never seen
before. It is interesting that even though the
child is small, they are still making those
connections they learned from 2 months ago
even if they are 1 years old.
 I find recess to be very important because it gets
the child active before coming to a class where
the will sit the majority the time. I remember
during m elementary years, I would have 15
minutes of morning recess, 30 minutes of lunch
recess and then 45 minutes of PE.
Memory
 Mnemonics is the study of methods and
strategies to help in improving and assisting the
memory (you may not be familiar with the
term mnemonic but you have probably used a
mnemonic device such as “I before E except
after C” to aid in spelling or “ROY G BIV” to help
you remember the colors of the
rainbow). Figure 8–3illustrates six mnemonic
keys that might be used to “unlock” memory.
Multiple Intelligences Hemisphericity
 Many researchers feel traditional educational
teaching and testing methods ignore the
sensory, visual, and intuitive functions of the
brain.
Positive Approaches to Learning
 Enthusiasm for learning consists of interest or
curiosity, pleasure in activities, motivation to
learn, and the desire to explore and find new
things interesting. Engagement in learning
consists of attention or focus, persistence to
work through and tolerate frustration, flexibility
in finding creative ways to handle frustrations,
and self-regulation in governing one’s own
behavior (Hyson, 2008)
Playful Curriculum
 Children learn best when their social and
emotional needs are met and where there is
flexibility and compromise. Young children learn
most effectively when learning activities relate
to their everyday lives rather than artificially
presenting abstract, unfamiliar play contexts.
Piaget and Cognitive Development
Kinds of Knowledge
 Social conventional knowledge gathered from
influential adults about general rules of conduct
acceptable to that group. Physical knowledge
about the general properties of the physical
world: gravity, motion, and nature. Logico-
mathematical knowledge principles of the
 This idea of Mnemonics is a new to me and find
it interesting how I have used this in previous
years. An example would be the use of PEMDAS
(Parenthesis, Exponent, Multiplication, Division,
Addition, Subtraction). It does help children
memorize small things through a song or
mnemonics.
 The aspect of education has dramatically
changed over the years. Traditional testing
usually consist of multiple choice answers which
lack intuitive functions of the brain. Such as
having final presentation, including a picture or
watching a video to incorporate different ways
that interest the children.
 I agree that enthusiasm and engagement is very
important when being a role model to a child.
Engaging in fun activities and showing you are
truly into it, the child is able to feel confident in
whatever they are doing.
 The aspect of flexibility stuck out to me, having
children choose their play for the day as they
seem the most interested in it and retain
important information. Such as connecting to
past experiences and those they will able to use
and see on the daily basis.
 There are three different kinds of knowledge
which are Social, physical and logico-
mathematical. It meets a lot of areas such as
their emotions, the way they play and how they
solve a problem.
 nature of matter by reasoning rather than
intuition or appearances
Stages of Cognitive Development
 Piaget described intricate substages in which
information processing takes circular pathways.
Each new piece of information goes through this
chain, trying to make a match. Piaget called this
constructing knowledge.
Vygotsky and Social Interaction’s Role in Cognition
 He had the idea of psychological tools, which
assisted in a task, such as how reading and
writing serve in conveying ideas. In using the
tools for their purpose, the mind is also being
expanded.
Helping All Children with Attention
Observing Attention Span in Infants and Toddlers
 Observing when the infant is most alert and
using that time to advantage by interacting
helps to keep the infant in that state longer.
Mental Processing Differences
 Attention is defined as the ability to focus on a
specific aspect of the environment and ignore
the other stimuli such as those who are ADHD
and ADD.
Cultural Differences in Approaches to Learning
 Some cultures prefer quiet, peaceful styles of
interaction, seeing a busy, noisy environment as
over-stimulating and not conducive to thinking.
Some cultures value activity and movement as
tenets of exploration, problem solving, and
developing imagination, while in other children
may be less expressive
 Piaget theory was revolved around the idea one
must happen before the next one is applied.
Such as making the connection of a past
experience is not being applied to the one they
are currently going through. Construction
knowledge such as being aware that it had
happened before and now what are they ways
the child can apply that learning
 Psychological tool is a new term and it is quite
interesting how Vygotsky has applied it. As the
child reads a text, they are using the tool of
comprehension about what is occurring. Then
they are able to write down what they learned
such as trough a picture or sentence of the main
character.
 As mentioned before attention span assessing
on toddlers can be unnecessary due to the stage
they are in. But observing the child, you can
notice what is keeping them alert and assist in
having them alert for a longer period of time.
You could see how long it keeps the toddler
interested before they want to move to the next
activity.
 Those deficient in attention, is important to
have patience. Such as those who can’t sit still in
a chair for a long period of time.
Accommodating to this child is important such
as letting them take a walk, so the do not feel
constrained to the chair.
 There are many cultures in the world and even
within those cultures, each family have different
traditions. When coming into a classroom where
everyone comes from a different background,
being attentive of how the child prefers to be or
do is important. With the aspect of quietness,
this where centers are important to be placed
appropriately so the child can either go to the
quiet spot or the area where lots of noise is
being generated.