©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 7 Using Time Samples to Look at Attention Span “Teaching is not about transferring knowledge. It is about learning, and the one who learns the most is the teacher.”

Factors Influencing Attention Span Environment – Stimulating but not too much Developmental competency – Cognitive readiness to focus attention Novelty – New things catch attention for a while Peers – Influenced by interests of peers Sensory integration difficulties – May interfere with attention ©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

TIME SAMPLES Method of recording what area of the room a child is in at a given time Form set up with free choice areas in blocks down the left side of the page and time blocks across the top At a predetermined time, the recorder writes down each child in that area and repeats it over the course of half an hour or more Infants and toddlers – more appropriate to use anecdotal or running records

©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Time Sample

©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Uses of the Time Sample Advantages Gathers information on the whole group Gives quantitative information Indicates each child’s play choice and interests Shows child’s preferred playmates Can show adults ’ position in the room Disadvantages No details are recorded Does not capture children moving during recording time Time-intensive for recorder Makes inferences that may not be accurate Not useful in infant/toddler classrooms Requires long period of free-choice time

©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. What to Do with It File in Class File because it contains information on all the children in the class Information on individual children must be copied or summarized to be useful

©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. LOOKING AT APPROACHES TO LEARNING Born to learn – Innate drive to learn Dispositions – Approaches to learning –Ready –Willing –Able Piaget & kinds of knowledge –Physical: The way the world works –Logico-Mathematical: Relationships, cause and effect, measuring, counting –Social Conventional: “ Rules of the tribe, ” manners, social conventions

©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development

Vygotsky’s Ideas about Learning Attention (and learning) are affected by social interactions Approximate success with help from a more skilled peer or an adult Use of private speech to talk through a difficult process ©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Observing Attention Span of Infants and Toddlers Sensitive periods when the brain is most receptive to certain kinds of learning Brain is constantly making connections between past experiences and new ones Brain development is negatively affected prenatally by the mother’s poor nutrition and drug use, post-natally by trauma and neglect ©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Aspects of Cognition Attention – Focusing Memory – Recognition, association Brain development – Early experiences transform the brain, readying it for later learning Playful curriculum – Opportunities to explore Multiple intelligences – Many ways of learning, thinking, and expressing Hemisphericity – Strengths of sides of brain influencing the way of thinking

©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. HELPING ALL CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION SPAN Attention Deficit – high distractability and impulsive behavior Perception Disorder – one or more sensory organs (sight, hearing, smelling, touch) are impaired, preventing the reception and or interpretation of stimuli Cultural differences in approaches to learning – Affected by the stimuli of the environment or norms of behavior

©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. TOPICS IN OBSERVATION Attention Span and Autism Autism – Pervasive developmental spectrum disorder –Spectrum: May range from barely noticeable to debilitating –Early diagnosis –Affects social interactions –Attention span is affected; may be extremely short or extremely long

©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Standard Related to Attention Span Division for Early Childhood Recommended Practices) Practice 2: Child-focused interventions Adults design environments to promote children ’ s safety, active engagement, learning, participation, and membership. Physical space and materials are structured and adapted to promote engagement, play, interaction, and learning by attending to children ’ s preferences and interests, using novelty, using responsive toys, providing adequate amounts of materials, and using defined spaces.