A coding procedure for teachers.

The authors built a simple paper coding sheet for teachers.

While class runs, the teacher marks each student as on-task or off-task every few minutes.

No stopwatches, no computers, no extra staff.

The paper shows the code is easy to learn and two teachers agreed on most marks.

It does not test an intervention; it gives a tool for measuring student attention.

Sanders et al. (1971) had eighth-graders tally their own study behavior. The 1973 code flips the job back to the teacher, giving adult eyes on the whole room.

Justus et al. (2023) later had teachers click a hand counter each time they praised. They used the same idea—teacher counts behavior—but aimed the lens at themselves.

Strang et al. (2017) moved the count to kids with autism who tapped iPads. The tool changed; the act of counting stayed.

Busch et al. (2010) built a therapist code for homework, not classroom seats. Both papers prove small teams can agree on short codes, even across very different settings.

You leave the session with a one-page sheet that turns “looks attentive” into data.

Try it during one reading group tomorrow. Mark each child on-task or off-task every thirty seconds for five minutes. At the end you have a quick score you can graph or share with parents. No tech, no extra time, and you see who needs help before the lesson ends.