Small Wins - Big Benefit, by Dr. Mikael Powell

See

https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/education_dissertations/20 

I toured a number of potential classrooms for observation at several universities to conduct my research, and noticed varying degrees of potential obstructions to the educational process within the physical environments. One significant comment that I received from several participants within the research responses was that the very act of trying to mitigate problems, even though actions did not completely alleviate the issue, was beneficial.

Rhatigan and Schuh (2003) describe how even small interactions with students where faculty and administration extended themselves to support, encourage, or make the environment better for students, have the potential to make great changes in students’ lives. They describe these opportunities as small wins, and say that “when small wins accumulate, people begin to take the view that larger-scale, complex problems can be solved” (p. 18). A post-occupancy evaluation can be a diminutive way to give students some control of their environment and demonstrate that their opinion is valued. Part of asking about their likes and dislikes of the facility, is considering the issues that they value which faculty or administration may not share. Thus, little opportunities to be included in a process can be empowering! The act of opening and closing blinds or turning on and off the heating or lighting system, whether performed by the teacher or as a teacher-student activity, or by students to prepare the space for learning, can serve as subtle ways to acknowledge the role of the physical space in the teaching and learning process, while setting the mood in class and letting students know that the time with them is important. Increasing the font size to make a presentation more legible in a room is, in itself, a modest gesture, but it contributes to small wins. Rhatigan and Schuh state that:

Small wins can produce results that are electrifying and, in some cases, life changing….Our small efforts can produce good outcomes. The good that each one of us does lives on. Faculty and administrators do not want to be among those who limit themselves by lacking imagination, energy, and effort in the small room in the world that has been entrusted to our care (pp. 19–22). What little steps can we take now toward creating an effective environment in which students can learn?