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CREATING SHORT-TERM
LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

An Action Research Report

Heather Alger, 1998

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It is my belief that a variety of interesting and well-planned learning opportunities can often overcome many classroom challenges.

Introduction

In November of 1997 I began an exciting and rewarding two-month placement in a grade five classroom at an inner-city public school. In this classroom there were many challenges to be faced everyday by all individuals - one of the greatest challenges to be overcome was the disruptive behaviour that occurred in the classroom. The disruptive behaviour ranged from unnecessary talking and inappropriate language to physical fighting involving both genders. This behaviour affected many areas of the classroom. It effected the quality of the learning environment and the quantity of teaching and working time. Through my observations I noticed that disruptive behaviour tended to be at its greatest when the class was wrapping up a 35 minute lesson or activity and preparing to start the next 35 minute lesson or activity. This behaviour and the subsequent discipline took 7-10 minutes away from the lesson that had been planned. As I watched this unfold day after day I decided that something needed to be done.

The Process of Making a Positive Difference

To make a positive difference in this classroom I felt that there needed to be a change to the routine. I viewed the student's behaviour as a signal - a signal that they were not satisfied with the routine of the classroom. The student's wanted to have a break between long lessons and since there wasn't a scheduled one they created their own 7-10 minute break through their behaviour. If they were always going to attempt to create this "break" then perhaps I should provide a structured break for them. A structured break would allow them to shift their focus from a long lesson to a brief activity and in the process they would stay focused on learning.

I knew that my Associate was very frustrated with the difficulty faced switching between lessons everyday so I did not hesitate to bring my idea to her. I presented my Associate with the idea of creating 5 minute short-term learning opportunities between lessons once a day. She received the idea with great enthusiasm and told me to go ahead with planning a series of short-term learning opportunities.

The first step in creating short-term learning opportunities that will be successful in a classroom is to carefully observe the class and pick up on their areas of interest that you as a teacher can help develop. There were two significant areas of interest that my students had. Many of my students loved to draw with pencil. Some would start drawing the moment they came in from outside and others attempted to draw as the class was being guided through a lesson. The students also enjoyed listening to stories being told by audiocassette. From these observations I decided upon and developed my series of short-term learning opportunities. The first set of opportunities I created were focused upon developing the children's drawing ability and the second set of opportunities were based on 5 minute mysteries which would develop the children's listening and questioning skills. I brought these ideas to my Associate and she was eager to try them as soon as I was ready.

The second step was for me to fully develop my ideas. I turned to an excellent drawing guide, The Draw Squad by Mark Kistler, to develop my drawing lessons. This book is "draw-proof" for all those teachers who feel that they cannot assist their students in becoming better artists. The book takes individuals step-by-step through how to draw fun cartoon characters and scenes and teaches important concepts and skills pertinent to drawing. Each mini-lesson from his book can be covered in under 10 minutes. For 5- minute mysteries I turned to the Five-Minute Mysteries Sleuth Book and Audiocassette by Ken Weber. This had a variety of mysteries all on audio-cassette for the students to listen to and I a mystery and answer book which I could follow along with.

The third step was to introduce the idea to the class. I introduced the idea prior to our morning math class. I informed the class that when math time was finished we would have a short drawing lesson. I also informed them that we had ten minutes for the lesson so it was important that everyone prepare for the activity quickly when they were asked to do so. At the end of math class I explained that each student would have their own pad of paper to draw on and that they were responsible for that pad. A student assisted me in passing around these pads to the class. As soon as each student had a pad I introduced our brief lesson. I informed the students about what we were going to draw and what skills we would be practicing and developing. I drew on the chalkboard so each individual in the class could follow along and I provided a magnified photocopy of the steps for the visually impaired student in our class.

The following day I introduced five minute mysteries to the class. I explained that they would be listening to a five minute mystery story that was on an audio-cassette. At the end of the story they would be asked to solve the mystery and to solve the mystery they would ask me questions that I could answer with a yes or a no. Once they had made ten guesses I would give them a clue; after another ten guesses I would provide them with a second clue. If they did not solve the mystery in the time required they would decide as a class if they wanted me to tell them the answer or if they would like to have until the end of the day to think about it. If they choose to wait until the end of the day they were only allowed to ask additional questions outside of class time. The students understood and followed the conditions with no problems.

The Results

I noticed a change in the student's behaviour immediately. There was noticeably less discipline required during the lessons both before and following the short term learning opportunity. Most importantly I observed:

1. Each student in the class promptly cleared their desk and prepared for the following activity with a minimal amount of acceptable noise.

2. The students were being given an opportunity to develop a skill that they had a personal interest in as well as develop skills in listening and questioning. My acknowledgment of and respect for their interests gave them a greater respect for me as a teacher.

3. The students interest in the short-term learning opportunity kept their focus on learning and having fun. The transition to the next lesson or activity was much smoother. The children worked better and participated more during the following lesson with fewer interruptions from disruptive behaviour.

In addition to these observations there are remarks that students made to me. The students felt that I displayed a genuine concern for them by incorporating fun learning opportunities that were related to their interests into the day. They also said that these short-term learning opportunities were good because they were not being assessed on them so they were not anxious about their performance.

Conclusion

It is known that an interesting, well-planned lesson can often overcome many classroom challenges. At the same time incorporating a variety of short-term learning opportunities geared to the students interests can overcome disruptive behaviour that can be a result of students wanting a break in-between lengthier lessons. This change in the classroom routine was a positive experience for all the students and the teachers in the classroom. My associate looks forward to continuing these activities next term.

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