Page 12 - Ideas

them to brainstorm further ideas and discuss problems. innovative teaching strategies? “Start by taking small
steps. Do not worry that you will have to spend a lot of
Reflecting on his experience, Gary noted that while time on it and as a result, decide not to even take the first
adopting innovative teaching tools takes time, the step.”
amount of time and effort required diminishes
exponentially after one successful run. He hopes this Gary is also a fan of collegial sharing sessions featuring
could help address the common concern of lack of time exchanges on best practices, which he feels are great

that many instructors have. sources of inspiration, all the more so if demonstrations of
innovative teaching tools are featured. “The tough part is
When asked for his thoughts on why instructors are persuading them that the tool can be effective in

reticent about adopting innovative teaching tools, Gary teaching,” he said, “they will probably want to see for
opined that it might boil down to lack of awareness. His themselves.”
advice to instructors thinking about attempting

Gary’s experience shows us that taking small steps can overcome many barriers to innovation.
With that approach and a can-do attitude, he oversaw the transition of a primitive board game
to its current dynamic electronic iteration, something he never would have imagined at the onset.