After reading chapter 3 in the book, Innovative Teaching Strategies in Nursing and Related Health Professions, I realized that I am now going to be thinking from a different perspective. I have been viewing myself as the student and now I need to change that focus to viewing myself as the Instructor. The thought of what an innovative classroom looks like to me stirs up many images, vibrant colors, displays and a variety of instructional tools would fill my classroom. I am a person who wants to meet the needs of everyone and I know that all people learn differently, so I would want to have a full array of strategies to explain both simple and complex concepts to assure that every learning style can relate to new material presented to them. There are several key words that come to mind when I think of innovation in the classroom such as: variety, challenging, fun, entertaining, and my favorite: stepping outside of one’s comfort zone. Stepping outside of one’s comfort zone may sound simple and easy to accomplish, but to some it may be like climbing a mountain. The ability as an instructor to climb that mountain and enjoy the “view” along the way is all a part of the human growth process. The society we live is is always changing and evolving. It is vital as an active participant in daily live to move with changes and feel empowered to help create your own changes.
The chapter discussed innovation and the need to constantly stay on top of the latest and most up to date information. This goes along with being a life long learner. It is vital to strive to learn new skills and obtain new knowledge that will increase your ability to do the best job that you can. I feel that innovation strategies need to challenge not only the students, but the instructors as well. Instructors need to push outside their comfort zones in order to find techniques and strategies that will meet the needs of the students they teach. Being outside of one’s comfort zone will challenge them to learn new things and grow as an instructor and as a person. I love the fact that innovation does not always revolve around the most high tech, newest instrument to teach with. Innovation can be as simple as telling a story that the students can relate to and then later recall upon the information just by remembering the story. Anecdotes, humor, art and technology are all vital tools when expressing new ideas and creating innovative strategies. The entire process of innovation has several steps. The sums of these steps takes a considerable amount of time, dedication and belief in the end results. The keys to a successful strategy for innovation is to follow the steps of: assessment, Define options, Plan, Gain support for Innovation, Prepare students for innovation, prepare faculty for innovation, implement the innovation and Evaluate the outcome (42). These steps will require the dedication from a variety of levels in the organization. This is an amazing concept. Even the newest and least experienced instructor can come up with a strategy for innovation, an idea or concept that can change the way we deliver information to our students. I feel that innovation gives everyone the chance and a voice to have an opinion for change for the good of the process of education. The process itself involves the ownership of the innovation even with the students. The greatest ideas are not worth anything if the students don’t take ownership of the change that will be occurring.
Innovation in the classroom should be always in our minds as Instructors. Changes continue to occur and the strategies for innovation need to be changing as the needs arise. We never know when and where the a new idea may arise that could become a great innovative technique or strategy.
Source: Innovative Teaching Strategies in Nursing and Related Health Professions, 5th Edition. Edited by: Martha J. Bradshaw and Arlene J. Lowenstein