I am teaching a class that is new to me. I was given a previous syllabus and a textbook, but no materials or guidance on what will be covered in the multiple class sessions.
So, I have been gathering relevant content for the past several weeks. Some came from the text; other exercises or content came from previous classes, another book, a friend in the Peace Corps, work with the school district, Harvard’s newsletter, a creativity game, and even the students’ own papers. Gathered as a whole, I believe it will provide a meaningful experience for the wide range of students taking the course.
But I never could have assembled this material all at once. It was amassed through a process of incubation, curation, research, and organization that occurred over time.
Too often, people are paralyzed by the magnitude or scope of a big project and procrastinate on starting it, when the best (only?) thing to do is begin. Thinking about it is a step in the right direction as ideas can develop, but acting on the project piece by piece usually yields a better outcome than a rushed job near the deadline.
Don’t underestimate the power of slow but steady curation. You can assemble the puzzle if you have collected enough of the pieces.
