026 - Beginner Tips for Teaching an In Person Workshop
Topics Discussed and Key Points
•The benefits of in-person teaching
•Becoming a teacher by being a student
•Where to host your classes
•Preparing your sessions
•Time management for teachers
•How to start a class
•The importance of spending time with each individual student
This episode has our hosts speaking to first-time teachers on the benefits of teaching a class in person. They go through the whole process, from creating a class to actually teaching in the classroom.
Increase Your Visibility
Roben-Marie’s career benefited greatly from teaching in-person classes (granted this was before online classes—and social media, for that matter—became mainstream. It got her name out there. Her visibility increased as she traveled and taught in stores and retreats. She made many connections through her extensive teaching experiences and, even today, she still keeps in touch with many of her former students. While she does recommend in-person teaching to anyone seriously thinking about it, she acknowledges that it’s not for everyone. However, she notes that you won’t know it’s not for you if you haven’t even tried it.
Hone Your Skills
Sandi pitches in by saying that, if you want to teach online, it’s best to start off teaching in person because you can get immediate feedback to help you hone your skills. To her, starting out being face-to-face with students is a necessary step to becoming a great online instructor. When you film yourself for your online course, you have to be able to anticipate questions from your target audience. Having in-person teaching experience under your belt can help with this skill.
Sandi says, “Before you become a teacher, you need to be a student.” Take notes from those you teach, because that feedback is vital to how you are received as an instructor, and it will help you improve your lesson plans. After all, the best teachers teach according to how their student’s learn best, and not how they, the teacher, learn best. Obviously, you can only figure out how to teach to different personalities and learning styles by being among students in person and getting real-time feedback.
You don’t need to travel around the world to teach in-person. You can host classes in the comfort of your own home with your local followers. You can also use activity or community rooms in your church, library, or clubhouse.
Preparation
When it comes to actually putting together your course, try doing a “mock class.” Break it down into sections and do a dry run on your own. Time your class. See what can be pre-done in order to save time, such as cutting paper. List out everything you intend to do or have for each section so that you don’t forget anything when conducting the real thing. Have a supply list of basic things (i.e. papers and pencils) you’ll be requiring your students to bring, but don’t overstuff it—personally provide as many class-specific materials as you can.
Time Management
On time management, Sandi’s rule of thumb is: If a particular project takes you one hour to complete, add two to three hours on top of that, which means it will take you three or four hours to teach that lesson. Set the pace and provide regular updates as to where the students should be focused on regarding the project, so as to keep everyone on track depending on the time you have left. Also take into account how many students you’ll be having for a certain class. Five to eight students may make a two-hour class. Twenty students will take up considerably more time. (Sandi adds that, when you teach your first class, it’s not recommended to have more than five students.)
Set Expectations
The first thing to do when you step into the classroom is welcome the students and thank them for coming. Then spend a few minutes going over the topic for the session. Don’t just jump into it, but don’t spend 15 minutes introducing yourself, either. Instead, make your students feel welcome, and briefly let them know what to expect. Also make it a point to memorize every student’s name. Use name tags. Spend one-on-one time with everyone in the room—a few minutes with each student is enough. Your students will remember and appreciate you for it.
Pin to save for later!
Subscribe & Review in iTunes
Are you subscribed to the Creative Get Real podcast? If not, Sandi and I want to encourage you to sign up. It is super simple and you won't miss an episode! Click here to subscribe in iTunes!
We love to hear from our listeners and truly appreciate it when you share the love. We want as many artists and makers out there to benefit from our real life conversations. Would you consider giving us a review on iTunes? Those reviews help other people find our podcast and and we enjoy reading them, of course!! Thanks so much!