How to Hold a Class: A Step-by-Step Guide
How to create a class or workshop
The thought of holding a class or workshop can be somewhat intimidating, even if you are knowledgeable and experienced in your subject. But setting up and teaching a class really isn't much different than adopting someone--think of it as adopting several people for a short period of time. You don't have to be an end-all expert in everything, or even your subject. Most classes will require you to do some research and preparation even if you know your subject very well and are very experienced in it. :shadewink:
Step 1: Decide what kind of class you want to teach.
If you are willing to teach one of the core subjects, this will be a DVA class. If you want to teach something other than a core subject, you have the option of teaching a workshop.
A workshop will generally be very little work after you have organized and set it up. You won't need to respond to every post, and generally your workshop will be open to everyone. If you'd like to teach, but have little time, workshops are the way to go. I must ask that workshops NOT be one of the four core classes.
A class will generally have no more than 15-20 people. Ideally it should be about ten. From my experience it was plenty of work with only 9 active participants. It meant reading everyone's dreams and any assignments every day and responding to them. Encourage or require people to comment in each other's journals or workbooks.
Teach something you know. If you are teaching a certain technique, make sure it's something you've had some success with. You will need to be able to give people pointers and guide them in the right direction.
Step 2: Decide how long your class should run. For the core classes, 2-4 weeks is good, depending on your own time constraints. Most workshops run about two weeks, with 5-10 assignments.
Step 3: Decide if and when you are able to hold lectures in chat. Generally it would be nice to see all core classes have at least a few live chats so students can get to know each other better and ask you questions as you are explaining things.
Step 4: Begin to organize the pace of your class:
Poke around the tutorials, articles, and websites pertaining to your subject. How are they organized? What points are brought up first? What order are the things explained in? If you rely heavily on your sources, be sure to give credit to them. For example, I used Seeker's WILD tutorial for my class simply because it was extremely simple and well organized. You may even ask students to read these materials to help them better understand the class. They will be very helpful when you need something to refer to or are not sure about a certain point.
How many assignments should there be, if any? Assignments should generally not be too difficult or time-consuming, especially if they are piled on top of practicing basic techniques. On the other hand, too little and students will feel that they are not doing anything or learning anything. Classes should generally be more hands-on. For a WILD class, for example, have students log every single WILD attempt. For DS & recall, have them at least post even if they remember nothing and/or look for any dreamsigns every day. Space out assignments depending on their difficulty, so students have plenty of time to complete them. Think about weekdays versus weekends as well; most people have more free time on weekends to do assignments. Lastly, don't forget your own schedule. Be sure to work around your own schedule so that you'll have enough time to go over all the assignments. Ideally you should be able to give a little feedback for every student on every assignment. If you feel it is too much, go back and cut the max number of students to lighten your load. A 5 person class is perfectly acceptable.
Step 5: Write down a finalized schedule for your class. The start date should be at least a week after your class is announced so students have enough time to apply. Write down start and end dates, due dates for assignments, any other requirements you wish to have, and dates and times of your live chats (such as a DJ or workbook). You may wish to convert the date and times of the live chats to GMT. Write a short summary describing your class. If you wish, you may have some kind of final exam for your class (recommended only for DVA classes, since students will receive badges for finishing them).
Step 6: Post an announcement for your class. Close enrollment when you have enough students. It is entirely up to you who you want in your class, but try to take into account those who have posted in the DVA threads and/or anyone who may have been passed over from previous classes. It is recommended to get a good mix of newbies and oldbies.
How to teach a class
First of all, give yourself a break--you are NOT expected to be an expert in everything. You are not expected to know everything about how the brain works and how that relates to sleep and dreaming. The more you know, the better of course, but don't feel intimidated just because you don't know everything.
The idea that you may be asked something you don't know is scary. If this happens, as much as you may feel the instinct to say something you're unsure of, force that instinct aside and simply tell the student that you aren't sure and will get back to them. They will understand. You might say that you aren't an expert in that particular technique (say, WILD). You can direct them to another staff member who might be able to answer it better.
You may get questions that pertain more to your own personal beliefs than what you are teaching. If you are comfortable answering, there is nothing wrong with simply telling them that they are your beliefs. Try to respect the beliefs of others by keeping yourself from speaking of your beliefs as if they are fact.
When you are teaching an in-class lecture, you may want to type up a short outline of the important points to make sure you're on track. Any facts you don't have memorized should be there for you as well. Don't be afraid to skim some of the DV tutorials and guides for extra guidance and support. They can be extremely helpful in showing you ways that you can organize a lecture or class.
Sometimes people will ask you what they are doing wrong (especially with WILD). There are cases which the best answer is just "you aren't doing anything wrong--keep practicing!" A lot of people are stuck on negativity and see every attempt as a failure if they didn't get lucid or what have you. I believe it is very important to help people see every attempt as a successful attempt. Just like everything else, lucid dreaming and dream control take practice. I believe it is important to encourage practice and trial and error. Everyone is different, so we can't expect everyone to have the same results using identical techniques. They will all need to tweak things a little to suit their own lifestyles best.
Lastly, keep things fun. People aren't here just to learn--they are looking for friendships and mentorships. Sometimes just a little encouragement and DJ comments are all people need to keep motivated. Good luck! :shadewink:
What To Do Before Starting a Class
Before you can start your class, be sure that you have completed the following:
1. Make sure your syllabus is finished, and finalize dates & times of the class.
2. Post your syllabus in the Current Courses forum.
3. Create a short application form, and PM it to me. I will send you a link to the application for your class. Also give me with the syllabus so that the information can be added to stickies around the forum and your class can be advertised.
4. When your class has filled up, you have two options: PM Percylucid and he will close the applications for you and change the stickies to say that the class is full. OR, you can let everyone apply up until a few days before class starts, and then decide on which ones you want in the class.
5. From now on, in order to be admitted, students will need to fill out the application AND go into their user CP to be allowed access to the DVA forums. Louie54 is responsible for moderating the groups. Please either PM him your class roster or post it in the DVA staff forums so he knows who to add. Again, try to do this ahead of time. If there is an emergency or Louie is incapacitated, an Admin can still edit the permissions.
6. PM your students telling them that they have been accepted into the class, and link them to your syllabus in the Current Courses. You may or may not want a separate thread for introductions and off-topic chat.
Hopefully this will keep us more organized. Be sure you go through the list IN ORDER! :panic:
