What You Can Learn after Teaching Your First Class

Whether it’s your first time teaching online or just a new class, your nerves are sure to be on edge. You want to make sure that your class goes as planned. You want to make sure you have all the material you need to complete your class. You want your students to enjoy the class.

But, there is no way of knowing if all your planning is going to actually go as planned. There are other things to consider beyond just teaching the material. Your internet could go out. There could be audio issues. Maybe you have students that aren’t as engaged as you were hoping. They’re not answering ice breakers or discussion questions. Or, you didn’t time your class out well and class is ending early or going over.

These are all factors to consider prior to a class starting. These are factors that are out of your control. The best thing you can do is be prepared for any possible scenarios.
Before your first class, even if you have your lesson plan timed for activities and discussion, make sure you practice. Every class I teach, I practice with my daughter and her friends because they are in the age range that I teach. For classes that don’t fit my daughter and her friend’s demographic, I offer it free to past students. In return for the free class, I ask that they give me feedback.

What can you learn from your first (or any) class?

1. Ask for feedback.
After you class is over, send a quick and short message to the students and parents. Ask three simple questions: What did you like? What would you change? Ask for additional feedback.
Some will respond, some won’t. Don’t keep asking though. At the end of each class, I let them know that I am going to request feedback, so they know the message is coming.

2. Watch your class.
Record your class and watch the video. Some people do not like watching themselves on video, but it’s important to complete your own self-assessment. You will be able to see for yourself what went well and what didn’t. Watching your class allows you to see things you may have missed and places where you can add material or information.

3. Accept criticism.
You won’t always getting glowing reviews. I have a class with hundreds of five star reviews. That same class, I have two people that left three stars. I reached out to them letting them know I appreciated their feedback and asked for suggestions on how I could improve. If it helps, I can use it, if not, it’s their honest opinion. Sometimes, the feedback is useful. I had a line in one of my class descriptions that a parent pointed out. It was listed as an objective of the class and it was not delivered. I had forgotten to revise the course description which means I didn’t deliver 100% of what she had paid for. I offered a refund, a free course , and I adjusted the course description.

4. Adjust your class as needed.
Once you’ve gathered feedback and reviewed your own class, make adjustments as needed. If you need to make a change in the material or reword your course description, do it! Make sure you are providing exactly what you are asking people to pay for. If you have to revamp a class, that’s fine. However, if the material and class continue to go as planned, no need to continuously change the class. As the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Outside of having content and material ready for class, the key advice is PREPARATION! If you are prepared and consistent, you will have repeat students and garner great reviews for your courses. There are plenty of factors that you can’t control, but you don’t want to just focus on the factors you can’t control. So, just to go over the previously mentioned factors outside of your control, here are some quick tips to be prepared:

Quick Tips

Your internet could go out – Always have backup. If my internet goes out, I can quickly use my hotspot.

There could be audio issues – Log out and log back in. Honestly, that typically works.

You have students that aren’t as engaged as you were hoping – Ask them questions by name. Don’t wait for someone to respond. Make sure the questions are open ended, not yes/no questions.

They’re not answering ice breakers or discussion questions – Again, call on them by name.

You didn’t time your class out well and class is ending early or going over – Always have an extension activity. If class is going over, make sure the objectives have been covered and allow those that need to exit to go and let the others know how much more time is needed if they would like to stay.

Whether it is your first class or hundredth, log on, take a deep breath, and have fun!

Are you ready to get started teaching online? Follow this link: GET STARTED!