Welcome to class! Here are my tips, tricks, and links for running a successful EL wire class or workshop. I prefer a class size of ten students or fewer, but with one teacher's assistant (or a few intermediately experienced students in the mix) this guide can easily scale to a room of 20 students.
Class listings: Make sure to have a single URL you can point people to containing the title, time & date, location, very descriptive description, picture, and sign-up information for your class/workshop. Here's an example from an EL class I taught at Madagascar Institute in Brooklyn, NY. Once your listing is up (on your site, a blog, an event site, or wherever), share the info with folks who might be interested. Ask friends if they're on any big mailing lists and wouldn't mind passing the info along, submit the event to blogs on the relevant topics, post to social networks and don't forget word of mouth. Being big on the internet doesn't mean you're reaching a local audience of potential students.
Class descriptions: Express the experience you want your students to have, describe the value of what they're getting for their money (great quality materials, grade A instruction, etc.), reasons why they would want to attend (make a cool project, meet fun people, learn something new, impress a girl), and write down everything students should bring and expect. I ask my EL students to bring an item to adorn, like a hat, jacket, bike, etc., so be clear about any prior planning that is expected. Provide some inspiration if you're expecting creativity.
Class listings: Make sure to have a single URL you can point people to containing the title, time & date, location, very descriptive description, picture, and sign-up information for your class/workshop. Here's an example from an EL class I taught at Madagascar Institute in Brooklyn, NY. Once your listing is up (on your site, a blog, an event site, or wherever), share the info with folks who might be interested. Ask friends if they're on any big mailing lists and wouldn't mind passing the info along, submit the event to blogs on the relevant topics, post to social networks and don't forget word of mouth. Being big on the internet doesn't mean you're reaching a local audience of potential students.
Class descriptions: Express the experience you want your students to have, describe the value of what they're getting for their money (great quality materials, grade A instruction, etc.), reasons why they would want to attend (make a cool project, meet fun people, learn something new, impress a girl), and write down everything students should bring and expect. I ask my EL students to bring an item to adorn, like a hat, jacket, bike, etc., so be clear about any prior planning that is expected. Provide some inspiration if you're expecting creativity.
Tools you should make available to your students:
- Soldering station (recommended one for every three students) containing iron, solder, third hand tool, wire cutters, and wire strippers
- Scissors (recommended one for every two students)
- Hot glue gun (recommended one for every five or six students) - for tacking, touch-ups, and quieting the capacitors inside the inverters so they don't go "squeeee."
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Pliers both big and small - students might want to make coat hanger fairy wings.
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Beverages - your students will work up a thirst! When I teach adult classes at Madagascar Institute they're BYOB.
Page last edited July 31, 2012
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