So you’re creating a teacher training. You’ve got an idea of what your content is, but you’re not sure how to fit it all together. It’s like looking at a blank page. Where to start? What should come first?
Whether you’re creating a continuing education, immersion, or certification program, all that white space can look daunting at first!
Here are three tips for getting out of “blank page paralysis” and getting a toehold into creating your course schedule.
1. Create your bookends
Every training needs bookends. What do I mean? Bookends at the beginning and end of the day, bookends at the beginning and end of the training. Even bookends at the beginning and end of a lesson plan. At the beginning of the day, you need a little buffer time to transition into the room, set the tone for the day, and set an intention. At the end of a section, it’s good to review, do a little Q&A, and get the students to reflect and integrate their experience. Don’t skip this part! Start by plan your bookends into your calendar or planner, and you’ll have a solid framework for filling the rest of your content in. Add a 10-15 minute about every 2 hours as well.
2. Order your lessons
This may seem obvious, but put your lesson plans (the topics of chunks of content that you’re teaching) into their appropriate order. Some stuff needs to be taught before other stuff. Put it in its optimal list, then voila! You have a roadmap for how your training should be laid out.
3. Keep it agile
No one likes to do the same thing for eight hours straight. Where you can, mix up your topics so that students are engaged in different kinds of learning and topics throughout your day. We are lucky with yoga trainings, because we can mix up the academic stuff with physical activity: what a bonus! Keep your students engaged and energetic by switching it up.
A common sense tip: your day shouldn’t be longer than about eight classroom hours unless you’re on retreat. Students will simply implode. An ideal length of day usually pulls in at five-six classroom hour. And it’s more civilized for you, too.
Check out my online courses for more detailed intel on creating your course format and planning your daily schedule.
