The Physical Act of Teaching
Last updated on 2025-11-17 | Edit this page
Estimated time: 40 minutes
Overview
Questions
- How do you prepare yourself, and your space, to teach?
Objectives
- Configure the location of teaching to meet the needs of the instructors and participants.
- Take up space in the classroom with comfort.
- Adapt to changes in the physical configuration of the classroom.
Comfort Zone
Locate a memory when you were telling a story to someone– an individual or a group– and you were having a great time. You felt comfortable and in control of the narrative. The other person/people were engaged and having a good time.
What are the features of that memory that made you feel so good? Think about: - who you were with - your physical surroundings - your own mental state - what you were doing with your voice or body to convey the emotions of your story.
Write these thoughts down on your sticky note and bring them to your instructor.
Nobody teaches in a vacuum. You are a real physical person, and if you’re teaching an in-person workshop, you are teaching in a real, physical space. As much as possible, you should prepare yourself and your space to serve your needs as an instructor.
The sections below provide an example list of activities and questions that might help you feel prepared and at ease in your space. Adapt them as needed.
The Space
Recon
Show up to your venue the day before if you can. Be early the day of teaching if not. Is the location ready to find? Are there any security measures you need to be prepared for (and tell your students about)?
Where will you sit? Where will you present from? If you’re live coding, is there a way to do so standing up?
Is there a white board or something else you can write on? If not, can you get one?
Will there be coffee/snacks provided? What about lunch?
Where is the bathroom?
IT Support
Is there someone who can help you set up the projector? Tell you the wifi password? What other tech do you need access to? If your course is hybrid, how will you be streaming? Will people online be able to see and hear you?
This is a good moment to notice if the wifi is weak, and start considering other options.
What You Should Bring
- Your computer, with chargers and adapters
- Adapters to/from HDMI
- White board markers/thick markers for writing on paper
- For hybrid classes: a microphone
- Red and green sticky notes
- USB drives (preferably with USB-C option)
- Water
Accessibility
Is there enough space for everyone? Will everyone be able to see you and the screen? Will you need a microphone to be heard? Will people with bigger bodies be able to fit into the space?
Do you have everything you need to accommodate the learners who have reached out to you with requests? What opportunities does the room have for universal design to make things more accessible?
Yourself
The Day Before
Review your lesson and your notes. Try to make sure you have everything prepared, so you can get up and go tomorrow. Are you nervous? If so, how do you usually calm yourself down? Deep breathing, meditation, going for a walk? Do that. You’re going to do amazing. Get as much sleep as you can.
Your Clothes
Please, please, please, wear clothes that you feel comfortable in. I cannot stress this enough! If you’re not physically comfortable, it will be so difficult to focus. Consider whether the classroom might be hotter or colder than you expect– can you wear layers or bring a shawl?
Ideally, you should know your clothing well enough to know how it moves. Wardrobe malfunctions are real, and you should try to avoid them! Are you showing something you don’t intend to when you sit down, stand up, or lean over? Is the material sheer when a projector light shines on it?
Choose clothes that are culturally appropriate for the setting you’re teaching in.
Your Mindset
Ideally, you should be able to walk into your training feeling both calm and confident. If confidence is too much, trying to cultivate a feeling of calm is a good start. What’s the worst that can happen? Maybe you look foolish, maybe you waste someone’s time. Who cares? Judgmental people will always judge you, and kind people will give you grace. These experiences will help you learn and grow.
You have prepared as much as you can for this. Now it’s time to just go.
Being Embodied in the Classroom
Voice
You don’t need to be loud, but people need to hear you. Find a way of amplifying your voice that works for you. Having a microphone can be a wonderful accessibility tool if you’re in a room large enough to allow it.
As you continue teaching, experiment with different ways of speaking or modulating your town of voice. See which ones keep people most engaged.
How do You Hold Attention?
When you’re teaching, you are, by definition, the center of attention for the room. You are a figure of authority, and eyes are on you. How do you keep people focused? This is one of those tricky topics that is much easier to learn than describe. But here are a few things to keep in mind.
Having interesting and engaging content helps hold attention, as we discussed in the content creation section. But you also need to establish a respectful dynamic from early on.
I suggest establishing three interconnected habits: 1. Show the participants what good behavior looks like. 2. Reward that good behavior. 3. Correct bad behavior.
Notice that this doesn’t say “punish people disproportionately anytime they do something even a little bit out of line”, nor does it say “pretend bad behavior doesn’t exist and it will go away”. You also need to make sure that the behavior you want it reasonable. You can’t expect someone to never look down at their phone in class, but you can expect them not to play video games on their phone with the volume up while you’re trying to teach.
Taking up Space
Being the center of attention can be anxiety-inducing for people who prefer to stay on the sidelines. What do you need to believe in order to bring your most confident self to the lesson?
Ideally, you are able to drive not only the content of the course, but also the tone of the course. You can act as the emotional steering wheel of the lesson. Bringing a comfortable, confident sense of self to your courses can help put everyone else at ease. If you do start to get nervous or stressed, it can help ease the tension if you just admit that and ask for a moment of grace.
It can also help people feel engaged if you move physically around the room, maintain good eye contact, and include everyone in your attention.
Giving Attention to Others
Again, remember: you’re the steering wheel. People are mimicking you. So if you give your full attention (eye contact, standing still, being quiet) when someone is speaking, it will encourage the other participants to do the same.
Respecting Space
It’s your job to encourage participation, but it’s not your job to force it. If someone really seems uncomfortable talking in front of the whole class, don’t force them to. Be aware that some people might not want you to stand close to them, or touch their laptops. Avoid touching participants unless it’s necessary for instruction. Even then, ask permission first. Respect the answer.
- It is crucial to have an awareness of your physical surroundings and what you need in order to teach comfortably.
- Consider the space, your physical self, and the way you are embodied in the room.
- Also consider your participants and their comfort. Look for opportunities to increase accessibility.