ABSTRACT
Once your topics, readings, assignments, and evaluation plan are in place, it is time to start thinking about how you will use class time. You will want to think about the overall structure for each class. You may want to design your class time around the idea “teach a principle then apply a principle.” Consider the following design for class time (assuming a two-hour class). Take the first 30 minutes to lecture on the most important points of that week's topic. Then have a 45-minute discussion about the reading and/or the ideas covered in the lecture. End the class with a 45-minute activity that has the students applying or using the principles covered in the reading and lecture. One common mistake new instructors make is that they think they should talk the whole time. My experience has been that students learn more and enjoy the course more when the instructor talks less and the student do and talk more.
