Teach

Anyone can teach anything anywhere — that’s our thing. (Within reason. Please don’t propose “Self-Cannibalism: Did You Really Need Two Arms?” or something.) You don’t need to be a formal expert in your topic of choice. Just really into it.

Teach in 2020

We’re accepting course proposals for fall 2020!

How to Propose a Class

We love all classes, but in particular we love:

One more step: Check out what classes we’ve offered in the past. If you want to teach a class on leeches and we already had one, that’s fine — put a different spin on yours. If you’re looking for ideas, we’ve had requests for specific classes.

On average, our classes run between 90 minutes and two hours. That’s not enough time for a complete history of unicycling or to weave a replica Bayeux tapestry. Think short story, not novel, and choose a specific task or topic to highlight. “How the Dewey Decimal System Can Reorder Your Thinking” is going to be easier to teach than “Book Classification Systems: Thirty Centuries of Meaning.”

Also: Multi-week classes, in which each successive class requires knowledge from previous classes, are historically not well-attended.

Time to write!

Submit a course proposal

Wait! Show me some examples first!

Description: “Short” is the watchword here. Try to keep the description of your class under 200 words. If that’s not enough, write till your heart’s content and we’ll help you compress.

Crowd: Who would get the most out of your class? Everyone? Everyone under 8? Senior citizens? Otters? Let us know.

Resources/Support: What might you need for your class? A projector, screen and speakers? Number 2 pencils? Tables and chairs? Extra volunteers? We can acquire such things for you.

Location: We can help you find a spot to teach, but give it some thought on your own, too. What sort of location would complement your lesson? What would take advantage of D.C.’s diversity of spaces? A Metro car? A museum? A ruined factory? (If it’s safe and not trespassing, that is.)

You: Keep your bio blurbage under 100 words. You can be as silly or as serious as you desire.

Think About a Longform Class

The typical KCDC class has been built around a single, one-to-three hour meeting. We’re interested in ways of extending activities beyond the boundaries of a one-off class. A class might meet several times, or a series of classes could build on prior knowledge. Propose a course, or just get in touch so we can talk.

We’re still offering single-session classes, as always, but we welcome innovation in format and structure.