Ways to start a lesson
A teacher's map of every path from "I want to teach this student or group" to a finished live lesson
Who this is for
Teachers deciding how to get from a learner (or a whole class) to a finished live lesson — and who want to know which page to open for each step.
What this page answers
- What are the three phases every lesson passes through?
- Which path fits what I am trying to do right now?
- How do I connect a learner, and what can go wrong?
- Where do I go for the full click-by-click steps?
The three phases
Almost every lesson moves through three phases, in order:
- Connect — who am I teaching? Get the student or group attached to a course.
- Prepare — what am I teaching? Pick, build, or skip the lesson content.
- Teach live — run the lesson, then finish it (feedback, billing, homework, rewards).
Many paths skip ahead. If the learner is already connected, you start at Prepare. An instant lesson collapses Prepare and Teach into a single click.
Color key: purple = a decision · orange = Connect (Phase A) · blue = Prepare and how the lesson opens · green = Teach live and finish (Phase C).
An instant lesson always opens as a group session — even for a single student. To teach one student at a set time, assign the lesson and schedule it instead.
I want to… → start here
Find your goal, then open the page in the right column for the full steps.
| I want to… | Start here |
|---|---|
| Create a new course lesson without leaving my current page | Lessons Directory |
| Teach a brand-new student who has no account yet | Managing enrollments |
| Drop a shareable sign-up link in a chat or bio | Managing enrollments |
| Spin up a whole class quickly from a list of emails | Managing enrollments + Classes |
| Enroll a student who is already in my school | Managing enrollments |
| Run a recurring weekly class | Classes |
| Just start teaching right now (opens a group session) | Instant lessons |
| Teach one student at a scheduled time | Live session scheduling |
| Run a lesson I already prepared | Live session scheduling |
| Schedule a lesson for later | Live session scheduling |
| Run the live lesson itself | Running live sessions |
Which way should I connect a learner?
There are four ways to attach a learner to a course yourself. They differ in one thing: whether the student is enrolled right away or the invite stays pending until they accept — plus the checks that can stop an invite.
A learner can also arrive without you doing anything: by asking to join, or by buying one of your Marketplace courses. See Managing Enrollments for all five routes.
Color key: purple = a decision · orange = an action you or the student takes · blue = waiting on the student · green = enrolled · red = stopped (nothing to enroll).
A personal email invite stays pending until the student accepts. A course invite link, a known student in a batch, and a direct add all enroll the student immediately — subject to the same checks.
This page is a map, not a manual. Each linked page has the full click-by-click steps and its own process diagram — start with the row that matches your goal, then follow the diagrams there.
Related pages
- Managing enrollments — invite, add, and track learners
- Classes — teach several students as one class
- Instant lessons — teach right now, sort content out later
- Live session scheduling — assign and schedule lessons
- Running live sessions — run the lesson and finish it
- Lesson document lifecycle — how content flows into student copies