If it is a newer plastic machine, it probably has a lever to drop the feed dogs. Check inside the bobbin area; often there is a little lever there on the right side. Experiment with it.
Some of the older machines have a lever on the bed of the machine, underneath the stitch length regulator.
Very old Singers came with plates to cover the feed dogs, instead of dropping the feed dogs. You can do the same with any machine. Just make your own cover out of plastic, make a hole for the needle to go through, and tape it to the bed of your machine. You might be able to do this just using an index card too.
If you are taking the class at an LQS, you can probably bring your machine in and have them look at it before class to help you figure out how to drop the feed dogs. I took a machine quilting class at a quilt show and ended up helping many of the other students figure out how to drop their feed dogs; almost all portable machines have this capability.