When Does It Make Sense to Open a Group Class?

One-on-one lessons are the format in which you can focus most on the student's needs. But at some point your calendar fills up and the question "what can I do to reach more students?" comes. One answer is a group class. However, it isn't suitable for every subject and every student.

When does a group class work?

When there are students heading toward the same goal: those preparing for the same exam, language students at the same level, those developing the same project. In lessons that require speaking practice (like foreign languages), group dynamics are even an advantage, because the student listens to someone other than themselves and speaks in turn.

There's also the effect of competition and motivation. Students who see each other can pull each other along. In project-oriented fields like coding, small groups improve the quality of the lesson through working as a team.

When isn't it suitable?

If the students' level difference is large, one moves ahead while the other falls behind. Students with very special needs (learning difficulties, situations requiring very intensive one-on-one attention) can get lost in a group. Also, if a student hesitates to ask questions in front of their friends, a group lesson can produce silence instead.

Group size: start small

Groups of six to ten people are manageable limits in most subjects. In a larger group it becomes hard to give everyone a turn and to track everyone's progress. Starting with four or five people and growing as you gain experience lowers the cost of a wrong decision.

Match the level

Do a short level interview before joining the group. Keeping two students of very different levels in the same group leaves both dissatisfied. If necessary, open two separate groups, or redirect one to a one-on-one lesson.

How do you run a group lesson?

• Set a clear goal for each lesson; saying "today we'll finish this" focuses everyone.
• Create a small moment where everyone speaks; a student who stays silent gets lost without anyone noticing.
• Don't forget individual feedback. A group lesson shouldn't eliminate individual attention completely.

Tracking and records

It's hard to keep five or six students' progress in your head. Seeing attendance, homework, and exam results in one place makes your job easier. On Vedubox Tutor, student tracking, attendance reports, and homework checking are gathered on a single screen, so you can glance at the whole class's status quickly. For term-based, group-based work like coding, you can find sample details on the progress board and cohort structure on the coding tutors page.

Pricing

The per-person fee can be lower than for a one-on-one lesson, but the total income is usually higher and your lesson hour is used more efficiently. Still, be careful not to be "cheap." If in small groups each student still gets serious attention, that has value.

To try it

Open your first group as a "pilot": four lessons, five people, a short survey at the end of the month. Seeing what works and what doesn't will guide you long before you make a bigger decision.

This article was prepared by the Vedubox team. For more information about Vedubox Tutor and our other products, you can visit vedubox.com.