How to Teach Group Classes Online? It's Not Like 1:1

Create a strong sense of community   

 When teaching a 1:1 class, students and teachers get to know each other very quickly. In a group class, however, shy or less proficient students tend to be quieter, and you have less opportunity to get to know them. When a group class meets online, students also have less opportunity to get to know each other. For example, they don't socialize before and after class the way they do when they meet in person. Therefore, you will need to be more proactive in establishing a sense of community.    

Here are a few strategies to help everybody establish their social presence.   

Ask students to turn on their webcam 

Suggest that all students turn on their webcam (and turn on your webcam as well). Although you cannot force them to turn on their webcam (they may have bandwidth issues, for example, or they may be more comfortable speaking without the camera on, at least in the first couple of weeks), explain that it will help you get to know them better. Also, let them know that they can blur their background in Zoom if they are reluctant to show their house. If they would rather not turn on their webcam, suggest that they upload a good photo of themselves to Zoom to break the anonymity.

Use ice breakers at the beginning of the course  

Use a variety of ice breakers to help everybody get to know each other. This is an important step. You want everybody to know everybody's name. It is intimidating to speak a foreign language you haven't fully mastered in front of a group. If you take the time to establish a sense of community, students are less likely to feel embarrassed and will be more inclined to take risks with the language, a key element in language acquisition.   

Example icebreakers you could try: 

• Two Truths and a Lie: Each student shares two true statements and one false one, and classmates guess which is the lie. 
• Find Someone Who…: Create a list (e.g., “Find someone who has a pet,” “Find someone who likes coffee more than tea”), and have students ask questions in the target language until they complete their list. 

Let students do all the speaking  

 In a one-to-one setting, you inevitably speak a lot more than you would in a group setting because you are your student's only speaking partner. However, when teaching groups of students, make sure students speak together as much as possible and monitor your own speaking time.   

You can ask students to model role plays, read instructions on an exercise, ask each other questions, etc. Resist the temptation to jump in when a student is struggling. Instead, ask another student to help out.   

Students can at times resist this model because they tend to favor interacting with the teacher over their classmates, but if you get them used to this strategy from the beginning, they will naturally turn to their classmates for support.   

Error Correction  

 Error correction can be more direct in a one-to-one setting because there is no witness. Your student knows you and is comfortable with you correcting them. However, in a group setting, use rephrasing over direct correction to avoid embarrassing students in front of their classmates.    

Use Breakout Rooms  

The best way to make sure students talk to each other in online group classes is to use breakout rooms. Here are some guidelines to ensure your breakout room activities go well:  

1. Train students on how to use the breakout rooms 

• If it's the first time you use a breakout room, take a moment to explain what they are   

• and what purpose they serve (group or pair work).   

• Teach the expression: "We are going to do this activity in breakout rooms" in the target   

• language.   

• Let students know that you will visit the rooms to answer questions.   

• Let them know that the chat becomes private to their room once in a breakout room.   

• Show them how to request your help at any time by pressing the Ask for help button.   

2. Inform students that they are about to complete an activity in a breakout room  

Announce the breakout room activity and ask students to confirm that they understand that they will be split into groups.   

3. Explain the activity to students  

• Explain what you want them to do in their breakout room (consider sharing instructions using a Google Document, for example).   

• Let students know how much time they have to complete the activity.   

• Let students know what kind of follow-up you will expect once they are all back in the main room.   

• Again, check that students understand what they are expected to do before putting them in the rooms (using the thumbs-up reaction in Zoom, for example).
  
   

4. Monitor progress

While students are in the rooms, visit each group to monitor progress and answer questions. Use the broadcast message to address everybody at once if you need to clarify or add to the instructions.   

Breakout room activities are more time-consuming than doing pair work in the classroom. For this reason, make sure you assign an activity that will keep the students occupied for at least 5-7 minutes (or more for more advanced students).   

Your breakout activity should be scaffolded, which means that 1) you have completed a series of activities as a class that prepared students for this group work activity, and 2) students have access to the information they need to complete the activity. If the activity involves multiple steps, students will need access to those steps in the breakout room (share a GoogleDoc with instructions).   

Conclusion 

Building a sense of community in language classroom requires intentional effort, but it pays off. When students feel connected to each other, they’re more willing to take risks, support their classmates, and stay engaged. By using webcams, icebreakers, breakout rooms, and a student-centered approach, you can create an environment where learning feels collaborative rather than isolating. Try one or two of these strategies in your next class—you’ll likely notice the difference right away.

P.S. We have a number of teacher pd workshops you can find useful.