What is the ideal class size and class length?

Reza wrote in from Iran to ask:

Thanks for your email.I’m a Iranian English teacher.I like teaching very much, especially for kids.

I wanna know how long time do you suggest for each session?

Hi Reza,

As it usually fits in with regular school classwork, I usually recommend around 45 to 50 minutes per lesson.  Here’s the lesson plan we use:
https://genkienglish.net/lessonplan.htm

(Actually we also recommend this when doing professional business development workshops for adults, setting a 50 minute timer for whatever work you have to do really concentrates your focus!)

How many kids should be in one class?(age5-9)

If you have total control, then it seems like the ideal number is 8 students!

Thank you for your videos,I hope I can learn new and useful things to teach better.

You are most welcome!

Be genki,

Richard

P.S.  I’ll have lesson plans up soon for those of you teaching 2 or 3 hour long lessons – keep tuned in!

Richard Graham

Hello, I'm Richard Graham. When I was a kid I found school to be sooooo boring... So I transformed my way of teaching. I listened to what the kids were really wanting to say and taught it in ways they really wanted to learn. The results were magical. Now I help teachers just like you teach amazing lessons and double your incomes!

6 Responses to “What is the ideal class size and class length?”

  1. Julia

    Wow! Three hours long lessons! This is interesting! Sounds like a real diving into the language! I may use it for my city summer camp students.

  2. Mark Armstrong

    My standard lessons are about 50 minutes but for preschoolers (children under 7) its 20 to 30 minutes.

  3. Margit

    Very interesting how different this can be:

    I have 60 minutes from 4-12 years, 90 minutes after that.
    However, with 11,12 ages I hardly ever finish in that time and give a 15minutes extra, in general.

    In summer I offer 3 hours intensive lessons. I like them, but EVERY WEEK??? wow!

  4. Martin Wenzel

    ALL classes at the school I teach at are 90 minutes.

    When I first started, I was a little daunted by this length. I’ve found that I can EASILY fill up all the time now (especially with the older classes) where we have to work on vocab, grammar, spelling/phonics, and reading in the span).

    It is incredibly apparent, though, that 90 minutes is WAY too long for brand new classes of little little kids. After about two months, they get used to it and there is enough material to review and work on to keep the kids engaged, but those first couple months are a struggle…as the kids start going crazy and break time because they are tired and hungry.

  5. Mindy Rubi

    Hello Richard , I was wondering would the 45 minutes lesson plans work once a week for the same class or more days a week?

  6. Richard Graham

    Hi Mindy, you can certainly do more than once a week if you wish, that way you’d get to cover 2 themes each week!

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