For most parents, the sweet spot is a group of 4-7 kids on one Zoom call. At first I didn't get it, but after months of teaching, it makes perfect sense.
1. It's more affordable. Parents get a foreign teacher at a fraction of the 1-on-1 price (British Council, 2023).
2. Vietnamese kids are super sociable. They actually learn BETTER with friends. They learn better when they see peers, which is the core of social learning theory (Vygotsky, 1978).They're less nervous than being alone with a teacher, and when they see a classmate get the answer right, they think, "I want to try too!"
3. A little competition is healthy. When one kid circles the answer on the screen, the rest suddenly wake up. This healthy competition increases online learning motivation among Vietnamese primary students (Tran & Nguyen, 2022).
4. It's real communication. English stops being just "answer the teacher" and becomes "talk to your friends" (Tran & Nguyen, 2022).They learn to listen, wait for their turn, and react to each other.
But here's the real challenge: You have 5 kids paying the same fee, but you have 5 totally different learners in one Zoom room. Managing mixed-ability groups is one of the hardest parts of online teaching (Harmer, 2015). Your job is to make EVERY child feel seen.
After tens of group classes, here are the 6 kids you WILL meet (based on my experience):
1. The Over-Enthusiastic Star
You know her. She wants to answer EVERYTHING. Someone else is called? She already unmuted, circled the answer, and typed the letters or words on the board. And she's usually right.
She's amazing, but she can accidentally shut down the whole class.
How I handle her:
Don't scold her energy, redirect it. I say, "I LOVE your energy! Amazing! Now let's give your friend a chance, okay?"
My secret weapon? Give her a job. Make her my "Helper Teacher." I say, "Can you check if your friend's answer is correct?" Now she's busy, she feels important, and she isn't stealing turns.
And from Day 1, set the rule: "One voice at a time. Use Raise Hand. Everyone gets 2 turns, then we pass."
2. The Quiet Achiever
He's silent. He rarely talks. But suddenly you see the correct answer is already circled on the screen. He knew it all along.
The danger? Parents think he's not learning because he's quiet.
How I handle him:
Make his silent work LOUD. I say, "Wow! Who circled that so fast? It was perfect! Who did that?"
Not everyone has to speak to participate. Let him use the chatbox, emojis, or annotation. That's participation too.
And for speaking, give him a low-pressure turn. Don't say "Answer this question." Say, "You circled it so well, can you read that word for us?"
3. The Attention-Seeker (with Weak Grammar)
He LOVES to talk, but the grammar isn't there yet. He'll scribble on the board or make noises just to be noticed. He wants attention badly. If you scold him, he will completely shut down.
How I handle him:
I ignore the scribbling, but I pounce on the good behavior. "I love that you want to talk! Let's make that sentence even better together."
Pro tip: Lock the whiteboard. Disable annotation for everyone, then only enable it on his turn. He gets control without the chaos.
And give him a frame. He wants to talk but doesn't have the tools. Give him: "I am _ing." Let him succeed. Then fix it gently by just repeating it correctly.
4. The Quiet & Competent Learner
She's not weak, she's just shy. When you call her, boom - perfect pronunciation, perfect sentence. She knows it all.
The problem is, she'll become invisible if you only call the loud kids.
How I handle her:
Don't cold-call. Pre-call. Say, "Kate, in 30 seconds I'm going to ask you to read this. Get ready." That removes 90% of her anxiety.
And when she does speak, praise the quality. "Wow, did everyone hear how CLEAR that was? That was perfect pronunciation. Can everyone say it like her?" Now she's the model.
5. The Advanced Learner
He's way ahead of his age. He finishes in 10 seconds and then he's bored. And when a kid is bored, he becomes disruptive.
How I handle him:
Give him a +1 challenge. Everyone else is writing "He is eating." I ask him, "Great! Now WHY is he eating? Can you add 'because'?"
Make him a tutor. "You're so fast! Can you type a harder question for your friends in the chat?" He loves it, and it helps the group.
Use a timer. "We have 20 seconds to think. No answering yet. Pens down." This forces him to practice patience.
6. The Impatient Knower
He knows the answer, and he cannot WAIT for others to get it. He sighs. He answers for other kids. He has high skill, low patience.
How I handle him:
I actually teach waiting as a skill. I say, "Great teachers know how to wait. Let's count 1-2-3 in our heads to give our friend time to think."
Give him a waiting job: "While we wait, can you write two MORE sentences in the chat for bonus points?"
And when he DOES wait, praise THAT specifically: "Thank you for waiting so patiently for your friend. That was very kind."
My Golden Rules for Group Classes
After all these months, I live by 4 rules:
1. Name every child every 3 minutes. If a child doesn't hear their name, they think you forgot them.
2. One rule to rule them all: One voice at a time (Harmer, 2015). Master the Mute All button, Raise Hand, and annotation control Cambridge University Press & Assessment, 2021).
3. Balance your praise. Don't just say "Good job!" Say "Good SPEED" for the fast one, "Good ACCURACY" for the quiet one, and "Good EFFORT" for the struggler.
4. Report differently to parents. For the active kid, tell the parent about his "confidence." For the quiet kid, tell the parent about her "accuracy and amazing listening skills." Both are strengths.
In a Vietnamese group class, you're not just teaching English.
You're teaching kids how to learn together (Vygotsky, 1978).
References
1. British Council. (2023). The future of English: Global perspectives. British Council. https://www.britishcouncil.org/future-of-english
2. Cambridge University Press & Assessment. (2021). Teaching young learners online: Classroom management guide. Cambridge English. https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/teaching-english/online-teaching/
2. Harmer, J. (2015). The practice of English language teaching (5th ed.). Pearson Education.
3. Tran, T. T., & Nguyen, T. M. (2022). Online English learning motivation among Vietnamese primary students during group classes. Vietnam Journal of Education, 6(2), 45–52. https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/vje-2022
4. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes (M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, S. Scribner, & E. Souberman, Eds.). Harvard University Press.
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