People have differing views about the effectiveness of small-sized classes. While some believe that language students can reap several benefits from studying in small courses, in my view, there are more important factors in language learning apart from the number of students in classes.
There are several reasons why classes with a small number of students can provide more knowledge to students. One of them would be personalized attention. This means that teachers can focus more on every member of their classes and help them individually in terms of checking home assignments, giving proper feedback about their students’ weak and strong sides, and guiding them to be more disciplined due to the limited number of students. Another huge benefit of being a part of a small group is reduced distractions, which means that students, especially the younger ones, can escape some huge distractions, including groupmates or other external factors, and pay more attention to their studies because of the individualized concentration of tutors.
However, I would argue that those who are dedicated, disciplined, and ready for learning can also benefit more from taking big classes. First and foremost, large courses can provide students with opportunities to learn from their peers and classmates, as learning languages with the collaboration of students could be more effective and time-saving, and students may also improve their communication and social skills by teaming up with their peers, which can be beneficial for these students in their future lives. Moreover, large classes do not only provide advantages to students, but institutions and language centers can also benefit from organizing bigger courses because of their cost-effectiveness. The reason is that it allows them to accommodate a greater number of students with fewer teachers and resources.
In summary, even though small groups can sometimes be advantageous for students to be disciplined and controlled well, I am of the opinion that classes with a greater number of students could be beneficial for both language institutions and group members as well.