Small group teaching — typically 4-12 students — is the sweet spot for many types of education. It's small enough for genuine interaction, but large enough for diverse perspectives and peer learning.
The challenge is that most video platforms aren't optimized for this use case. Webinar tools are designed for one-to-many broadcast. Meeting tools assume everyone's in the same conversation. Neither quite fits the dynamics of small group instruction.
What Small Group Teaching Requires
Effective small group teaching online needs:
Everyone visible: With 4-12 participants, you can actually see everyone's face. The platform should make this easy, not hide participants in scrolling panels.
Natural conversation flow: Small groups thrive on discussion. The platform shouldn't make turn-taking awkward or create long delays.
Breakout capability: Even in small groups, breaking into pairs or trios for exercises is valuable. Creating and managing these sub-groups should be effortless.
Teacher oversight: While students work in breakouts, the teacher needs to monitor multiple groups and step in when needed.
Flexible screen sharing: Multiple students might need to share their work. Multiple simultaneous screen shares with easy switching is helpful.
Why Webinar Tools Don't Work
Webinar platforms (like Webex Events, Zoom Webinars, or livestreaming tools) are built for one-way communication to large audiences. They typically:
- Limit participant video to panelists only
- Restrict interaction to chat or Q&A panels
- Don't support breakout rooms or peer interaction
- Emphasize broadcast over conversation
For small group teaching where interaction is the point, these tools are the wrong choice entirely.
Why Generic Meeting Tools Fall Short
Standard meeting tools (Zoom Meetings, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet) get closer, but still have gaps:
Breakout limitations: As we discuss in our article on hearing multiple breakout rooms, you can typically only see and hear one room at a time. For a teacher supervising 3 pairs from a group of 6, this means constant room-hopping.
Designed for peers, not teaching: Meeting tools assume equal participants. Features for teachers — like monitoring dashboards or quick student movement between groups — often don't exist or are clunky.
Open access: Most meeting tools work via shared links. Anyone with the link can join. For educational settings — especially with minors — invite-only access is more appropriate.
What to Look For
For small group teaching, prioritize:
- Gallery view for all participants: Everyone's video visible at once, not hidden in a scrolling panel.
- Easy breakout rooms: Create, assign, and manage breakouts without multi-step menus.
- Multi-room monitoring: See and hear what's happening across breakouts without leaving your overview.
- Invite-only access: Students have accounts; only invited students can join sessions.
- Simple recording: Record sessions for students who miss class or want to review.
Simpleclass for Small Group Teaching
We built Simpleclass specifically for this use case. Our platform is designed for small classes — not webinars to hundreds of people, not casual video chats between friends, but structured small group education.
See all your students: Gallery view shows everyone clearly, even as you work with breakout groups.
Monitor breakouts properly: Breakout room monitoring lets you see and hear multiple groups at once. No more room-hopping just to check on progress.
Invite-only by design: No open links. Students are invited by email and have their own accounts. No strangers joining your class.
Built for education: Features like session scheduling, recording presets, and teacher dashboards are designed for how teaching actually works.
Is Your Group Too Big?
Simpleclass is built for small to medium classes, not large webinars. If you're regularly teaching 50+ students in a single session, a webinar-style tool might actually be more appropriate — but at that size, the teaching dynamic is fundamentally different anyway.
For the 4-20 student range where interactive teaching happens, purpose-built tools make a real difference.
Try It
Run a real small group session with our 7-day free trial. Split your group into breakouts and see what proper multi-room monitoring feels like. It's the best way to understand whether the platform fits your teaching style.