Thread: Maximum number of students in regular class?

What's the maximum number of students you feel comfortable with in a regular weekly class?

I have a mixed level advanced beginners class now, with about 4 who are more "advanced" than the others, but that's not really enough for me to have a class for them by themselves, plus most of them want to be in class with their friends. The class is getting close to 20 people now, and although I have a HUGE ballet studio for them, I feel like 20 is too many to be able to give individual attention to.

I am actually expecting this class to get bigger over the next few months, as I move up some of my beginners into this class. Should I try to advance some of them into a different class? I figure I need about 6 in the class to make it financially feasible, so I'm considering having an "intermediate" beginners class -- BUT I'm limited on studio space and time. Plus the students have all gotten used to the time slots I have.

Do you all have any suggestions? I absolutely do not want a class of 30 because I think that's way too big, but I'm not sure how and where to cut it off. Does anyone teach larger classes, and do you have suggestions?

In this economy, I'm extremely grateful for the student numbers that I have, but I want to be able to give individualized feedback and lots of attention to each student, and I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to do that. :/

Thanks!!

Originally Posted by aziyade

What's the maximum number of students you feel comfortable with in a regular weekly class?

My maximum is 15. If I have more than that, I don't feel I can provide sufficient individual attention.

Originally Posted by aziyade

I have a mixed level advanced beginners class now, with about 4 who are more "advanced" than the others, but that's not really enough for me to have a class for them by themselves, plus most of them want to be in class with their friends.

I have offered a higher level for such a small number of students. I feel it prevents the more experienced ones from getting bored, and it shows the lower level students a goal to aim for. I justify the studio expense and my time according to the number I have in the larger lower level class. Ie, I COMBINE the expenses/time for doing both classes, and essentially use class 1 fees to help underwrite the existence of class 2.

Originally Posted by aziyade

I am actually expecting this class to get bigger over the next few months, as I move up some of my beginners into this class. Should I try to advance some of them into a different class?

I recommend doing so. Otherwise, your more experienced students will get bored and frustrated as you try to bring the newcomers up to speed. They'll start to think they've learned all there is to learn, and therefore they'll think they're qualified to go off and start teaching themselves.

Originally Posted by aziyade

I absolutely do not want a class of 30 because I think that's way too big, but I'm not sure how and where to cut it off.

I have taught a class of 30, and you're absolutely right, it's way too big. At that size, it's even hard to learn everybody's name!

so, demand is high- now you can be all selective about which students you take and offer exclusive classes... seriously, it seemed like my classes were more in demand when I said there was a waiting list! Not the case in the current economy here!

What I have done when I needed to advance my beginners and they were locked into a time slot was turn the beginning class into my advanced beginner class and start the brand new beginners in a new time slot, since they weren't so stuck in their ways about a certain day/time yet. When class numbers were low, I had everyone together for the first hour and advanced students stayed an extra half hour, so I paid extra attention to the beginning beginners during the first hour, but the advanced beginners got review and conditioning, then more focused attention after.

I have a limit of 12 in a class, minimum of 4. I've done workshops with 18 and it was okay, but not my favorite situation. I do use that as part of my marketing too- the appeal of small classes and individual attention is part of what make my classes valuable.

i teach at a Ymca so i don't have much control over my class. And i have to keep the #s up to keep my classes there. i have taught 25 to 30 in my beginning class---that's where the cut-off is. Fahteim teaches in my area and she packs in 60+ in her beginner class so maybe Long Beach people are used to this.

ROTATE ROWS!! that is my rule w/ lots of people. i get hoarse cause i have.n't bought a headset and i don't really want to. the worst is when students get nervous and talk and i have to ask or Yell!!! for quiet. I alternate---one 5 week session veil, one drum and one a fast routine.

I have 10 -13 committed intermediates that perform w/ me as a troupe. But now that i think of it----most of them came from when my beginner class was smaller( prob. 3 or 4 years ago). And ---i haven't had any people move up to intermediate in a long time.

so maybe my beginning large class isn't working too much. i had been thinking that they didn't stay around cause they found out it was harder than they thought and they couldn't be Shakira in 5 weeks.

not sure what the Y would say if i wanted to limit the class to 20.

a friend was saying she quit a class because it was too big and she felt like the teacher just told her to do some basic moves and put her off to the side. the problem was a combination of the class being too big, and allowing walk-ins (while her more experienced students were preparing for a show) and it left her with little to no instruction and a bad taste for BD class.

i've never been in a class with more than 15 people, unless you count workshops where you don't expect there to be more attention than a DVD would give anyway. Even those leave me wondering if the teacher is letting things go or not noticing. Of course i do live in Syracuse, and we've got about as much going on here as they do at the north pole.

Originally Posted by *Shira*

I have taught a class of 30, and you're absolutely right, it's way too big. At that size, it's even hard to learn everybody's name!

I don't teach belly dance, but I teach art. It's hard to teach 30 students in one class! I feel I can give my students the help they need when the class is 15 students or less, but that only happens in my high school classes. At least you have the advantage of having students that want to be in the class.

Originally Posted by aziyade

The class is getting close to 20 people now, and although I have a HUGE ballet studio for them, I feel like 20 is too many to be able to give individual attention to.

Maybe one of your advanced students could assist with the larger classes. I know Suhaila and many tribal instructors utilize that practice, not only in regular classes but also seminars. They often walk through the class offering feedback and assistance to participants.

I could easily accomodate 30 people or more where I teach, but I wouldn't want that many in a regular class.

I think the most students I've had is 24 in that class and, although it was nice for the pocketbook, I could really feel the difference in what I was able to do for my students as a teacher. I would say 20 is a much more manageable number, but 15 or 16 is much better, in my experience.

Deborah