We're Making Our Group Lessons Even Smaller
Starting in August 2026, our group lessons will have a maximum of four students instead of six.
Many of our current students already know about this change, but we’d like to share a little more about why we made this decision.
Since Nihongo Picnic was founded, our group lessons have had a maximum of six students. Earlier this year, we began discussing whether that was still the best size for our classes. After many conversations within our team, we decided that four students would allow us to create an even better learning environment moving forward.
There will be no increase in tuition fees as a result of this change.
The term “small-group language lessons” can mean different things depending on the school. For us, a small group is one where students feel comfortable speaking up whenever they want. Rather than a classroom where students take turns raising their hands and speaking one by one, we want our lessons to feel like real conversations—even online.
Both before and after this change, we will continue using breakout rooms so that students can spend time speaking one-on-one. At the same time, because these are group lessons, we want to make the most of the group dynamic. Our teachers are constantly experimenting with new ways to create engaging lessons that take advantage of learning together.
Each group lesson at Nihongo Picnic also has its own private Slack channel. Teachers use these channels to assign homework, and students submit their work there. In many classes, however, the conversations go far beyond homework. Students recommend useful apps they've discovered, share photos of meals they've cooked or flowers they're growing, tell stories about their families and pets, exchange travel memories, and much more.
Of course, online lessons come with limitations that in-person lessons do not. At the same time, online lessons offer many advantages that traditional classrooms cannot. We will continue working to minimize the limitations and maximize the benefits of online learning.
Reducing the size of our group lessons is one step toward that goal. We look forward to seeing how our students continue to grow in these smaller groups.
Most of our current classes are nearly full, but we are also considering opening new classes in the future. If you are interested in joining a group lesson, we would love to hear from you.
If you’re preparing for the JLPT this December, our JLPT Preparation Course begins this September. Please note that the course will continue with up to six students, as the lessons focus on exam preparation rather than conversation practice. For full course details and registration, please see the article above.
For lesson inquiries, contact us anytime!
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