How Many Groups Should a Class of 30 Have?

A class of 30 divides evenly into groups of three, four, five, or six — so the arithmetic doesn't decide it for you. The choice is really about the task: smaller groups for talk and accountability, larger ones for a bigger build.

The even splits

• Groups of three — ten groups. Nobody hides; everyone has to contribute. Good for discussion.
• Groups of four — six groups, and the usual favorite, because it splits neatly into pairs within the group.
• Groups of five — six groups. A comfortable size for a project with distinct roles.
• Groups of six — five groups. Fewer groups to circulate between, but the quiet students have more room to sit back.

Smaller for talk, larger for building

The rule of thumb: the more you need every student talking, the smaller the group. Threes and fours make it hard for anyone to coast. If the task is a bigger make — a poster, a model, a performance — fives and sixes give you enough hands, at the cost of some students doing less.

When the class isn't 30

Most classes aren't a round number, and that is where deciding by hand gets fiddly — you end up with one group short a member or one doubled up. It is easier to choose the group size or the number of groups and let the split fall out, with the odd ones spread across groups rather than piled into one. The Random Group Generator does that from a pasted roster: pick the number of groups or the size, and it evens out the remainder. If a grouping won't work, reshuffle and draw again.

For the full walkthrough, see how to split a class into random groups.