It seems like a no-brainer that student learning should come first in schools. But when the national teacher shortage crisis interferes, districts simply can’t find the educators they need in their area. Whether it’s an urban inner-city, growing suburb, or rural population, schools across the country are struggling to hire the qualified teachers they need. Students are left without access to great instruction through no fault of their own.
In the wake of the ever-growing shortage, teacher vacancies leave classrooms full of students without a certified educator. Schools turn to long-term substitutes, asynchronous online courses, or live virtual teachers. Which is best for students?
Long-Term Substitutes
One common way to fill a vacancy is by placing a long-term substitute in the classroom. While this solves the problem of supervision, many substitutes are not certified in the subject they are filling. Therefore, they are not qualified to teach the content and answer questions.
While some substitute teachers are skilled, creative, and interactive, many lack the experience and content knowledge to engage students in effective learning. Students deserve a qualified teacher who can set them up for success.
Asynchronous Credit Recovery
School administrators recognize when teachers aides and substitutes don’t have the content knowledge. Oftentimes, they leverage an asynchronous program under the supervision of the teacher’s aide to supplement instruction. Students click through videos and questions but aren’t engaged in true instruction from a teacher. Without engagement, it becomes a race between students – who can click through the fastest?
Another problem lies in the lack of immediate support for students when they don’t understand. If they have a question, students must ask a chat box or wait for limited office hours. Students have different learning styles and not all students can learn in click-through programs. They lack access to a teacher who can engage them and explain academic concepts in a way they can understand. Click through programs simply are not quality instruction.
Synchronous Learning
Synchronous instruction was created solely for student gain. Certified virtual teachers livestream into the classroom every day to engage their class, build rapport, and deliver engaging lessons. The Proximity Learning experience mirrors that of a traditional in-classroom teacher, even when one cannot be found locally.
Students in synchronous classrooms are monitored by the same teacher’s aide who would monitor an async class, but now they can also engage with their peers in small group activities, interact with their certified teacher, and experience customized lessons to meet their learning needs.
Schools can choose to use their own curriculum with the live virtual teacher or leverage Proximity Learning’s library of curriculum specifically fitted to their scope and sequence requirements. Districts also receive excellent customer service from their dedicates Client Success Specialist.
Everything comes down to the success of students. Test scores of students in synchronous courses have been proven to match or outperform those in traditional classroom environments.
Put your students first. Learn more about Proximity Learning synchronous instruction today!
