As the education landscape continues to evolve, teachers and schools face new instructional models, from remote learning to hybrid classrooms. However, one constant is the importance of high-quality instruction and strong student support. In a classroom learning environment, few things are more valuable than a veteran teacher with the experience, knowledge, and skills to ensure students achieve at high levels. A veteran teacher can still reach students even when that teacher, for a variety of reasons, must teach remotely. As long as a strong support paraprofessional works in-person with students in the class, students can receive personalized attention and instructional support.

Brian McMinimy, a paraprofessional, teaches at the front of the room, while Halli Kinnick, a remote master teacher, appears on screen. PHOTOS COURTESY OF JEFF SIMON

In this type of classroom, which is remote for the teacher and in-person for students, the master teacher and paraprofessional can collaborate and offer tailored approaches to meet the diverse needs of their students. In this article, we explore the overall benefits of this approach, the instructional advantages, and the specifics of creating a successful classroom set-up that enables students to reach their full potential.

Nowadays, a classroom with a master teacher, someone with years of expertise in their content area and in classroom management, is hard to come by. Amid staff shortages and retirements, fully staffing a school and retaining veteran educators has become increasingly challenging. Still, suppose a school has the ability to keep a master teacher who can no longer teach in person due to life circumstances but who is willing to teach remotely with paraprofessional support in the classroom.

Our school has such a teacher. A year and a half ago, we came up with a plan to retain a master teacher and pair them with an in-person paraprofessional to provide the necessary support and guidance to help students stay engaged and focused on their learning. With this approach, students benefit from two educators with different skill sets and teaching styles, which can lead to a more dynamic and engaging learning environment. Additionally, this model allows for more individualized attention and support for students, as both teachers can work together to identify and address individual student needs. Overall, this approach has led to a more collaborative and practical learning experience for students, where all teaching duties are taken care of, and students can learn at high levels.

During the pandemic, remote learning became a necessity. Today, however, schools use it to fill a variety of student and educator needs. In our case, we’ve turned to this innovative approach to accommodate a master math educator who must work remotely due to health issues.

A Look at Instruction

Our school intentionally designed this teacher’s class as a hybrid class as opposed to a strictly online one because, as many educators learned during the pandemic, not all students enjoyed online courses. Many students wanted to be back learning in brick-and-mortar schools as soon as possible. When we realized our teacher needed to stay remote for health reasons, ensuring the in-person classroom would still feel like a classroom pre-pandemic was essential. How did we accomplish this?

Many math teachers struggled to teach math during the pandemic, and students struggled to communicate math concepts with many asking, “How do I type my math to you?” So, we made a concerted effort to design this teacher’s Algebra I and Geometry classes to alleviate student and family concerns. As a result, the remote teacher has worked to ensure the in-person class strengthens students’ math fundamentals while teaching content based on current state standards.

Jeff Simon, principal of Payson High School.

At the beginning of each class, the remote teacher ensures that daily standards and objectives are located on the board in the classroom. There is no question what the goals are for the day. However, the remote teacher also reviews them for the video recording for students to reference later. The remote teacher always has a visual projected on the screen with the day’s date and a list of what to do as students enter the classroom. For the hour the class is in session, there is no downtime from start to finish. As with any class, a well-planned lesson results in fewer classroom management issues for the paraprofessional.

The remote teacher maintains a general class routine, which includes a warm-up activity, math questions from homework, and a new lesson. Since students mostly know what is coming next, transitions are smooth, and less class time is lost. To ensure the class keeps an in-person feel, students show their work on hardcopy paper and physically hand-in assignments, leaving them on an in-class turn-in tray. The remote teacher comes to the school building on Fridays (we have a four-day week) to pick up the paperwork. If necessary, she comes in the evenings to get it after everyone has gone home. Hardcopy work alleviates the need for students to type mathematical answers or turn in work digitally, which can be cumbersome.

When it comes to asking for and receiving extra help, students often find there are benefits in having a remote teacher. Not only can the remote teacher rely on the in-person paraprofessional to run morning and lunchtime tutoring, they also have a built-in time during the day for reteaching with Google Meet and email (Google Chat is even better if a district allows students to use it). The remote teacher also records classes daily for all students and posts them in Google Classroom. This way, every student can watch portions of the lesson they need to review for understanding. One of the biggest benefits of hybrid classrooms is that reteaching entire lessons to individual students is no longer necessary.

How do we know the hybrid classroom is a success? We heard from students like Mia, who says, “What I like best about the setup is that there are two screens to be able to see from afar or when you are close, so even if your seat gets changed, you won’t have any problems seeing what’s on the board because there are two. This setup has helped me learn because it lets me know what is happening. I have decided to stay with these teachers because I understand the teaching more than I do with others. If students are interested in switching to this class, I would tell them they should consider it because you can ask the teachers questions you don’t understand, and they will help you understand well.”

Our district benchmark program shows this hybrid approach works. The chart below includes the data expectations set by the district, the percentage of students who showed growth or proficiency on standardized tests in the remote teacher’s classes, and the school average data for student growth and proficiency. The figures for the remote teacher’s student data exceed the district expectations for both Algebra I and Geometry. And they slightly surpass the school average data in Algebra I and nearly reach the school average data in Geometry. Whether they are learning math in classrooms that are in-person or hybrid, students at our school are achieving math success.

District Set Goals for Growth
or Proficiency		Remote Teacher Data for
Growth or Proficiency		School Average Data for
Growth or Proficiency
Algebra 1: 34.65%Algebra 1: 90.70%Algebra 1: 88%
Geometry: 45.6%Geometry: 75.61%Geometry: 83.65%

Conclusion

Hybrid learning has become increasingly popular in recent years as technology continues to transform the modern classroom. A hybrid learning approach combines online and in-person instruction, offering flexibility and allowing students to learn independently and with the support of two dedicated educators. In a hybrid learning environment, a crucial factor for success is the collaboration between an educator who teaches remotely and a paraprofessional in the classroom. This approach has enabled us to create an accommodating learning environment that caters to teachers’ and students’ needs. Hybrid classrooms are here to stay—and they are thriving.

Jeff Simon is the principal of Payson High School in Payson, AZ, where Halli Kinnick is a remote master teacher and Brian McMinimy is an in-classroom support teacher.