Nancy Rapp: Master Practitioner Portfolio

 Standard 7: Middle level teachers understand and use the major concepts , principles, theories, and research related to effective instruction, and they employ a variety of strategies for a developmentally appropriate climate to meet the varying abilities and learning styles of all young adolescents. 

A key aspect of teaching is providing a welcoming yet orderly classroom. The students need to feel safe and appreciated in their learning environment yet also need to know what is expected of them. 

In terms of a positive environment, my children know that each child is free to offer their opinion on anything we discuss in class. The students can speak openly and honestly and know that they will face consequences if they are not respectful towards each other. Aside from expressing their viewpoints, student choice is an important aspect of my classroom. For example, the students can frequently choose what topics they wish to select for projects or extra credit, and we often vote on how to spend class time when their is flexibility in the lesson plans. Individuality is encouraged and the children know that they are important decision-makers in the classroom.

Though the students are given a great deal of freedom, I am still very much the one in charge. South Davie Middle School is a PBIS Exemplary School which means that we are praised for how we praise and prevent behaviors. Aside from clearing describing the rules orally and in print throughout the school, we provide direct consequences for behavior. The teachers, are given infraction slips to give to the children whenever they misbehave or are unprepared, and these slips have the power to have students drop a "level." The levels correspond to whether children can go on trips, receive rewards, etc. Concurrently, we also encourage behavior by providing green or yellow "tickets." The tickets are distributed to students who show "exemplary" behavior whether it be on academically or socially based. The tickets are pooled together at the end of the quarter, and we have drawings for prizes. One example of a prize was the field trip offered to our students who had not dropped a level during the third quarter. I organized a free viewing of the movie, 42, for these children and the permission slip I created can be found below.  

Note: The PBIS behavioral rules and policies can be found in the Student Handbook, which is located within the Davie County website.