Allan Phipps2011 Teacher of the Year
South Plantation High School
District Partners and Programs |
Broward County Teacher of the Year 2011
The Teacher of the Year Program recognizes and honors the contributions of outstanding classroom teachers who have demonstrated a superior capacity to inspire a love of learning in students of all backgrounds and abilities. The Office or Parents, Business and Community Partnerships coordinates the nomination and selection of the Broward County Teacher of the Year and the Finalists.
Nomination packets are sent to school principals at the beginning of each school year. Selection processes may differ by school. Each school then submits their nominee to its area office. Through a selection process made up of school and district based personnel, and parents, the four Area Office’s then submits the top two candidates from their area to the Office or Parents, Business and Community Partnerships. These candidates become the Broward County Teacher of the Year Finalists.
The finalists are then put through a vigorous selection and interview process, with the winner being named at the Teacher of the Year Appreciation and Recognition luncheon. The Teacher of the Year appreciation and recognition luncheon is an opportunity for the district to honor all teachers and their commitment and dedication to Broward’s students.
Allan Phipps
2011 Teacher of the Year
South Plantation High School
Entering Allan Phipps’ classroom at South Plantation High School is a high energy, visually stimulating experience.Combining rigor and relevance with fun and energy, Phipps creates a thought-provoking and challenging environment for his students. He works hard to create a sense of life-long environmental stewardship among his students that extends long after the school day and school year are over.
Phipps approaches teaching as a reciprocal relationship, giving all and expecting nothing less from his students. On major exams, he reviews individual question correlations between question difficulty level and student scores, to make adjustments in his teaching methods to ensure that all students are making learning gains.
He is creative in his approach to subject matter, seeing himself as a facilitator of authentic learning. Using traditional Japanese clothes and sushi, he taught a lesson on endangered species that ended with a debate about tuna fishing. To learn about carbon footprints, his students conducted an energy audit of their school. Many of these projects have been entered into regional, state and national competitions.
He has harnessed student and parent interests into furthering the learning process. When a student expressedconcerns about the destruction of coral reefs, Phipps joined with the student to apply for grants to cover the cost of constructing reef balls. As a result of this collaboration, the team convinced SuperMix to donate enough concrete to make thirty 500-pound reef balls that Phipps and his students, along with dozens of community agencies, deployed in local waters. A sample of the reef balls is on permanent display at the Museum of Discovery and Science. These efforts won the Sea World/Busch Gardens Environmental Excellence Award.
> Meet the 2011 Broward County Teacher of the Year Finalists