Noyce Scholar Profile
Brad Davis
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: B.S. Chemistry, B.S. Chemistry Education, M. Ed. Educational Administration and Policy
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Physics
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Master Teaching Fellow
Name of Noyce institution:
I-IMPACT Noyce II Program at Kennesaw State University
Current academic or teaching status:
I am in my eleventh year of teaching.
School and school district:
Centennial High School, Fulton County Schools
Background:
After studying architecture and chemistry at Georgia Tech for three years, I decided on a career in teaching. I transferred to Kennesaw State and completed both a B.S. in chemistry and a B.S. in chemistry education. I also completed an M.Ed. In Educational Administration and Policy at the University of Georgia. After two years of teaching chemistry and Honors chemistry at the Fulton County Charter School of Mathematics and Science the school closed and I transferred to Centennial High School. I have been there for nine years and teach physics, AP physics, chemistry, and physical science. I have also been serving as the department chair for the last six years. I joined the Noyce II project in order to become part of a larger teaching community and mentor new teachers to help improve teaching in the physical sciences in the metro Atlanta area.
Why do you want to teach:
I love teaching because I enjoy working with kids and challenging them to master and apply knowledge that seems so complicated to them in the beginning, and trying to do that while developing a love and deep interest in the physical sciences.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
I really enjoy working with the students day in and day out and love watching the light bulb turn on for them or watch them really enjoy and activity or area of science and aplly it to something else they are already interested in. One example that comes to mind is a project in which my students build musical instruments and perform a song for the class. The excitement and creativity shown is just one example of what makes teaching really fun!
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
I joined the Noyce II project in order to become part of a larger teaching community and mentor new teachers to help improve teaching in the physical sciences in the metro Atlanta area. I just began the program in January but have already had some great conversations about teaching strategies and have started working on my own personal project of creating screencasts to use with my students during the upcoming school year.
