Noyce Scholar Profile
Ralph Davis
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Mathematics
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Mathematics, grades 9-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Master Teaching Fellow
Name of Noyce institution:
University of Utah
Current academic or teaching status:
Graduate Student
School and school district:
Salt Lake Center for Science Education, Salt Lake City School District
Background:
I grew up in Salt Lake City where I attended public schools and graduated in 2002. I attended the University of Utah where I became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity and played on and managed the University’s Rugby team as President of the club. I graduated in the Spring of 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in Math Teaching.
Why do you want to teach:
I have had several positive role models in my life who have been teachers and coaches. I saw the influence that an educator can have on a student’s path through life and I feel as though I owe what was given to me to the next generation.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
One of my most memorable teaching experiences thus far is the lesson we taught to the students about “Hots and Colds.” My mentor teacher dressed up as a sorceress and taught the students about integer addition and subtraction. By using hot and cold cubes, the teacher was able to heat and cool her cauldron. What surprised me was how intuitive this simple idea is to the students. Within two lessons, the students were adding and subtracting positive and negative integers correctly and consistently.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The NOYCE program has afforded me the opportunity to better prepare myself to enter the teaching profession. Before I had been accepted to the program, I had expected to begin teaching without any experience. This program has not only provided me an opportunity to spend a semester as a student teacher, but also has provided me an extraordinarily skilled mentor teacher with whom I will be able to work for the remainder of my career. This experience will benefit me throughout my career as an educator.
