Changing the Narrative Around Math Success – A Closer Look at ECP’s Noyce Fellowship
“As Noyce Fellows, we’re using education for social justice. As educators, we want to help students use math as a sword to fight injustices and their newfound literacy as a shield against systemic issues in their communities.”
The SCU Noyce Fellows gather for a group photo.
The Noyce Fellowship Program at the Santa Clara University School of Education & Counseling Psychology (ECP) is a National Science Foundation sponsored fellowship committed to getting high quality mathematics teachers into high needs schools, and improving mathematics learning opportunities for students from traditionally underrepresented populations. The five year program follows ECP Master of Arts in Teaching with Teaching Credential candidates through their year of studies at the university, then for their first four years as a mathematics teacher. Noyce Fellows commit to beginning their teaching career in a high-needs school district, and receive extensive professional development and in-the-moment coaching throughout. In exchange for this commitment, Fellows receive a full tuition scholarship at SCU, a $20,000 living stipend during their studies, then a $10,000-$16,000 stipend each of their first four years of teaching.
“We want math teachers in our program to support students to believe in their math ability, and broaden who views themselves as competent at math. Focusing on student engagement and facilitating the idea of there being multiple ways to solve math problems, we look at how we can move away from solely lecturing to encouraging students to share their ideas in math classes and know these ideas are valued,” says Dr. Kathy Liu Sun, Associate Professor and SCU Noyce Fellowship Lead.
Pioneering New Teaching Methods
Mathematics can often be seen as a high stress subject in elementary and secondary learning, which is what makes it so difficult to keep students engaged. “Growing up, I remember how devastating it felt to be in a class with peers who felt ten times smarter than me because they were grasping concepts quicker than I was. It was through this experience that I’d make notes to myself about how I’d improve the way the subject was taught so it could be taught for everyone, not just the kids who get it really easily,” says Noyce Fellow and high school mathematics teacher Valerie Tu ‘23. ECP MATTC Graduate and high school mathematics teacher, Valerie Tu.
To support mathematics achievement and make mathematics approachable for all students, Noyce Fellows are taught to incorporate “inquiry-based learning” into the way they teach. “Math is driven by curiosity. To keep that curiosity going, we as teachers need to think, “Where are they leading us?” says Tu. Fellows are taught to ask students questions that feed their curiosity and invoke critical thinking, with the goal of giving back more autonomy to students over their learning.
“We were covering e, which is used for continuous growth and decay. The students were asking why they were learning about it, so Dr. Sun stepped in and recommended we take a moment to answer that question. With the students, we explored how when things are compounded monthly, we divide whatever we’re compounding by 12. Daily? 365,” says Tu. “But what happens when it’s every second or millisecond? And together we noticed that as we kept compounding things more frequently, e was the number we kept getting closer and closer to. I could have just told them that, but I wanted us to go on that journey together. I wanted them to see, fueled by their own curiosity, the useful applications of e.”
Inspiring students to view mathematics as useful and applicable in their everyday lives is key in the SCU Noyce Program’s goals to keep students engaged while mastering key concepts. It’s also a key part of the program's commitment to using the subject for social justice.
“While teaching in East San José, I noticed that cash checking stores were prominent in the neighborhood. A lot of these are payday loan companies, which often tout easy, quick loans that have high interest rates. I used what we were learning in the compound interest unit to break down how these loans can end up costing them more than they can afford. Clearly, these companies are trying to prey on those with less options available to them, so I’m hoping my students can use this knowledge as a shield to protect them and their community from these predatory practices that plague their environment,” says Tu. Noyce Fellows Miguel Garcia and Daniel Pham in collaboration with Mathematics Professor Linda Burks at a Noyce Fellowship Workshop.
The Fellows also hope to inspire other in-service teachers to adopt these practices as well. In this spirit, workshops have been held for the Fellows’ cooperating teachers.
“We invited teachers from the classrooms our Fellows were in as student teachers to participate in workshops and attend our math methods classes. While we’re happy about the work our Noyce Fellows are doing, we also want in-service teachers to experience some of the learning activities our student teachers are engaging in, and to roll out these newer approaches to teaching math on a larger scale,” says Associate Professor and SCU Noyce Fellowship Lead Dr. Kathy Stoehr.
Leaders in Math Education
Each year, Fellows have the opportunity to network with other Fellows and present findings from their own teaching at national Noyce conferences.
In addition to four annual fellowship meetings and teaching support through real time coaching by the program team, Fellows also have the opportunity to explore professional development experiences through the program. In their third year of the program, Fellows are asked to complete a leadership project, which could be anything from presenting a new idea to school administrators to becoming a mentor teacher.
Fellows can also fulfill this requirement by participating in annual conferences exclusive to Noyce Fellows. This year, Fellows are being challenged to present findings from their teaching on their own, with Dr. Sun and Dr. Stoehr rooting them on from the sidelines.
“This February was my first time going to a Noyce event and my first time presenting, and I’d say it was pretty life changing. Nationally, the fellowship includes math and science teachers, and we all come together across disciplines to learn from each other. Everyone was extremely receptive to what we presented, and we were able to participate in so many helpful workshops and engage in such rich conversation with each other,” says Tu.
A Researcher in Practice
While the fellowship serves a rich slate of benefits for blossoming Bronco mathematics educators, it’s also proven to be a particularly rewarding experience for leads Dr. Sun and Dr. Stoehr as well.
“I was interested in bringing the program to SCU because I love being able to be a researcher that works in practice. I get to support students through every step of their development – in classes, in student teaching, and in their beginning years of teaching,” says Dr. Sun. “And I’m learning too – I get to learn from the teachers I’m mentoring and their students, and stay close to what’s happening in today’s classrooms, which is so special to me as a former high school mathematics teacher. Witnessing the amazing things the teachers and students do is life-giving for me.”
With two cohorts currently in motion, both professors are looking forward to re-applying for the NSF grant to continue expanding the program at Santa Clara.
“We have visions of what great mathematicians look like, and they tend to fit similar molds. Our goal with this program is to break that mold, and enlighten both students and teachers to see that everyone can be a successful math learner,” says Dr. Stoehr. “The hope is to continue this work with more Noyce cohorts in the future.”