San Francisco State has established a MSTI Fellows program that enables students interested in becoming math or science teaches to participate in a range of special activities. One example is a "math-educators lunch" program, in which aspiring math teachers are invited to lunch meetings with faculty and other students interested in teaching. These lunches serve to introduce math majors to each other and give students opportunities to talk about their interests in teaching with peers and interested faculty. Students learn about the broad range of opportunities available to MSTI fellow, including tutoring opportunities, the potential to work as undergraduate Teaching Assistants (TAs) and about opportunities to participate in math programs in San Francisco Unified Schools. There are approximately fifteen formal "fellows" each year, each receiving a stipend of $2,000 per semester for up to six semesters in return for their extra time and effort committed to the program. Students in the MSTI "fellows" program collaborate and help each other throughout their preparation for teaching careers in efforts ranging from selecting courses to finding field placements.
MSTI students at SFSU have the opportunity to participate in a NASA-sponsored four-day expeditionary learning program,
"Spaceward Bound," which connects students with scientists in cutting-edge field research on astrobiology. The program includes research at such remote sites as The Mojave Desert and the Lassen volcanic sites. A major goal of this program is to enable students to participate in field research and to recognize that they can be both a teacher and a researcher, following dual teacher-researcher career pathways. Students are also able to participate in the longer Science Teacher and Researcher (STAR) summer laboratory research program at national laboratories in the Bay Area.
Early Field Experiences at San Francisco State include placement in a K-12 school setting, observing classes and assisting a teachers. Many courses are offered that focus on teaching and learning processes and includes significant work in classroom settings.
Visit the San Francisco State MSTI site.
Campus MSTI Directors
Jamie Chan, jmchan@sfsu.edu
Eric Hsu, erichsu@sfsu.edu