March 2017

Math Central (MC):

Christine worked for Math Central one summer while she was a student at the University of Regina. Christine, it's good to have contact with you again and thank you for agreeing to this.

Start by telling us your job title and your employer?

CHRISTINE :

My job title is Educator & Instructional Designer for Spinal Cord Injury Ontario

MC:

Tell us about your education, your background and your duties in your job.

CHRISTINE:

I was born and raised in Regina and attended the University of Regina.  I graduated in 2011, with Distinction, from a combined Bachelor’s of Science (Math Major, English minor) and a Bachelor’s of Education (Secondary; Math Major, English Minor) program.  I won the President’s Medal and the Celebration Award that year as well.

I moved to Toronto after graduation with my partner who is pursuing his PhD in Mathematics at the University of Toronto.  It was here that I first started with Spinal Cord Injury Ontario, pursuing my passion of helping others that are a part of my community of people with disabilities in the role of Peer Support Coordinator.  Within three years I transitioned to the role of Educator & Instructional Designer and was given the opportunity to use my education to its full potential.  I have then actively pursued other educational avenues, completing a Certificate in Pedagogical Documentation to Enhance Formative Assessment from York University in 2014 and a Diploma in eLearning from the University of Calgary in 2015.

In my role as Educator & Instructional Designer I create online, blended, and in-person learning opportunities – meaning that I provide educational opportunities through several different mediums.  These educational opportunities are designed for adults with physical disabilities and those who support them. 

I manage projects related to learning and build those learning opportunities to be available across the province, country or world (depending on the project and its scope).  I host and develop webcasts and online meetings.  I design, develop, and implement training opportunities through the use of the authoring tools such as Adobe Captivate and Camtasia Studio.

 

MC:

How do you use your mathematics and your mathematics education in your work?

CHRISTINE:

I work extensively with various software programs, which means that I am constantly learning to use new programs and to include various scripting and programming languages.  Having a degree in mathematics means that I am able to logically determine the best course of action in using these programs and have some insight into what is happening in the back-end of a program.

Working for a non-for-profit also means that all of our time is tracked and reported to various governmental bodies as well as our sponsors and donors.  We also track many different evaluative statistics from many different sources.  Pulling this all together to meaningful, reportable statistics is also a part of my position. I get to use my knowledge of mathematics and statistics to inform our Key Performance Indicator (KPIs) and Return on Investment (ROI) calculations.

The problem-solving skills I learned as a part of my mathematical education are something I have been able to apply in every aspect of my career, and the combination of Math, English and Education allow me to analyze problems from many different angles. 

Having a background in Mathematics also allows me to connect with my husband’s work as he completes his PhD.  Though I far from understand the nuances of what he is studying, I understand the basics and can keep up with at least some of what he’s doing!

 

MC:

What do you do when you are not at work?

CHRISTINE:

I tutor elementary and secondary mathematics in my evenings.  Having an in depth understanding of mathematics, and where the math that my students are learning is taking them, allows me to be excited about what my students are learning and to show them that mathematics doesn’t need to be scary or intimidating.  It allows me to introduce new topics enthusiastically and talk about the many ways that mathematics will apply to their lives.

I was a member of the Canadian National ParaCanoe team from 2009 through to 2013, and in that time won several International medals, including two World Championships.