Camosun math instructor wins national teaching award
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June 1, 2009
Jill Britton, 20-year veteran math instructor at Camosun College, was nationally-recognized today (June 1) for excellence in teaching at the annual Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) awards ceremony in Charlottetown, PEI.
The ACCC awards are open to all 150 community colleges in Canada, and nominees must first be an award winner at their local institution. “We’re very proud that our best turned out to be the country’s best,” says Suzanne Tremblay, Senior Human Resources Consultant at Camosun.
Britton teaches a mostly-female group of students at Camosun studying to become elementary teachers. Typically the majority of these students are very apprehensive about taking mathematics courses. The eight-month learning experience with Britton is transformative, resulting in a graduating class actually excited about teaching mathematics.
“Her love of mathematics is so infectious that students in her class can’t help but love it too,” says Matthew Heim, one of Britton’s former students.
Britton’s impact goes beyond her immediate students and reaches the next generation. This matters dearly to Britton, who is keenly aware that mathematical competencies open many professional doors.
“It is sheer determination and passion for mathematics that made Jill Britton become a mathematics instructor,” says Tremblay. “She never doubted that she wanted to teach, but at the time women were not at all encouraged to study higher mathematics.”
At 64, Britton remains an extremely dynamic teacher, with a full course load, ready to assist current and former students. Her website is visited regularly by teachers from all over the world for pearls of wisdom to enrich their own teaching.
Britton has spoken at more than a 100 conferences throughout her career, including the 1998 M.C. Escher conference in Rome, presenting a paper on teaching mathematics through Escher’s art.
The ACCC awards recognize and promote excellence within Canadian colleges and technical institutes, showcasing extraordinary contributions of individuals, and highlighting the role of colleges in the social, cultural and economic development of communities.
About the ACCC
The Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) is the national organization created in 1972 to represent colleges and institutes to government, business and industry, both in Canada and internationally.
Last updated: April 9, 2010 3:10 pm
